Alex Yawor – 7/3/06

This page was last updated on July 3, 2006.

What will be the next excuse?; Alex Yawor; Beaver County Times; July 3, 2006.

Mr. Yawor’s previous letters attempted to bash President Bush regarding Iraq and Iran, and VP Cheney regarding his hunting accident.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“I know that some friends and relatives of mine have different feelings about the war in Iraq than I have. I abide by their feelings; please do the same for me.

“Recently President Bush said, ‘It will endanger our country to pull out of Iraq before we accomplish the mission.’

“Will someone tell me what the mission really is? First it was WMDs, then breaking up the partnership of Saddam and 0sama bin Laden, and then freeing the Iraqi people - and now it is war on terror. What will it be next?”

[RWC] As I noted in a critique of one of his previous letters, Mr. Yawor needs to read the Iraq War Resolution Congress passed to give President Bush authority to attack Iraq. The resolution lists 23 reasons we went to war, with WMD being #3. The resolution also noted Iraq’s support for terrorism and that some members of al-Qaida resided in Iraq.

“One letter writer said someone made up the story about 30,000 Iraqi civilian deaths. I went to the Internet and found that a team of Britons, Iraqis and Americans, estimated that at least 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died because of this war, and more are dying every day.”

[RWC] Mr. Yawor “forgot” to mention the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis (and Iranians and Kuwaitis) who died because of Saddam Hussein. That said, I don’t believe Mr. Yawor cares about Iraqi deaths. To folks who oppose President Bush, Iraqi deaths are just another talking point.

I don’t know the true Iraqi death toll, and neither does anyone else, though the 100,000 figure has been widely discredited since it first popped up a couple of years ago. What is known, however, is the vast majority of civilian deaths are the result of terrorists and those people trying to overthrow the Iraq government. Mr. Yawor is gravely mistaken if he believes the killing of civilians would stop if the U.S. left Iraq before Iraqis are able to provide for their own security.

“Another feels that if you are against the war, then you are against the troops. I was against the war and felt the inspectors should have been given more time.”

[RWC] “[T]he inspectors should have been given more time?” Inspectors had been in Iraq off and on for 12 years and lead inspector Hans Blix admitted Iraqi WMD documentation was fraudulent. How much more time was needed?

“During World War II, I was in four invasions with the Marines, so I was one of the troops. I saw my friends killed by artillery shells and their bodies riddled with bullets. Believe me, it wasn’t a pretty sight, one that I will never forget. If people would witness what war is really like. I think they would not be so eager to send our young to die in Iraq.”

[RWC] What a jerk! If we support the Iraq operation we’re “eager to send our young to die in Iraq?” Is this what Mr. Yawor considers abiding by the feelings of his “friends and relatives” who “have different feelings about the war in Iraq” than he has? Further, we don’t “send our young to die in Iraq.” We have an all-volunteer military and its members choose to defend our national security.

“What I went through was a picnic compared to what our young people are going through in Iraq. They can be killed any time by an Iraqi walking next to them.”

[RWC] I’ve never been in the military, but I find it difficult to believe any type of combat is a “picnic” compared to any other type of combat.

“I am sure the Iraqis who were persecuted by Saddam are glad we are there. But the others hate us, and it would not surprise me that they are helping the insurgents.”

[RWC] If Mr. Yawor paid attention, he would know the only group not “persecuted by Saddam” were the Sunni Arabs and they are a minority. Therefore, even Mr. Yawor admits the majority of Iraqis “are glad we are there.”