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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Politics of Bombs

Just suppose that there had been a country stronger than the U.S. when George W. became President, thanks to the vote of one Supreme Court Justice.

Suppose that country had said, "Wrong, wrong, wrong. That election was stolen. We have to teach them what democracy is."

What if Generals of that other power had then advised drone attacks on four or five of the reddest states on the reddest cities, wiping out lots of Republicans, even those who had not voted for George W. plus quite a few Democrats and little kids with no politics at all.

But of course the attacks would not have nullified the Supreme Court vote.

Do you think we would not have called that an invasion, Democrats and Republicans alike? And wouldn't we have joined forces fast to prevent the occupation of our country?

What am I getting at? Trying to show you how crazy it seems to me to try to eliminate wrong-headed people dispersed in large states by massive bombing attacks, which succeed only in making enemies.

Can you think of a war since World War II that accomplished much else? Eight years in Afghanistan and look at that election...

There are pockets of al-Qaida in the mountains bordering Pakistan. There are other pockets around the globe. Why are we fixated on Afghanistan and what would constitute victory over there anyway? We haven't been given much of an answer.

If it were my decision I would send not one weapon or soldier to another country unless it were being seriously attacked, urging others in the U.N. to follow suit.

A quarter of the money formerly spent on military "aid" would go instead to humanitarian help -- food and medical care, again trying to persuade other nations to go along with us.

Those funds might make good will, not hostility and hatred. Many countries are war weary as we are, and we'd have an excellent spokesman in Obama if he were to the turn the page of history.

Any dictators not allowing life-saving aid to be brought into their country would be taken before the World Court by whatever means necessary, for such refusal would amount to genocide.

The other three-quarters of the former military spending I would use right here. It seems we have quite a few problems to work on in our own country.

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