The Last Word
Democracy revealed
Barrie Quappe
Let me get this straight. The US is being called by some a "terrorist." Hmmm
World wide:
The French discount the tens of thousands of US soldiers buried in their country that died fighting for France's freedom. What about all the humanitarian aid supplied by the US to the poorest of countries? Sounds like a terrorist act to me.
Locally:
Some forget that anytime their loved ones are lost at sea, the
US Coast Guard has always been willing to help. In turn, we have
young Caymanians who seek opportunities with the US military.
In fact we have Caymanians who recently served in Iraq. Are they
terrorists? Caymanians have blood relations (with sir names such
as Ebanks, Tibbetts and Bodden) by the thousands in various port
cities of the US. Does that make them terrorists, too?
Business:
The majority of Cayman's tourism comes from the US. We allow thousands
of tourists here a day. Tourism is a huge part of our economy
and yet there are those amongst us who believe they are terrorists?
What about Cayman's financial sector? Let's take those (terrorist)
New York legal and financial firms out of the equation and see
what we have left.
Reports now coming out of Iraq include the
torture of a brave Iraqi CNN news operative some years ago and
CNN is now getting heat for not telling this story of Saddam's
torture at that time. That company decided to not risk the personal
safety of individuals involved over getting "the story".
Sound like terrorist to you? I tell you what does sound like a
terrorist. An Iraqi surgeon kisses both cheeks just prior to cutting
off both ears of an accused Saddam dissident. Meat hooks, electrical
shocks all intended for use on human beings on the instructions
of Saddam and his sadistic sons and henchmen. Would you like this
guy as your neighbour? What if he killed your husband imprisoned
your brothers and raped your daughters. Would the US somehow be
blamed?
Okay, I know there are those of you who believe that the US is
in it to steal Iraqi oil. Give me a break, the US has cleared
the way so that the Iraqi people can profit from the natural resources
of their own country. Saddam is (or was, assuming a bunker buster
landed in his lap) a multi-billionaire off the backs of his own
people. In the 1980's the US Government itself supplied some weaponry
(mostly satellite intelligence) to Iraq during the Iran/Iraq war.
This policy based on the view that Iraq was the lesser of two
evils. Clearly, the crystal ball was not working that week. The
point is the US is not without its bad decisions just as in other
countries around the world. By the way, the tanks and weaponry
that coalition forces destroyed were mostly French, Russian and
Chinese made. Who's calling them a terrorist?
More facts, please:
I wanted to write a more factual appraisal of the situation but
I find that to some, facts don't count. If they think you are
a terrorist, then you must be. Forget the facts. Forget the sacrifice
of young US and Coalition soldiers to free the people of Iraq
and the world from an insane leader. Forget true honour, valour
and the true price of democracy.