These are a couple of responses from Truth Laid Bear. The question posed was this:

So instead of ... putting words in the mouths of those opposing this war, let me just ask a simple question: What do you want?

from Poo:

I'm glad my President acted unilaterally to speed up the slow-as-a-Tijuana-hooker-on-a-meter pace of the fulfillment of Biblical prophesy, and started making all the crazy stuff in the Bible happen so we can get on with the apocalypse. I mean, if we waited on the Jews -- a pack of folks who took 40 years to cross a desert the size of Baltimore -- we could be waiting forever. I don't have to tell you how fucking "A" awesome this is. Nothing beats being able to call down a cloudburst of hot, throbbing JDAM missiles to crash onto the brows of uppity, mud-colored sons of bitches who got a little too big for their girly sarongs, dig? WOW!

Christian forces have begun moving against Osama bin -- no, wait, no, that's not right -- the other guys, Saddam Hussein, striking selected mosques, evildoer orphanages, and hospitals to undermine his ability to continue festering ineffectually in his impoverished, eunuch-like desert cesspool. What a lovely media-drenched and politically invigorating campaign. More than 35 countries -- including some you all have even heard of, like the invaluable Nicaragua -- have been handsomely compensated to suppress the will of their peoples and offer up insincere hosannas of support to George W. Bush, the Supreme and Imperial Ruler of the World. Each of these nations has chosen to bear the duty and share the honor of extorting your tax dollars to provide the politically necessary illusion of international backing.

To all the men and women of the United States Armed Forces now in the Middle East, by putting your innocent lives in jeopardy, we exact personal vengeance on a tin pot dictator who made the feeble old Poppy Bush -- and by extension, the whitebread pyramid scheme that is the Republican party -- look weak. Furthermore, by exploiting your skill and your bravery, we will ensure that the Bush family's petrochemical stock portfolio is not only protected, but is also vastly enhanced. And by awarding billions of dollars to Dick Cheney's company to rebuild what the taxpayers will spend even more billions of dollars to destroy, we can shut him and Lynne up for a little bit while they are kept busy getting hot and moist over their well-worn calculators -- and toasting their good fortune to be able to use the lives of America's servicemen to triple their retirement fund.

We come to Iraq with respect for its citizens -- the ones we're not killing - and for their great subterranean natural resources and their ability -- like all humans -- to be convinced into accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, or die the gruesome death deserved by all Christ-denyers.

We will pass through this time of peril and carry on the work of fearmongering while the United States economy continues to implode. We will talk of peace while we wage war. We will talk of fiscal restraint, while we use the treasury like a Negro on payday. We will talk about defending our freedom while decimating our civil liberties. We will bring freedom from taxation to affluent white males and we will prevail.

NOW LET'S KICK SOME RAGHEAD ASS!

Posted by: poo on April 3, 2003 08:00 AM

from MarkMeyer:

What do you want?

I think the practical effect desired by myself through the actions of anti-war protestors is several things:

1. political pressure to hold the presedent accountable for his dicisions and their effects (not to hide them under a cloud of patriotism).

This means remind people everthing happening was done by a choice of Bush, not mandated because security called for it, or by the popular approval of citizens (many who support the war mistakenly think Saddam was behind 9/11, and most of the rest don't know that much of the "evidence" of WMD presented by Powell is circumspect: the documents that showed Iraq attempting to purchase Uranium from Niger are now know to be fraudulent, the "aluminum tubes" were not sutable for Nuculear use, but for artillery (i assume you do)).

2. ensure that the min. number of Iraqi civilians (as well as American soldiers) are killed in this invasion. Some would say "bush doesnt want to kill civilians." I would agree this is not his objective, many (myself included) don't believe Bush (and his advisors) actually cares one way or another about Iraqi civilians. Having a anti-war force he has to consider makes it less politically feasible to save only American lives (at the expense of innocents) by bombing the fuck (even more) out of Iraq.

Let us remember the first Iraq war the weapons used were not so precision (except the ones on TV) and they cost alot of money.

3. create pressure to present a viable plan for Iraq post-war that has the interests of its citizens. pressure to insure that the international community is not locked out of this decision as well. At minimum a bunch of people saying its about Oil (even if it isn't (i dont think it is)) will restrict Bush from using it for his own aims: either pay for the war or hand out contracts to his buddies.

What would I do if I was president?

Dropped in at this very second: the only thing to do is to finish the job. There are many fixed costs that will not go away with a retreat. I probably would be more open about the decision making process and admit Rumsfeld and the war hawks advised me poorly.

If I were President since election

I first would not have coined the phrase "War on Terror" or "Axis of Evil."

I would not have backed out of or not signed numerous international agreements- kyoto protocal, international court, ban on land mines, raising steel tariffs, AND MORE.

Iraq would not even be a major issue, as I would concentrate on other pressing concerns like ending terrorism, solving the Isreal/Palastine conflict (which is not helping US in Iraq right now), and making sure people have health care in the US. More people die each year from food poisoning than died on 9/11 (Harpers).

Saddam is a bad man, but the costs of the war are simply higher than the benifits.

I think 100 Billion dollars (a low estimate for the cost this war) could be spent in any number of ways that would increase the Security of America more effectively (if you even think this war even increases rather than deceases US security, a debatable point).

I don't want to go into all the ways 100 Billion could be spent, but lets just say thats a lot of money.

Even if my desire to rid the world of Saddam was as great as Bush's I think a cooperative approach (from the start of the presidency) would have made nations more likely to go along. Pride is an important issue for people/countries, and when you constantly say "your opinion doesn't mattter" this changes how they view your plans/ideas. Bush looks like he is only for Bush. People (including Iraqis) find it hard to believe he is the "compasionate" conservative he says he is.

"er, dead or alive."

As a hedge, Im not sure what other anti-war folks want.

sorry about the spelling

Posted by: markmeyer on April 2, 2003 01:46 PM

downloaded April 3, 2003
from: Truth Laid Bear