by James Glaser
April 3, 2003

I am going to start with a report about that Baghdad market that was hit last Friday killing sixty two and wounding over a hundred. American and British reporters said many children were killed and injured. Iraq claimed we hit that Market with a missile. We claim we didn't target anything near there and that it could have been an Iraqi missile or even an Iraqi bomb to make us look bad.

Well those Iraqis dug up the hole made by whatever caused all of those deaths and here is what the report says. "An American Missile, identified from the remains of its serial number, was pinpointed yesterday as the cause of the explosion at a Baghdad market on Friday night that killed at least 62 Iraqis. The codes on the foot long shrapnel shard, seen by Independent correspondent Robert Fisk at the scene of the bombing in the Shu'ale district, came from a weapon manufactured in Texas by the world's biggest producer of "Smart" armaments."

The company that made that missile was Raytheon and they sell over sixteen billion dollars worth of them a year. I tell you all of this, not to say "see we did it." No, I am telling you this so that you can see that "Precision" weapons are not always precise. More and more we have the confidence to hit a target right next to civilians, because we just know we can't miss, but we do.

As wars become more and more like computer games, those pushing the buttons will never see the damage their targeting does. Also I doubt if those pulling the trigger are ever told of mistakes. Sure nobody wants to kill innocent civilians, but we continue to do just that. If you listen to any Pentagon Briefing you will quickly notice that those in charge have the utmost confidence that every weapon hits its target. These guys actually believe that. I believe that all of these missed targets are going to cost us this victory.

Someday wars might be fought with weapons that never miss, but we are a long way from that. The Pentagon is the Headquarters of the most powerful military force the world has ever seen. I think because of that, those working there are a little overconfident in their weapons and just a little too cocksure that they can do no wrong. Children screaming in pain would tell them different, of course you can't hear those kids from hundreds of miles away and that is where we are shooting from.

I think it is just marvelous that we rescued that nineteen year old Private First Class Jessica Lynch. What a "plus" for our side.

Here is another killer headline that will lose us this war. "U.S.Bomb Destroys Maternity Hospital" Just how many times each hour is that going to be flashed around the world, especially the Muslim world? I can remember in Vietnam trying to win their Hearts and Minds. We knew that was a joke. You blow their village to pieces and then go in and offer medical aid and a case of rations.

Think about your wife having a baby or you having a baby and somebody drops a bomb on the hospital while you are going through labor. You have to see how much hate we are building up. You kill my wife and our unborn son and you want me to do what? You want me to help install an American form of government?

As I have said, headlines are killing us. Some are outrageous, and some are true. All of the following I have taken from American newspapers and web pages today.

"Critics Blast US Military Decision To Sell Water To Penniless Iraq"

"US Captain To Troops, 'You Just F***ing Killed A Family'"

"U K Official, We're Seen As Villains"

"Bush Approves Use Of Tear Gas In Battlefield"

"Children Killed And Maimed In Cluster Bomb Attack"

"Witness Say US Bombs Hit Iraqi Hospital"

"Journalists Accuse US Troops of Excess Force"

Now I have a whole page of these, but you get the idea, Remember these are from American sources, so you can imagine what the rest of the world is doing with these. America can't possibly win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, heck we couldn't even win the hearts and minds of Mexico and Canada. Nor the countries in the UN Security Council.

That is what those in Washington have failed to figure out. In war you can't make friends with the people that you are attacking. This whole war plan was based on the Iraqi people running out to throw flowers and rice on our troops. George and Donald had visions of huge celebrations where ever our troops went and we had to rush troops to Baghdad just to stop the mass executions of Saddam's followers.

You now want to tell me that George and Donald are not smoking some of the Hash we captured in Afghanistan? Maybe they are shooting some of that good Afghan Opium. What ever they are doing they are out of touch with reality.

Men and I suppose women, go nuts in combat and after seeing too many of your close comrades getting killed and shot up, you realize that war is for keeps and those people in that town or village over there hate you and any one of them could send you home in a body bag.

All that crap they told you in Kuwait about these people being oppressed and needing your help is just that, crap. Now you know the score and everyone is now the enemy. Sure we are going to waste lots of these Iraqis, heck we now have a bunch of young scared troops ready to blast anything that moves.

That is WAR, plain and simple and those that planned this war had no idea that this would happen. Those headlines are stirring up a lot of emotions in the Muslim world. Our troops are stirring up the Iraqi people. That is what war does, it gets the juices flowing and the adrenaline pumping. People in pickup trucks will attack tanks and die.

There are also Iraqis that can still think and these people are going to wait, because they can see our massive fire power. They know we are going to take out Saddam, but taking out Saddam is not going to bring back their children we killed nor their bride. These people will bide their time and they will throw a grenade into a truck or take a shot at night when our troops are occupying Baghdad. I don't see this war ending with the killing of Saddam. No, this war will end when America leaves Iraq.

George Bush has screwed this war up big time. With a President that could get along with others, America, with help from the whole world, could have and taken out Saddam for the Iraqi people. Even George's Dad got everyone on the same page. But no, now we have an attack by America, lead my America's "cowboy" on a Crusade to wipe out the Muslim Religion. That is how this war is playing in large parts of this world. George just couldn't wait any longer to attack and because of that we are going to lose this one.

The shame here is that so many young Americans that really believe in our nation are going to be killed or hurt for life so that George can strut around and look tough.

Now those in Washington will still be able to claim a great American victory, they will say that we took out Saddam and his henchmen, but we have to ask ourselves, at what cost? Before this war we did have a strong percentage of Arabs and Muslims the world over that were still thinking of America as a leader. They might not have been the majority, but they were the most educated and influential people in their countries. I think we have lost many of these people. Those same people are now urging their countries to acquire some nuclear weapons as they can see that is the only deterrent to American aggression.

So yes, we will be able to claim victory, We also will claim that we have protected the world from Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction. We will talk of Liberation and of a new Democracy. Some how though, I think all the new distrust and hatred we have caused in this world and the panic search for weapons to deter us, will make this war a losing situation.