EDITORIAL:

Someone explain where sanity went

When will the insanity end? In supposed retaliation for 9-11 we've invaded and largely destroyed two countries that were only tangentially related to the "real" culprits, Al Qaeda. Meanwhile, Al Qaeda's stateless leaders and soldiers remain free, and their numbers are growing. After $200 billion has been spent on two wars over three years, that's pretty damned ineffective, don't you agree?

In the wake of US "success," the poppy crop in Afghanistan is setting new records (for opium and heroin for world markets, including Baltimore), and it's openly admitted that warlords run that country except for Kabul and that brand new oil pipeline.

In Iraq, according to a Johns Hopkins-involved study, over 100,000 civilians have been killed by "collateral damage" from 'not-so-smart-bombs,' lack of medical care for war-related injuries, and overly-quick trigger fingers. Small wonder why the Iraqi resistance has grown so rapidly, yet we don't hear the honest reason--anything but. More and more Americans are being killed every month, and it's our killing civilians that is why.

We were supposed to be saving the world from WMD (none found) and we were told we'd be welcomed as saviors from Saddam (didn't happen). What, then, has NOT been a lie from the Bush government?

Why is the resistance growing in popular support among both Shiite and Sunni Muslims everywhere? Because of the stupid policies of George W. Bush, that's why. Can anyone think of a way to make more enemies? Short of attacking additional innocent countries, we can't.

So that's why this morning's news item about seeking draft board members set us off. It appears the Bush people are gearing up for more of the same insanity. Are we to invade another innocent country to raise Bush's ratings in the polls? Is that reason enough? Or are oil- and war-profiteering the real motivation for this gross stupidity? After all, except for such profiteering, what possible 'good' can come from yet another war against another hapless country?

Instead, why can't the threat of a scattered and stateless enemy be better controlled and defeated with military-assisted and ruthless international police forces using intelligence from all our allies?

George W. Bush, please explain--if you can.