OPERATION: IRAQI NIGHTMARE!

Let me say that I think it is ludicrous to think that the United States of America is the arbiter of Freedom and Justice in the world. We are (the US Government, that is) guilty of some of the worse crimes among nations. All nations have nasty karma they are going to have to address at some point. But it seems like the US just keeps making bad karma like it's no body's business.I for one, would like to know what made the military and political leaders of this country believe first of all that they had the authority to topple another country's leadership and government. Second of all why did we think it would be a run through the park? Because of the Gulf War? Hmmm. If there is one thing you should never, ever do, that is underestimate your enemy. I am certain we made disastrous assumptions about the Iraqi population, the Islamic factor, and the virulence and potency of the Middle-Eastern distaste for the "White Devil".

Unfortunately issues such as these have cost thousands of US lives, thousands more of innocent Iraqi civilians, billions of dollars of US taxpayers dollars and the best news of all...there's no end in sight. How on earth do you begin to rectify a problem of this magnitude? One, which we created in the first place with our Red, White and Blue mentality?

Well first of all, we must acknowledge what a gross mistake it was to invade the country, topple the government and kill its leader, Saddam Hussein. Whatever his misdeeds and crimes may have been we had absolutely no business storming across the globe acting as judge, jury and executioner. That was a job for the Iraqi people.

Second of all we need to acknowledge and distance ourselves from this sick obsession with having a "foothold" in the Middle East as if it were a duty God Himself (or Herself) whispered into our collective American Consciousness. We have no more right to police the area than they have to police our shores. So much of government policy is about national strategic interests (whomsoever is deciding what those interests are). We call it nationalism or patriotism but its raw, ugly nature is national selfishness and greed. If all the nations are making policy based on their own selfish national desires is it any wonder the world is in the state it is in? We saw what the era of colonialism and imperialism did from the mid 19th century to the mid 20th century. The destruction of so many native or indigenous cultures for the sake of "bettering" them or bringing Christianity spawned innumerable conflicts and wars. So why don't we let this die out with the 20th century and usher in another era based on communication, goodwill and the understanding that this planet is shrinking by the decade and we are getting closer whether we like it or not.

Third of all we need to understand that culturally the Middle East is vastly different from the West. This is not good, this is not bad it simply is. When you encounter folks from another world, another culture, another country, it is customary to honor them by learning and illustrating back to them some form of their culture (like bowing to the Japanese). Invading their country, destroying their government and turning their country into a war zone could leave a bad impression and sully the possibility of future relationships (just a thought).

Fourthly, a sobering recognition that it took the United States of America more than 230 years to develop our brand of democracy (it's really a capitalist state with democratic undertones, but I digress). And that was not without its own era of conflict and battle. It's laughable to presume we can "install" democracy in another country so culturally different from our own. What were they thinking?

And last but not least. When you honor me I will honor you. There is a greeting used in Tibet. When people meet they say, "Namaste". I once read the translation of the word. It was some long paragraph but the basic translation was the god in me greets the god in you. Which one of us wants to be greeted with a shotgun to the head or a slap in the face? Honor me and I shall honor you. The world needs to learn this as we head into the 21st century. We need to learn how to address, treat and honor each other. It's totally lame that we even need to have the conversation, considering we think ourselves so civilized. But too often we only prove how barbaric we still are.

Considering that more than half the world's population subscribes to religion this situation is a disgrace. Where do we think peace is going to come from? Is it just going to fall down from the sky? Peace is an honorable, intentional process which comes from severe struggle; from the frustration and severe trial of war. Europeans know this all too well. Americans have much to learn. We are relatively speaking, a young nation, now in our young adulthood. We need to re-evaluate what our role is in this world from a multi-lateral standpoint. In this manner we will have the support and endorsement of our much older brothers and sisters. I hope this will at least begin to come about under the leadership of President-Elect Barack Obama.