PROPHET OF WAR

When the invasion of Iraq started, many in the United States and around the world expressed outrage over a war that was, in their opinion, not justified. It seems that George W. Bush, under the pretext of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, used the war to settle an old score between the Bush Family and Saddam Hussein, in addition to the overestimated and popular opinion of war for oil. Even with Saddam Hussein captured and executed, the war went on and tens of thousands of lives were lost, along with a sky rocketing military budget of billions of dollars. The majority of Americans became increasingly opposed to the war, and the Bush Administration’s foreign policy and domestic policies as well.

Crowds around the world gathered marching in the name of peace and denouncing the evil Bush. The peace flags were pulled off the shelves and left out to blow in the wind. The anti-war chanting and the slogans went on and on: “Drop Bush, not bombs;” “Killing innocents is the problem – not the solution;” “Who has guided missiles and misguided men;” “Smart bombs don’t justify dumb leaders;” “My president is a psychopath;” etc. The list was virtually endless; until a light went on that illuminated the darkness around us. At first the light was small, but then, fueled by millions upon millions of dollars, the light became ever so bright, and brought to the people a sense of “hope and change.” The light was Barack Hussein Obama. A new prophet was born; half black, half white; half Muslim, half Christian. He was young. He had a good looking family. This prophet was the new missionary of a real pure “democracy,” the savior of the American Constitution.   Crowds fell in love with Barack Obama. The anti-war chanting was partially replaced with cheers of joy. Everywhere the prophet went, the people gathered in droves to listen to his message of peace and justice and a better future for all. No matter where he was, from Washington to Berlin, the awestruck crowds were taken to a higher level of sublimation. The rhetoric was strong and convincing. The Prophet, aided by the Republican Party and their decision to present a weak candidate, John McCain, who was perceived and in many ways was a clone of George Bush, was elected. As the Prophet was elected president, around the world people felt that a new era of peace and justice was unleashed. Except for a few rare critics, leaders from around the globe came together in good vibration and embraced the new Prophet. Obama’s rise was unstoppable, climaxing with the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to him for a “memorable” speech made in Cairo, Egypt.

Three years have passed since the election of Mr. Obama to the White House. The Bush wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have continued, with just recently the announcement of a withdrawal from Iraq, which basically follows the same deadline set by the Bush Administration, and with only a partial “disengagement” in Afghanistan. Additionally, we have active military and U.S. Intelligence operations in Yemen, Somalia, Uganda, Pakistan, Libya, and many more. Drone strikes in Pakistan, which have killed several innocent civilians along with the terrorists, started with the Bush Administration, but have continued and escalated under the Obama Administration, even during one of the worst humanitarian crisis (which has been largely ignored by the West): The heavy flooding monsoon rainfall which has affected 20 million Pakistani citizens in two years, and destroyed more than 1.2 million homes. The Prophet’s bombs have shown no mercy to Pakistan even in this time of hardship for the indigenous population. To make things worse, we have seen the images that came out of Libya where large parts of cities, in particular Sirte, were destroyed by NATO and the rebels heavy bombing, causing the displacement of thousands of civilians and an unidentified numbers of innocent civilians killed. Our Nobel Peace Prize winning Prophet has shown his true colors: He is not a prophet of peace, but a prophet of war.

Here are some of the statistics for the drone war in Pakistan: Between 2004-2007, there were nine drone strikes. In 2008, the number jumped to 33. In 2009, the strikes increased to 53; and in 2010, the number went up to 118. This year, 2011, so far there have been 68 drone attacks. These attacks have killed anywhere from 1,500 – 3000 people. Of these deaths, about 300-450 happened during the Bush Administration. In the last three years alone, under the Prophet, the number has jumped from 1,300-2,100. The number of injured is about 1,500. Of all the people killed in Pakistan so far, about 400 are considered innocent civilians, and among these there are over 100 children.

The numbers of NATO sorties into Libya are hard to pinpoint. Conservative estimates from 9,600 to a much larger 20,000 strikes into Libyan territory.   The number of civilian casualties in Libya will never be known, but even if we consider a more conservative number, it’s difficult to imagine that all innocent civilians escaped unharmed. Out of curiosity, I placed a phone call to the Office of Lieutenant -General Charles Bouchard of the Canadian Air Force (those peaceful Canadians…), head of NATO’s “Operation Unify Protector” in Libya (do your remember the Responsibility to Protect doctrine?). My phone call was to inquire about the exact number of sorties NATO used in the Libyan military operation. As of today, my phone call has not yet been returned. Perhaps, some of you might have better luck if you try 081-721-31-11. It’s the number for the media center operation for the Libyan conflict and it’s based in Naples. (So much for President Napolitano saying that Italy is not at war…)

The only thing that is 100% accurate is the efficiency and determination of the Obama Administration in systematically eliminating well-known terrorists. Bush could have only dreamed of having such a success. In the Bush years, the hunt for terrorists was somewhat successful with the capture and execution of the “terrorist” Saddam Hussein and a real terrorist Abu Al-Zarqawi, but this is comical compared to the achievements of the Prophet Obama. Since he has come to power, he has eliminated Osama Bin Laden, Kan Mohammad, Abu Zaid, Ilyas Kashmiri, Saad Bin Laden (son of Osama Bin Laden), and Atiyah Al-Rahman. Also Anwar-Al-Awlari and Sahir Khan (two American citizens) were killed in a drone attack in Yemen. Talking about Yemen, this country on the Arabian Peninsula, along with Somalia, has seen US drone attacks increase exponentially in the past few months. In the pursuit of terrorists and the implementation of “Western democracy,” Obama has been far more successful than Bush. The Prophet’s Administration is a well-oiled military killing machine. Bush needed a full-scale military invasion to get rid of Saddam Hussein. Compared to the Prophet, Bush is a rookie, who with less effort and less human involvement, just by making the most of superior US air and technological capabilities, along with international diplomacy, has been able to get rid of scores of terrorists and world leaders.   What about the innocent victims who were killed while caught in this process? Do not worry; it’s just collateral damage. I am sure the Prophet of Peace feels bad about them and that he will pray to his God to embrace the souls of these innocent victims.

So what happened to all those the pro-peace crowds? They are gone. They recycled themselves with the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Few firm believers of peace are still fighting for the cause. My hat goes off to them, especially seeing how small their crowds of attendees are at their gatherings. Even if I’m not a pacifist myself, I respect their consistency and I wish to send them a message: Don’t worry. The oceanic crowds will return to keep you company if the Prophet of Peace is ousted by the next Republican president. It is a never-ending show in the theater of hypocrisy.