Saturday, March 22, 2003The Socialist Party of Michigan (SPMI) opposes and condemns the attack on Iraq in the strongest possible terms. We stand with the majority of people in the United States and around the world in opposing this unilateral war of aggression and conquest.
This war is illegal, immoral and unjust. It is a predatory war for the benefit of American and British petroleum companies, many of whom have close ties to the Washington government. The Bush regime, the Republicans and most Democrats in Congress have joined together to bring misery and death to the people of Iraq. It is no coincidence that the first casualties of this war were civilians — mostly women and children.
Bush and his cohorts have chosen to spend billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money to invade and occupy Iraq in order to “stimulate” the bottom lines of capitalist industries, many of which have close ties to the Republican Party. Meanwhile, critical social services like education, housing, healthcare and local infrastructure are ignored and allowed to collapse.
At a time when there appears to be no end in sight to the economic recession and crisis, Bush and his generals are spending billions in a cynical oil and land grab. Cost projections for the first year of war and occupation range between $90 and $300 billion. At the same time, the State of Michigan estimates its current budget deficit at around $2 billion.
The money that Bush is pouring into this war could easily alleviate the financial shortfalls in the budgets of every state in the Union, including Michigan — money that would go to fund school arts programs, college scholarships, fixing roads and highways, job training and unemployment benefits, and providing healthcare for every resident.
Washington claims this is a war of “liberation,” and that “democracy” will be product of the American occupation. The SPMI rejects this argument as pure propaganda. We do not forget that Bush came to occupy the White House through a coordinated campaign to rob African American voters in Florida of their rights. No government that came to power through such undemocratic and illegitimate means could ever export “democracy.”
Because of this, we also reject the idea that the United States has the right to demand “regime change” in Iraq or any other country. It is the sole right and responsibility of the people of Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein from power. They are the ones who have suffered for decades under his regime, itself the product of a U.S.-sponsored coup in the 1960s. “Regime change” begins at home — whether your home is in Baghdad or Detroit.
The Socialist Party of Michigan calls on all those opposed to war to join and build the antiwar demonstrations happening across the state in the coming days and weeks. These protests represent the real democracy that we are all taught embodies “America.” They are the main obstacles at the moment to the Bush agenda of endless wars, unionbusting, racist repression and destruction of our democratic rights.
It is the people’s organization and democracy against the capitalists’ police state and misery. One must defeat the other. The SPMI will work with anyone who wishes to achieve the people’s democracy.