a © the other press e Opinions March 31, 2004 Vancouver Protestors Once Again Offer Sensible, Well Thought-Out Commentary J.J. McCullough OP Columnist I have seen the light. I used to think of myself as a_ bitter, cranky conservative, but after witnessing the protests of March 20, this is no longer the case. I once supported the Iraq war, believing the world would be a much better place without a mass- murdeging, terrorist sponsoring, vicious, oppressive tyrant holding one of the Middle East's largest nations hostage. I thought forcibly removing this 30—year dictatorship and replacing it with a modernized, secular democracy would bring hope to the Arab people, and strike a key blow for terror in removing one of its key breeding grounds. But all those views quickly vanished when I saw a banner with the words “No War For Oil” being brandished by an unemployed, unshaven 30-some- thing college student. Suddenly it all made sense to me! George W. Bush, excuse me, “BU$H” was a mass- murdering tyrant who enjoyed killing innocent Arabs just so he could feast, vampire-like, upon the sweet, sweet oil within! I also ‘learned that democratic Israel is the real centerpoint of the “Axis of Evil” and that I should “crush Zionism” in order to liberate those calm, peace- loving, Palestinians who unlike the children they murder, are actually the real victims of the conflict. Oh yes, and I also learned that every non-socialist world leader (ie. those who are not Fidel Castro) is actually a Nazi—especially the Jewish ones. If there was ever any doubt as to just how morally, intellectually, and politically bankrupt the whole “anti- war” movement was, the demonstra- tions of March 20 should have removed them once and for all. Iraq is at present the freest country in the Middle East, and continues to get freer. A remarkable constitution has just been approved, one which for the first time in history grants all cit- izens of an Arab state the very same inalienable rights and freedoms that we in the west have enjoyed for cen- turies. A majority of Iraqis feel they are better off without Saddam, and only a tiny minority say they are worse. The desperate and pathetic foreign terrorist attacks have actual- ly declined as of late (though one would hardly know it from watch- ing the news) and the terrorists that remain have resorted to truly dis- gusting acts of terror against soft, civilian Iraqi targets such as church- es and schools, and in doing so com- pletely are destroying any shred of the “freedom fighter” credibility they may have once enjoyed. The UN has passed numerous resolu- tions granting support to the multi- national occupation and its progress, and a formal UN presence in the country is expected shortly, to help assist with the June transfer of sover- eignty. In a different time, these events would have been a source of opti- mism. However, to the nihilistic, hysterical, self-loathing left, it is anything but. The hatred of America continues to be so great that absolutely nothing the country does can ever be considered acceptable. It is as simple as that, and barely worth discussing further. For example, how could anything other than blind, unthinking America-hate prompt so many protestors to wave posters screaming, “End the Imperialist occupation of Haiti?” It makes absolutely no sense on practical grounds. When Haiti’s corrupt Marxist President was under siege last month, the leftists of the world Crt Right Hook because it was simply more fun to yell at America for not caring, and the fact that America actually does care has greatly spoiled the left wing, hand-wringing party. I'm frequently accused of over- generalizing when I describe these sorts of protests as being sorely com- posed of radical leftists. I don’t doubt that there were a lot of gener- the planners, marchers, and poster-makers of the Vancouver rally were overwhelmingly leftist fringe groups clamored that something be done to prevent the country from falling into terror and violence. “Don't ignore Haiti!” they cried. Or “Is there not enough oil there, eh Bush?” But then something was done, and France, America, Canada, and others all deployed troops to Haiti, safely exiling President Aristide and protecting the interim government that succeeded him. There was no coup, and there are now Marines present to prevent fur- ther violence. Somewhere along the line this became an “Imperialist Occupation” and needs to end. Presumably the post-invasion anar- chy was superior to the current sta- bility, because there were no Americans there. Or perhaps WE Page 10 - http://www.otherpress.ca ally well-meaning people that turned out as well, perhaps motivat- ed by nostalgia, religion, drugs, loneliness, or boredom. There should be little denial, however that the vast majority of the planners, marchers, and poster-makers of the Vancouver rally were overwhelming- ly leftist fringe groups. You don’t need to take my word for it, the offi- cial website of the protests, , openly admits it. A quick glance in the “Who we are” section of the site provides a lit- eral catalogue of our province's most radical organizations. All the big names are here—the New Democrats, the Greens, the Canadian Communist Party (both of them), Counselor Tim Louis, the SPAIN'S STUNNING RESOLVE BCTE, the Workers Action League, and various student unions. There were also a few lesser-knowns, including such charming organiza- tions as “Queers United Against [sic] Kapitalism,” and a group called simply “Check your Head,” which I assume is either a rock band or a Phrenologists union. I noticed the group “Campaign to End Sanctions Against the People of Iraq” was a member as well, which puzzled me, since ever since the war was launched, sanctions against Iraq have ended. As well, sanctions were supposed to be the leading alterna- tive to war, and in turn were actual- ly favored by most liberals. But here I am using logic again. I suppose it was only logical that the leading guest speaker of the March 20 protests was Noam “The government is stealing my brain- waves” Chomsky, a man who along with being one of the world’s biggest liars and kookiest conspiracy-theo- rists, is also worshiped as a god by the leftist fringe. Mr. Chomsky has a long, and distinguished career of always saying exactly what his lefty followers want to hear, and from the sounds of it, he did not disappoint at his latest rally. The lefties can have their protests. I really don’t care anymore. Let them wallow in their own ignorance, hang out with disgraced socialist politi- cians and corrupt unions, and listen to the self-aggrandizing speeches of aging hippies and rich Marxist his- torians. If anyone wants me, I'll be reading the Iraqi constitution. Cartoon by J.J. McCullough