Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

COLUMN: Fess up and take responsibility for mess in Iraq
By Jamar Osborne
Oklahoma Daily (U. Oklahoma)
01/17/2007

(U-WIRE) NORMAN, Okla. — Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the American position was Iraq was in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441 and had to be forcefully disarmed.

The Washington Post found in April 2003 that 72 percent of Americans supported the Iraq War even though no weapons of mass destruction were found.

A Gallup poll taken in May 2003 concluded that 79 percent of Americans thought that the Iraq War was justified, even without conclusive evidence of illegal weapons.

After the invasion there was a period when it was taboo to speak out against the war for fear of being accused of being disloyal.

Some Americans opposed the war in Iraq because they felt that the administration had not presented enough evidence that Iraq posed a direct threat to America.

Other Americans felt so strongly that this war was wrong that even though they were accused of overtly aiding Saddam Hussein and for emboldening terrorists, they volunteered to use themselves as human shields.

The Dixie Chicks were among the first courageous enough to publicly admit their disapproval of the war. There was a huge backlash against them; they were branded as traitors and even received death threats.

The thought at the time was that their statements were an act of betrayal because they were made on foreign soil.

This is somewhat nonsensical, considering the U.K. isn't a hostile nation, but rather an ally in the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

Following Dixie Chicks, more celebrities patriotically decided to use their notoriety as a platform to criticize the administration's policies involving the war.

Some were accused of treason; others were boycotted or dismissed as propagandists.

Those who opposed the war were largely branded as Bush-bashers or un-American for not supporting the military.

Let's not get selective amnesia. This war would not have been possible without the support of the majority of Americans.

It's amazing how many Americans are turning against Mr. Bush now that things have clearly become disastrous. Don't jump a sinking ship and leave the captain to drown; you were on that ship and you rode it as far as it would take you. Some of you voted for Mr. Bush not once, but twice.

In 2004, many Americans were easily manipulated and distracted by issues such as abortion, gay rights and flag burning.

They decided that they would put their prejudices before their own welfare and reelected the current administration even after witnessing its performance during its first term in office.

George W. Bush's re-election was seen as a referendum on his performance as president and an indication a majority of Americans supported the war.

You got what you wanted and now you don't want what you got. When those who cared about this country enough to seek out the truth and speak out did so, many Americans tried to silence them.

Now, the very quagmire that war protestors sought to prevent has come to fruition.

Don't claim you were misled because you chose willful blindness. Don't blame the media and don't blame those in office because we live in a generation where information is easily accessible. As the polls indicate, many Americans were thirsty for vengeance and did not care whether Iraq posed a direct threat or not.

Take responsibility and blame it on your apathy and laziness.

Albert Einstein once said, "We believe that an informed citizenry will act for life and not for death."

The war protestors were supporting the military when they tried to keep them out of harm's way. They are the real heroes.

Three thousand U.S. troops have died in this war and America is ostensibly no safer than it was prior to the invasion.

Not only did most Americans not do their homework, they had the audacity to tell the few students who did that they were wrong. Resources have been wasted and those who pose the real threat to America know that we're too committed in Iraq to get involved in any more conflicts.

Instead of becoming informed, many Americans would rather remain ignorant.

Despite concessions made by the Bush administration and overwhelming evidence that America was led to war under false pretenses, a Harris Poll taken in July 2006 reveals that half of Americans still believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the U.S. invaded Iraq, while 64 percent believe that Saddam had "strong links" with Al Qaeda. What will it take to convince these people?

As the expression goes, "a society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves."

Living in a democracy is a privilege and requires an informed citizenry to be preserved. If Americans would rather believe a lie and be damned, it's their own fault.

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