United States Used Chemical Weapons Against Insurgents
Robert Paul Reyes
November 21, 2005
President George W. Bush's mantra and excuse for invading Iraq was "Saddam has Weapons of Mass Destruction", but now it turns out that the only chemical weapons were in the arsenal of the United States.
This week the Bush administration admitted using incendiary weapons containing white phosphorus during a major offensive in Fallujah.
According to Reuters, a spokesman for the US military, Lt. Col. Barry Venable said: "White phosphorus is a conventional munition. It is not a chemical weapon. They are not outlawed or illegal."
Despite Venable's statement it is unclear if these type of weapons are legal under various conventions of war.
Our armed forces in Iraq have an overwhelming firepower advantage over the insurgents, there was no military or logical justification for using chemical weapons.
The only reason that we used chemical weapons against the insurgents, is the same reason that Saddam employed them against the Kurds: Because a power that enjoys an overwhelming advantage against an enemy often views them as less than human.
There is no doubt that the insurgents use cowardly and inhumane tactics, dispatching homicide bombers to schools and mosques, but let's not resort to the same barbaric means to accomplish the noble goal of bringing democracy to Iraq.
Torturing prisoners, using chemical weapons, manipulating intelligence... It looks like we need a regime change right here in the good old USA.
This week the Bush administration admitted using incendiary weapons containing white phosphorus during a major offensive in Fallujah.
According to Reuters, a spokesman for the US military, Lt. Col. Barry Venable said: "White phosphorus is a conventional munition. It is not a chemical weapon. They are not outlawed or illegal."
Despite Venable's statement it is unclear if these type of weapons are legal under various conventions of war.
Our armed forces in Iraq have an overwhelming firepower advantage over the insurgents, there was no military or logical justification for using chemical weapons.
The only reason that we used chemical weapons against the insurgents, is the same reason that Saddam employed them against the Kurds: Because a power that enjoys an overwhelming advantage against an enemy often views them as less than human.
There is no doubt that the insurgents use cowardly and inhumane tactics, dispatching homicide bombers to schools and mosques, but let's not resort to the same barbaric means to accomplish the noble goal of bringing democracy to Iraq.
Torturing prisoners, using chemical weapons, manipulating intelligence... It looks like we need a regime change right here in the good old USA.
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