Whose freedom are we defending?
Dear Editor,
When I opened the paper and saw an opinion piece titled “Our brave soldiers once again are defending freedom”, I thought to myself “Exactly whose freedom are we defending?”. Since the onset of the illegal war started on February 28, I feel less safe than I did before. When it was verified that the US is the one that sent the strike that killed 165 schoolgirls, it did not make my freedom any more secure. When 1000 civilians were killed in the first 5 days of the air strikes, it did not make my freedom any more secure. When the secretary of state admitted it was roped into the war by Israel, it did not make my freedom any more secure.
Usually wars are justified by clear goals and have off ramps, but when asked by reporters or even unprompted, the Trump administration continually mixes up its messaging. At the beginning of the war, they claimed they wanted to effect regime change, but then Secretary Rubio told Arab foreign ministers that Washington’s goal is not regime change. Which is it?
Beyond the political instability, this war has already and will continue to exacerbate the cost of living crisis in the US. Gas prices increased by 10% in just the last week. Qatar warns that oil exports will end shortly, 1/3 of global fertilizer supply passes through the Strait for Hormuz, air travel is being log-jammed. War often causes contractions in GDP for belligerents and this one is no different. The only people that benefit from this war is the defense industry and US suppliers of oil.
Do not be lied to about the actual costs of war and do not believe people who tell you this was simply about taking out the Ayatollah. Don’t believe me? Take it from the president on March 2nd: “It’s always been a four-week process. As strong as it is, it’s a big country; it’ll take four weeks”
Tony Baez