Why are Americans dying in Iraq?
"Our soldiers are fighting to defend our country and our freedom and to make it safe for Americans to live securely in the greatest democracy the world has ever known." Right?
Not so fast. "Defending our country," which would include sensible activities like guarding our borders and protecting us from invaders, does not explain why our children are killing and being killed today in Iraq. The fact is the U.S. has only been invaded twice, by Great Britain in 1812 and by Mexico in 1846. Other than these two cases, no member of the U.S. military has ever fought or died to repel a foreign invader.
(Apparently our best military minds didn't consider invasion much of a threat either, given the fact that up until 9/11 there were only 12 "ground-based" Air National Guard jets to guard the entire country against invaders. In fact, they must not consider invasion much of a threat even now, given the Pentagon's conniving to prevent the intelligence bill from coming to a vote in Congress.)
The truth is, U.S. troops are hardly ever called upon to "defend our country." Of the approximately 250 deployments of U.S. armed forces since 1798, the majority have been preemptive actions against possible future threats, or wars of aggression waged to advance American interests.
The indisputable facts are: Iraq had no plans to attack the U.S., Iraq did not possess weapons that could threaten the U.S., and Iraq had no connection with those who attacked the U.S.
So if Americans in Iraq are not "defending our country," what are they doing there? Could it be retribution and vengeance? We all should hope not if only because sacrificing the life of your child for "retribution and vengeance" just doesn't have the same proud ring of patriotism and honor "defending her country."
Ted Rall (US) -- They Fight and Die, But Not for Their Country
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