November 22, 2004
So what's in the news today? Of course the continuing saga of public violence. Last Sunday or Monday the fight that exploded during the Vibe Music awards was one of the first items I saw in the news. Now we have fights breaking out in professional and college sports.
Back to that in a moment.
Iraq Elections Set for January 30.
This is very important for the Iraq people as well as the Bush administration. If a government can be elected that is seen by everyday ordinary Iraqis as legitimate then perhaps we can move this occupation to a swift conclusion and we can Bring Our Troops Home. Of course there will be continued violence, but a people who believe in their government will be empowered to create change. They will stop the foreign intervention because they want to get on with creating a new and better future. But if the "elected" leadership does not reflect the wishes of the people then violence will continue not only from the foreign fighters but from Iraqis who do not want U.S. domination. The Bush administration has put a lot of hope on suppressing the insurgency by attacking Fallujah. If this tactic fails to create an environment were legitimate elections can be held, Bush has left himself open to major criticism for the peace movement to exploit. It will show what most people in the peace movement already know. The military cannot provide a political answer.
I pray that legitimate elections take place and a fairly elected widely representative government comes to power. The best thing the U.S. can do is let the process play itself out. We should not try to control the outcome. Let the Iraq people decided their future. If we ignore the will of the people like the Eisenhower administration chose to refuse to hold elections in 1956 in Vietnam because it would have brought Ho Chi Min to power, we will have proven ourselves to be full of lies. Liberation means self determination, not subordination to American will.
