WHEN WILL SILENT MAJORITY STAND UP TO MANIPULATIVE WARMONGERS?

Can the present rhetoric from US President George W. Bush be better proof that the US fundamentalist right-wing leadership has a paranoid lust for war with Iraq?

It constantly refers to the Iraqi government, demonising Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction. Its intention is to mislead, without acknowledging that Iraq is fully, albeit unwillingly, complying with the recent UN resolution and every request by the weapons inspectors.

Iraq is co-operating adequately with these people, who have, as yet, found no evidence of any current weapons programme or storage. Neither has the US or Britain presented a shred of evidence to back up their claims. While it would be very difficult to find anything positive to say about the Iraqi leader, that is not sufficient justification to threaten a war with possibly horrific international consequences.

Mr Bush has now been reminding his troops that every order he makes is likely to bear a 'cost'. Let us put this more clearly. The cost will be in people's lives, families being torn apart, children being orphaned and infrastructures ruined.

Of course, people joining an army accept all this and we should have little or no sympathy with them if they are killed, but for the families of innocent civilians whose lives are ruined by war, we should all stand up and shout from the rooftops, 'This lunacy has to stop.' In the first years of the 21st century it is utterly ridiculous that our so-called leaders are still intent on resolving international disputes in this archaic way. It is also unforgivable that we allow them to continue on this path.

The US acted on its hegemonic intentions at the end of World War II, continued its policy in Vietnam and various parts of Southeast Asia, then moved on to South America leaving a trail of disaster, death and destruction in its wake.

Mr Bush is now warming up the US nation by telling it a war with Iraq will be one of liberation, not conquest. How many times have we heard that before?

When will the world's silent majority let these warmongers know that they are sick of this manipulation of people's patriotism, that enough is enough?

BRIAN MONK

Sai Kung