Just to be clear, you are suggesting that we are responsible for the evils the people we are fighting, inflict on civilians?

Cuz ya know what? I don't think we are.

Enough of what we do is bad enough, but I'm not willing to accept responsibility for the actions of our opponents.

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America's nation building (expanding empire), is doomed to failure. Ron Paul said it best during the Republican debates: "We cannot afford to maintain an expanding empire with borowed money". The Roman Empire, The British Empire, Russia's attempt to conquer her neighbors, and Hitler's Nazi's were all brought down. We need to wake up soon and return to our Constitutional principals. Bring our troops home from around the world, and quit interfering with other countries. Trade, talk and be friends with all. Have we learned nothing from history? We now are friends with Vietnam. We cannot let the military-industrial complex determine our foreign policy. The karmic debt we will be paying for this misguided policy, will destroy our Republic.

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"American politicians are regularly asked what they think the best option is for Iraq. As Chomsky bluntly states, aggressors have no rights. Our occupation is criminal. What Americans want for Iraq is irrelevant."

If we gave a fig about the Iraqis we wouldn't have trumped up a case based on lies so we could invade their country and steal their oil.

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its like asking the fox to decide what is best for the chickens

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There is no valid military mission save that of safeguarding the citizenry. Even if you buy the official line of WMD (and even then-President Clinton issued an executive order that every member of the armed forces receive the B. anthracis vaccine to protect them against Hussein's perceived stockpiles of the biowarfare agent) it turned out--incontrovertibly--that we were not in any danger what so ever from the tyrant of Baghdad as of 2003.

Iraq was toppled in a matter of about three months, with a tragic loss of U.S. life at about ~150, at a cost of about $50BN dollars. For what? To "make sure" that there was no threat, that when--for once--Hussein spoke, he was being truthful about his WMD status. Congress and Bush were wrong, there was no threat to the United States.

The only part of this entire war that Bush and Congress got right was the "Mission Accomplished" (subheading, "Oops, at least we know we were wrong now").

Iraq poses no danger; there is therefore no valid military mission in Iraq. Nation building is for the birds, and it has cost us 95%, going-on a trillion damn dollars, and potentially hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi's.

Support the troops, support Iraq: bring our people home.

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The only logical motivation for this war was to disrupt the political status quo so that we could control the distribution of the oil in the region, and enrich the the wealthy (pals of the Bush family). And any grand illusions of helping the Iraqi people thus far is pure and utter nonsense.

Silencing the sea of voices of reason was possible through near-unprecedented propagandizement of the media.

Americans should really be angry over how well this administration has represented their interests. I mean, would you personally trade blood for oil?

Sadly, it will not be the criminals who are paying and will pay the price.

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Everyone knows its about us attempting to control the resources of other nations - and much more.

What would be the effect on us if we finally stopped this World rape and pillage and withdrew to within our own borders?

If we became self sufficient - and stopped stealing - but traded fairly - our goods and services - for other nation's goods and services...

And actually started trying to help the people in the poorer nations of this planet - rather than turning them into our slaves?

Most people naively think we actually do that already with Aid programs - but its a complete myth.

We are not helping anyone - we are exploiting them.

Would our society completely collapse if we stopped behaving as the criminals that we are?

Are we so completely pathetic that we can only survive by armed robbery?

Why not actually start doing something productive and useful.

Lets start trying to help our neighbours rather than stealing from them.

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"Why Don't We Ask What's Best For the Iraqis?

Because it's never been about the Iraqis.

That's the big lie in this whole thing. They are incidental. It's about OIL and POWER.

Period.

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One of the few unifying points that almost all Iraqis seem to agree on is that they do not want American troops and Blackwater employees to be occupying their country. Therefore, we can help unify Iraq by leaving. It would seem to be cheaper to find a substitute for arab oil than what we are spending to destabilize Iraq; they are blowing up the pipe lines. We should let them finish their struggle for power without our interference. Anyhow, whoever wins with our aid will be regarded as a servant of a foreign power and never succeed in governing.

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It's like he said about "Israel's right to defend itself". He takes a phrase, line of rhetoric, or assumption we're used to hearing, and rips it out at the roots.

I've always wondered why a linguistics expert would be so heavily involved in politics. This is a great example of how the two are related.

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It is regrettable that Professor Chomsky's words will be received as the rantings of a Nietzchean madman. He has articulated clearly, concisely, and eloquently the reality of the Iraq situation.

America will spend the next hundred years wringing her hands crying, "Out! Out! Damn Spot!"

I encourage all to forward this short video to friends, family, pastors, colleagues, and anyone else you can think of. Perhaps a meaningful dialog will arise. (I beg forgiveness for my naive optimism.)

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Tinhorn bush in reply to a question as to what he was going to do about the mess he created in Texas (sic) "That's for somebody else to worry about; I'm running for president". Jan 20th, 2001. The Presidental motorcade speeds through the throngs of people throwing eggs and shouting obscenities at the ursurper. Sep. 11, 2001, the WTC wrecked (purportedly) by aircraft, and the Pentagon "hit" by a Boeing 757, which mysteriously and completely disappears upon impact, leaving only a sixteen-foot hole. A forth highjacked plane crashes in Shankesville, Pa, after (purportedly) being taken from the highjackers by courageous passengers, leaving only a smoking hole and nearly nothing else. From 911 until the attack on a harmless and helpless Iraq, a non-stop barrage of what are later proven, BEYOND ALL DOUBT to be dirty lies, begins. After one, then another of the lies are unmasked, the rationale for attacking Iraq bounces from one outrageous lie to another. In the meantime, all our social programs as well as workers' rights, and the enviornment come under direct and unrelenting attack, even while our schools and infrastructure deteriorate. Hurricane Katrina kills thousands and ruins the life of even more American citizens, whose only sin is being poor and Black. Our "leaders" turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to their plight. The well-being of former middle-class and poor American citizens is ignored while a massive bailout of crooked and irresponsible banks and subprime mortgage lenders is arranged, using OUR money. What's the happy ending here? Depends on who you're talking about. One thing for certain is that it isn't for ordinary people.

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So?

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as usual, concise, cogent commentary by prof. chomsky. i really would like to add my own 2 cents but to be honest im just too tired; make that sick and tired. bottom line---bush lied-people died.

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