Iraq war provokes strong sentiment

THE FREIGHT industry unanimously opposes the US-led war against Iraq according to last week’s reader poll conducted on FTNOW, FTW’s sister publication on the internet. 71% of respondents oppose the war, 26% support it and 3% aren’t sure. It’s a highly volatile issue which prompted a flurry of letters, some of which are published below: ‘Terrorism is the real enemy’ People need to take the broader view. This crisis is not just about a fight with a murdering madman who has a few drums of toxins hidden in a desert - he personifies the real enemy which is an entirely new and extremely dangerous form of terrorism that knows no central control, recognises no country or boundary, and is driven by fanatical Muslim fundamentalists. Because of its infrastructure, it is an extremely difficult brand of terrorism to infiltrate and defeat. The combination of a distorted and corrupt version of Islam, together with the huge amounts of money made available to it from equally corrupt and fanatical Muslim leaders and businessmen who fund it for their own ends, and the fact that their stated aim is to achieve world domination without any shred of compassion for human life, makes this the REAL war, and one that we lose at our peril. Paul Clarke, Stemcor. ‘It’s all about black gold’ I believe that the e-mail headlined ‘Terrorism the real enemy’ is entirely out of line, as we can clearly see that the ultimate reason for the war is the control of oil i.e. the black gold. This war is not against terrorism which is just being used as a front to gain control of the vast oil resources which the East possesses. But can you justify the fact that US wants Iraq to disarm thus making it much easier to defeat as they know that they, the US, UK etc... possess all the arms including weapons of mass destruction. As can be seen around the world, the majority disagrees with the quest for war. R Abdool. ‘Not legitimate’ War against Iraq is unnecessary. 1. Let’s consider lives of innocent women and children. 2. Saddam destroyed two weapons of mass destruction early last month, isn’t that cooperation? 3. The war isn’t endorsed by the UN, therefore it is not legitimate. 4. The war isn’t about terrorism, the war is about oil. MDK. What is democracy? Bush said: “If you are not with me then you are against me.” Bush is trying to bribe poor nations to join in his father’s unfinished war. The United Nations means nothing to him. Nazir Tarajia. ‘SA has more to gain by siding with US’ You must take a look at the bigger picture. In the long run South Africa can gain much more from supporting the USA than supporting Iraq. Start thinking with your head not your heart; life is not a bed of roses. Arthur C Dodd ‘What about SA’s role?’ What is South Africa’s role in this? Are we offering any support to Iraq? Why are there no e-mails begging for signatures on petitions? Surely this war will impact on the world? Zeriena Jacobs. Human suffering the real issue The real enemy is indeed human suffering. The question is who is responsible for inflicting this human suffering. Iraq did not fire the first weapons - America did. Afghanistan was also a victim of Bush’s vendetta and Osama Bin Laden is still at large. Korea has openly declared its military might, yet no-one blinks an eyelid. India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons, but the US attacks Iraq. Nisa Dawood. ‘Forget the so-called noble sentiments’ War is always the result of greed - not the so-called noble sentiments that politicians manage to dig up. War never has and never will result in anything more than unnecessary losses. America’s big bully tactics cannot be condoned. It has bullied its way through South America, the Far- and now near-east - when will it be our turn? In fact if I were Tony Blair or any British citizen I would hardly sleep. America does seem to have a habit of turning on former allies. Anti-War, Anti-Bush, Anti-America, Anti-moral corruption.