LETTER: War is a mistake

Editor,

I agree with Sammy Hislop and Gabe White that Hollywood has its head in the clouds. However, truth is independent of the teller regardless of his position.

If my doctor tells me to quit smoking because it’s bad for my health, and he is a smoker himself, that doesn’t change the fact that I should quit, regardless of his hypocrisy. The statement that smoking is bad for my health is still true regardless of what Rush Limbaugh and the tobacco companies tell us.

I find it ironic that conservatives constantly bash actors and their activism when the poster boy for conservatism is Ronald Reagan. Let’s not forget Chuck Heston, but then again, who wants to question Moses in this community?

Gabe White asks me to appeal to reason. OK, I’ll give it a try. Reason tells me that this war is based largely on a tautology. That is, A is A, because A is A. Any able propagandist knows this one by heart; just keep repeating statements such as, “We are attacking Iraq to eradicate weapons of mass destruction, and Iraq has weapons of mass destruction so we are attacking Iraq.”

I guess by repeating this enough times everyone will go along, and reason isn’t needed. Too much reason only clouds the mind with an oily residue (no pun intended).

I am also wondering if Gabe’s friend had the March 8, 1954 issue of Time magazine in his “collection?” The cover features Senator Joe McCarthy. Like Gabe, he had a thing or two to say about those communists/socialists infiltrators. I think McCarthy’s list would go along nicely with Gabe’s list and offer a nice supplement to his history lesson. Oh, that reminds me, I recall a few of history’s lessons myself.

First, I remember a little place called Rome, whose fall was precipitated by war and overexpansion. We need not forget the British Empire, which met the same demise. A little quagmire called Vietnam also comes to mind.

Since we’re on the subject of history, let me offer up this nice little quote from Herman Goering, president of the Reichstag and founder of the Gestapo, “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of their leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them that they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”

Sorry, to sound so subversive and unpatriotic. It must have been that fluoridated water I drank at the peace rally.

Eric Sorensen