The troops met a nasty bunch

“The troops met a nasty bunch”. Says the Colonel whose troops faced fierce resistance from the town’s residents. The invading armies hadn’t expected this. They were much better equipped and, after all, were representing the most powerful nation on earth.

The “nasty bunch” the invading Colonel was referring to could have been American Colonists who objected to the imperial British Empire that dominated their economic and political life. But this was a much more powerful Empire, the U.S empire and the city is Falluja in Iraq.

The British called the Colonists terrorists too. They were a “nasty bunch”. And they refused to fight fair, hiding behind trees and in the woods where you couldn’t see them. Why don’t they stand and fight, the British commanders thought.

Naturally, these Colonists are heroes to us in the U.S., true patriots, willing to give their lives for freedom and the right to govern themselves. In fact, here in the U.S. the true patriot would never give up their weapons; “From my cold, dead hands” the true American patriot says to the world. The generals of the invading U.S. armies are upset that the residents of Falluja, when requested to hand over their arms, have only handed over junk. Could it be that Falluja is an NRA stronghold? Is it possible that Charlton Heston is advising the people of Falluja that are fighting to repel the invaders?

Today the most powerful military force in history dropped more bombs on the civilians of Falluja. The invaders are angry now, angry that these people reject colonization. It should be no surprise that they do. The British also murdered them until they finally drove them out. Thus the great imperial powers found it much safer to govern their subjects through clients like Saddam Hussein or Ferdinand Marcos or the CIA agent Manuel Noriega

No one with an ounce of integrity can justify this slaughter of a third world people’s by the world’s greatest military machine. According to reports, 115 Americans have died this month along with 1200 Iraqi’s. The murderers Bush, Cheney, Clinton and other perpetrators of violence against working people at home and abroad like these statistics, they pray the ratio will not rise otherwise we Americans will take note. Wars are OK when the others die. We’ll accept Panama, Grenada, Gulf war 1, Kosova, but don’t bother us with death. This is the legacy of Vietnam. And to think there are those among the warmongers who claim the mantle of Jesus, what hypocrites. Fanatics of every religion always claim that "their" god blesses them more than others.

All participants will be affected by the brutality of the Iraq conflict. The young Americans who return safely with limbs intact will undoubtedly be scarred emotionally by the experience. Families will suffer, personal relations will be destroyed, and depleted uranium will claim its victims. The oil barons will ensure that on returning home “our boys” will not waste the public’s money on medical care and counseling and housing or other benefits that they think they are due for making the ultimate sacrifice; after all, spreading freedom around the world is expensive and there’s only so much money to go round. Forcing “freedom” and “democracy” on the Iraqi’s costs $5bn a month.

The present loss of Iraqi lives comes after hundreds of thousands, mostly women and children, have died due to U.S. imposed sanctions through the U.N. The Iraqi people will not be pacified. No people ever are. British history in Northern Ireland is surely a lesson here, or in Iraq for that matter. But the arrogance of the neo cons that they thought they could simply invade a country for no reason, a country that made no threat and posed none. That they could savage its population and destroy its infrastructure and no one would do anything about it. If it were not so tragic it would be comical that the likes of Bush, this pampered son of the ruling class who has never worked a day in his life, actually thought the Iraqi people would throw flowers on the invaders.

But while mocked in some liberal circles stateside, in Falluja the NRA motto has won the hearts of the people: From My Cold Dead Hands.

Richard Mellor

Member AFSCME Local 444, Oakland CA

www.laborsmilitantvoice.com

4-27-04