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Subj: Harry Browne on What's Next Dear friends,   Despite our best efforts and the efforts of millions of people, it now seems virtually certain that the U.S. military will attack Iraq this week. It may seem that our work has been in vain. But I don't think so. George Bush was ready to go to war with Iraq last year, and I think he was shocked to find that he couldn't attack another country so easily. I believe the widespread opposition delayed the start of the war by at least four months—and possibly six. That delay gave people everywhere the opportunity to learn that neither America nor the world was "united" behind his plans to attack a relatively defenseless country. The "coalition of the willing" turned out to be a group of countries that would do anything to appease the U.S. government. If the war had started last year, it would have been seen by history as the Gulf War was—a conflict in which the entire world opposed Iraq. Instead, the world now knows that the American government is the aggressor and is acting virtually alone. Moreover, thanks to the delay, it's unlikely that the millions of anti-war protestors and governments will drop their opposition even after the American attacks begin. Because of the enormous opposition, millions of Americans are a bit more skeptical of what politicians tell them. These people will be less likely to accept the next "threat"—or even the next "need" for domestic legislation—as valid. Will there be a next threat? Almost certainly. The administration and its war-hungry allies in Washington are already talking about "regime change" in Iran, Libya, Syria, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia. Iraq is just the start of an imagined "new wave of democracy" that's going to sweep through the Middle East—at your expense and at the risk of increased terrorist retaliation on our country. What's more, the Bush administration has armed and fawned over the military dictatorship in Pakistan—just as the Reagan administration supported Saddam Hussein in the 1980s. When American foreign policy isn't trying to topple dictators, it is busily building up new ones—guaranteeing that there will be more dictators to topple in the future. Every one of these crusades gives terrorists greater worldwide support—money, networking, and other resources. And no matter how thoroughly the Bill of Rights is trashed, the government won't protect us from those terrorists. Government never delivers on its promises. It isn't that war is never justified. But in just the past twelve years, our government has started (or jumped into unnecessarily) six wars. Too many Americans have no idea what any of these conflicts are about. They assume that American Presidents must have good reasons for killing people. They accept the superficial explanations given for terrorist attacks. They aren't aware of how our government has stirred up trouble worldwide.
That's why we must transform the TruthAboutWar.org website, which has been providing the truth about this war, into a broader website that provides the truth about all wars. Our work is far from done. If you agree, please donate now at: https://www.fbs.net/truthwar/donate.cfm We must continue exposing Americans to the truth about war—that war is the worst big-government program imaginable—that its beneficiaries are the politicians, not the citizens—that war is the most effective means by which government can expand its power and steal our liberty. And when the Drums of War start beating again, we must be ready well in advance—in a position to tell the truth the moment the lies start flowing. In fact, our efforts might help stop those Drums from beating at all. We're going to transform TruthAboutWar.org into a permanent site, dedicated to exposing the entire, shameful history of how politicians have lied us into war. Sections of the website can be devoted to various policies the politicians have carried out in our name—along with interactive functions by which a visitor can choose whether he would have supported each policy. I think this is an exciting approach, and it is just one of many ways we can get the point across in new, persuasive ways. There's no shortage of material, and we'll get a great deal of volunteer help. As a result, for only about $4,000 we can transform the site into a permanent beacon on behalf of peace and sanity. I believe most visitors to the site will be stunned by what they learn—and much less willing to support future interventions and aggressions. I'm excited about the possibilities such a website can achieve. It's critical that we start this now—while the politicians are making their outrageous claims. If we fail to act now, if we sit back and wait for the next conflict to begin, we will be playing "catch up" again, with much less chance to stop the conflict. Our goal is to complete the research and launch the redesigned site soon—hopefully before the war is over. Then, as the truth about this war comes to light over time, unlike what Americans heard during the war, we can fully document that truth and publicize it for the world to see. We don't have much time. I'm concerned that if we don't start now, the project will seem to lose its urgency. And then we won't be able to begin until the next war looms on the horizon—which will be too late. It won't take much to make this new site a reality. Perhaps you could make it possible entirely on your own. It takes a donation of just $4,000. If not, maybe you can provide $1,000 and others will make up the rest. If that's still too much, please contribute whatever you can. Just go to https://www.fbs.net/truthwar/donate.cfm to make your donation, and we'll start immediately to make this project a reality. You've helped the cause of liberty before. And it may seem that the needs never end. But in fact you and I and so many others have achieved a great deal this past year. We still have plenty to be thankful for, and I hope that a year from now we can celebrate a major victory—that we helped stop the politicians from making the Iraqi war the first in an endless series. With best wishes, Harry Browne, P.S. Americans are about to be treated to TV's version of war. They will be told that "smart bombs" and humanitarian concerns are limiting the civilian deaths and property damage. We'll see a "clean" war on our TV screens. Thanks to rigid press censorship, all we'll know is what the government wants us to know. And government doesn't tell the truth. We must continue exposing Americans to the truth about war. To help us transform TruthAboutWar.org into a permanent site, dedicated to exposing the entire, shameful history of how politicians have lied us into war, please visit: https://www.fbs.net/truthwar/donate.cfm and make your best contribution today. [top] |
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