Sender: Society for the Philosophical Study of Marxism Listserve
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From: Terry DiFilippo @MINDSPRING.COM
Subject:      Re: "Is Bush's War Our War?" [reply to Jim]


    I agree that Bin Laden is aptly compared with Hitler.
However, the Nicaraguan Contras, Pinochet's fascists, and,
from what I have read, the northern Alliance, and Sharon's
rightists are also thus comparable.  And who put all of
these (and countless others) into power?  The U.S./CIA
shadow-government, operating outside of the quasi-democratic
political process (except perhaps in the case of Israel).
The reason I cannot bring myself to support this war in any
respect is that I fear that I as much as anyone in
Afghanistan or the Middle East may well be its intended
target.

      Remember, this is a "War against Terrorism" --and
"Terrorists" in Bush's view are lurking everywhere, just as
comunists used to be.  Bush has declared war on all
terrorists and on all who assist them; and Ashcroft has
completed that thought by announcing before Congress that
all who are critical of his nullification of rights are
assisting terrorism.  Are we not entitled to conclude,
therefore, out of the horses' mouths, that this war is
against us or whoever may be critical of Bush's aggressions?

      And now we are supposed to consent to his conducting a
worldwide and domestic war against unidentified and
undefined "terrorists," when history shows us that the
biggest single instigator of terrorism around the world has
been the United States in its covert operations?  The "War
on Terrorism" like the "War on Drugs," promises to be an
endless war, a blank check for the military and CIA and
other enforcement agencies and their industrial complex
suppliers, to engorge themselves, at the expense of all
popular and democratic movements inside and outside the
United States, who will become the targets and scapegoats.
Apparently the Palestinians are to be high on the list.

     What have been the first Republican political moves
following the announcement of the "War on Terror?"  (1) The
proposal to form secret tribunals, which may protect US/CIA
involvement in terrorism from ever coming to light, thus
avoiding many of the political difficulties such as arose in
Iran/Contra and Watergate; (2) the move to grant the largest
corporations billions of dollars in additional tax breaks;
(3) the reneging on the promise to pay for the rebuilding of
NYC; (4) abandoning or scaling down on the progressive items
in Bush's campaign platform; (5) abandonment of the ABM
treaty; (6) acceleration of the anti-missile shield
boondoggle; (7) a decisive "tilt" towards Israel and
crushing of Palestinian aspirations; (8) the potential
legitimization of all CIA assassination and
counterintelligence activity, including drug trafficking, as
an adjunct of the "War on Terror".  All of this is made
possible by the jingoism flowing out of the war.  Is this a
political movement that we support?  Is Bush's War Our War?
It seems that it is.  But we are not the allies, we are the
enemies.

I welcome other perspectives that may alleviate my sense of
frustration about this.  TdF