Open Letter: My Burden of Conscience

[Firestaller]

What makes politicians like Reid, Schumer, et al look stupid is that they advocate intervention to prevent the genocide in Sudan.


Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't what's going on in Sudan a lot like what went on in Iraq?

The Darfurians feel marginalized and ignored by Al-Bashir's government so some of the Darfurians rebelled against Bashir and Bashir's government reacted with excessive force.

In Iraq, the Sunnis feel marginalized and ignored by the Shiite controlled government so some of the Sunnis rebelled against the Shiites and the Shiite controlled government reacted with excessive force.


Why are some of these politicians ready to leave Iraq and allow the Shiite Death Squads run rampant so our troops can stick themselves in the same mess in Sudan?

[Stu-6]

If your unspecified and unqualified recent statements desiring a "redeployment" of US forces to the periphery in order to "Transition the Mission" and "focus it more narrowly on counterterrorism" were in place today, how many Iraqi school children would have been murdered in the coming days?

Of course the fact that this is the result of a civil war which broke out when we destroyed the existing governance is conveniently ignored. Steve Schippert makes quite a compelling argument for pursing a policy towards Iraq with the best of intentions towards the Iraq people but if good intentions were enough we wouldn’t be in the position we are. The good intentions (saving the world from Iraq, saving Iraq from Saddam, saving Iraqis from Iraq, etc. etc.) have brought us where we are today, and Mr. Schippert makes the argument for more of the same. My 6th grade teacher was fond of saying “the pathway to hell is paved with good intentions” a lesson Mr. Schippert seems in need of. International politics is not a game for the faint of heart. We do not need more good intentions we need ruthless self-interest. Our good intentions have failed us and failed the Iraqis.