Is there a hidden agenda?

THE EDITOR: For most of us, the Bush Administration will go down as lacking in diplomatic and negotiation skills evident by its seeming dogmatism and vivacity in employing military force as a priority in problem solving. While rational minds applaud the eradication of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, global protests and division abound due to the evil tool of war employed for the job. The US-led war on Saddam and his minions is sadly also being waged on innocent Iraqis as civilian fatalities and continued suffering are assured. In an attempt to gain more support for the paradox of an unjust slaughter in the name of peace, the Global Positioning System (GPS) has been incorporated into US/British coalition forces and ratified as integral.

Simply put, the GPS is a constellation of satellites that guide missiles/bombs to their targets with greater precision than in previous wars. This mechanism is intended to maximise the “hits” on military targets while minimising overall destruction and the loss of innocent life by extension. In addition, US platoons are outfitted with GPS receivers as they tell the location of allies, and so, greatly curtail incidences where comrades mistakenly fire at each other. Notwithstanding, the degree of precision is such that a missile has a 50-50 chance of striking its intended target. Moreover, reports also implied that a strike is when a bomb/missile explodes on impacting its intended target or within a 40-ft radius thereof.

Conversely, a missile that explodes outside of the 40 ft radius of its proposed target is regarded as a miss. In other words, five out of every ten bombs dropped would have missed their targets by over 40 feet and likely to obliterate structures unintentionally. The other five bombs considered to be on target could have missed by up to 40 feet, which would have certainly destroyed adjacent buildings. The question now arises of the precision of intelligence personnel in correctly identifying military targets. If their degree of accuracy is as askew as missile guidance, then we could see schools, orphanages, churches and hospitals going up in flames with every other explosion — in the name of peace. I am now forced to wonder if revealing GPS was a botched attempt to have the world believe that Bush’s oligarchy consists of humanitarians. Do we see genuine love for human life being displayed here? Ironically, it appears that the frequent mention of “smart bombs” and precision instruments orchestrated to allay death fears for coalition soldiers and numerous civilians may have had the opposite effect.

Another troubling aspect is the detailed reporting of ammunition and war machinery. Of what significance is it to repeatedly broadcast the type, size, range, capacity and capability of airplanes, aircraft carriers, subs, tanks, missiles, bombs, etc? Some argue that this information is meant to instill fear in the enemy and foster a speedy resolve. Absurd! This arsenal posturing is ostentatious and arrogant and reeks of a hidden agenda. On March 23, coalition soldiers claimed to have seized what weapons inspectors could not find — a huge chemical facility. Surely, for the initiators of war and their supporters this find is a virtual gold mine to merit the carnage. But it is interesting how, prior to this revelation, US authorities were certain that Iraq harboured weapons of mass destruction despite the lack of evidence. And this “intuition”, favoured over supporting evidence, was promoted as the basis for genocide. One can only conclude that the onslaught for Iraq was booked whether or not nuclear or chemical weapons were found. Anti-war activists will tell you that this tragedy is a cocktail of misguided vengeance for September 11, weapons testing and election gimmickry mixed with crude black oil for good measure.

DEXTER J RIGSBY
Mt Lambert