This Week’s Attitude
A Year-End Letter To The People Of Iraq
By Neil S. Friedman

To The Iraqi People: Salam Aleichem — greetings of peace.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been any peace for you since my country invaded yours or, before that, when many of you constantly lived in fear under Saddam Hussein’s tyrannical regime. As a matter of fact, your country has been involved in conflicts between various factions for centuries, so peace, it would seem, is a concept of which you know little — like freedom and democracy.

Sadly, we just stirred a simmering pot by our baseless action.

While our misguided commander-in-chief may have had good intentions, even though he proceeded with unconfirmed intelligence, when he and his generals decided to shock and awe your nation — primarily to unseat your dictator, which some of your countrymen appeared to revel in — it seems there is still a total lack of stability within your boundaries, despite the ousting of the madman.

Most Americans now feel that our forces stationed in your country have become like crutches and security blankets that inhibit your own military from taking on the lion’s share of the fighting, therefore delaying the opportunity for you to govern yourselves. We should not have attempted to transform your nation into a democracy because it appears some groups patently reject it, much as they object to our freethinking way of life, which just demonstrates how little our president and his advisors misunderstand your culture, your goals and, to a large extent, your rejection of Western customs. And when it was recently revealed that a mere handful of advisers posted in Iraq speak your language, it was another instance of our blundered mission.

Aside from the incalculable cost of lives, which just surpassed the number lost in the 2001 terrorist attacks that provided the rationalization for our unwarranted invasion, my country has spent — and wasted — hundreds of billions of dollars that could have gone to noteworthy agendas for our own citizens.

While American polls show diminished support for the president and the war, as the effort appears wholly futile, our national elections last month clearly demonstrated that the majority of Americans are sick and tired of helping your nation achieve something that some of your countrymen obviously don’t want.

We know that there many material things we can export to enhance your lives, but exporting freedom is a whole ‘nother tactic — and, obviously, not among them. Freedom, American style, is something that sounds and looks good to some, but you have to want it. And little since our soldiers stepped on your shores has shown the average American that you want it or would even know how to use it.

From the war’s onset, some Americans saw the transparency of the Bush Administration’s intentions, when it allowed a throng of media representatives to be embedded with invading American troops. That heretofore unheard of tactic was nothing more than a public relations ploy to show Americans how easily our Army could defeat yours. But no mission was accomplished in 30 days or 30 months. The debacle goes on and on with no end in sight or even a glint of light at the end of the tunnel.

To date, we sacrificed nearly 3,000 young lives and tens of thousands have been physically and psychologically maimed, plus we’ve spent tens of billions of dollars to try to resurrect your nation. And let’s not forget the tens of thousands of your citizens who have simultaneously died.

Yet, the latest baffling policy our government has come up with is to ADD more troops for a “short period,” which will only increase the likelihood of more GIs killed or maimed. But, can our soldiers train yours? More importantly, can your soldiers handle or want the responsibility of fighting an enemy that appears to wage war regardless of the consequences?

The time has come to progressively sever our relationship. You must discontinue your dependency on us and the few allies still contributing to your fight. While this could be economically devastating (our oil supply might be reduced in such an aftermath) to both our nations, a healthy majority of Americans see nothing but more death, destruction and futility by sustaining this association.

Sometimes Americans can be elitist by refusing to understand cultures and religions other than those for which they deem necessary. However, we try to live by a basic Judeo-Christian philosophy, but every now and then we choose to ignore it for our own best interests. On the other hand, we can’t understand how your brethren do not vociferously condemn the fanatics who senselessly and ruthlessly kill in the name of your God then maintain they are guided by the philosophy of your holy book. Yet, from what little I understand about Islam, the religion condemns terrorism — under any circumstances — and such violence contradicts its every principle.

The following quote pinpoints the frustrations of many Americans: “It was a shameful thing to ask men to suffer and die, to persevere through god-awful afflictions and heartache, to endure the dehumanizing experiences that are unavoidable in combat, for a cause that the country wouldn’t support over time and that our leaders so wrongly believed could be achieved at a smaller cost than our enemy was prepared to make us pay.”

That statement was made years ago by Arizona Senator and former prisoner of war John McCain about America’s experience in Vietnam. It should, nevertheless, be read by — or to — President George W. Bush every morning remaining in his presidency to remind him about his awful choice in 2003 that was merely a hasty decision to show Americans he was responding to their rage over 9/11.

Some believe our president has been in a state of denial, losing his insight as he became caught up in the throes of a chaotic campaign, though his stubbornness and resolve curiously seemed to strengthen — until recently when sensible minds convinced him there’s no way to achieve his original goals. Despite convening a bipartisan group to study the problems we face in Iraq, thus far he has dug in his heels and refused to acknowledge its essential conclusions that the war is a lost cause. The only viable option for us is to get out before too many more Americans die within your borders.

Despite anger and frustration, decent Americans hope the future for your nation holds more promise than the past — but it must occur without our military. We will do what we can to offer advice for a peaceful existence, but we should not have to sacrifice any more of our noble sons and daughters.

We may have mistakenly stirred the fury of some of your countrymen and disturbed outside influences, but there was plenty of animosity between warring factions long before we entered the bloody fray.

As we enter a New Year in a few days, we hope your nation can make and fulfill peaceful resolutions that have been as foreign to you as many of our customs.

Nonetheless, best wishes for a Happy New Year.

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