Elmo Frank and C.R. Mudgeon
What better way to know both sides of a story than to get two well-informed, deeply committed individuals to square off against each other?  In order to make that possible, I’ve invited two of my best friends to be regular contributors to this page.  One is a staunch conservative.  The other is an outspoken liberal.

Elmo FRANK
TOUGH LOVE IN IRAQ              April 3, 2003
(A response by C.R. Mudgeon follows this article. Ed)

Recently I read something by a man named Edward N. Luttwak entitled “The Deadly Cost of Selective Bombing.”  Luttwak wrote, and I quote, “Selective bombing is wrongheaded: perpetuating the regime causes more casualties, certainly among Iraqi troops, than ‘collateral damage’ would.”

I agree with Luttwak.  Obviously here’s a man who knows how to prevent delicate moral scruples from standing in the way of what needs to be done. 

Shock and awe is the way to win the war in Iraq.  But we’ve got to do it in a way that’s really shocking and awesome.  Little fourth-of-July firecrackers won’t get the job done.  We’ve got to take off the gloves. That’s the way America did it in Japan, and that’s the way America needs to do it again. 

What we did at Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a proven formula for success.  It’s a part of our great heritage.  America needs to remember how we won. 

Forget about all those fancy-pants plans that call for precision tactics to spare civilian lives.  Civilians have got to die so Iraqi Freedom can be victorious.  Iraqi civilians elected to live under a tyrant, and now they have got to go down with him. 

We did everything we could to avoid this war. Our gutsy little commander-in-chief warned and threatened.  Just to make sure he was understood, he never tried to be diplomatic. Did the Iraqis pay any attention?  Heck No. Then he took the same message to the United Nations. Just a very few world leaders could see what he saw, so our President did the right thing almost by himself.  So what if he got the cold shoulder from old Europe?

It’s ridiculous to think that we could have contained Saddam Hussein.  America tried containing Cuba, and today Cuba is a backward, dirt-poor, third-world nation. 

Americans should not be squeamish about the defense of liberty.  If enough civilians die, Iraqis will throw out this evil regime. 

Here’s a worst-case scenario.  Let’s say we pull back a bit and use atomic weapons on a selected part of Baghdad that's giving us a problem, and one million Iraqis die.  There still would be four million left.  Those four million will enjoy freedom and democracy.  I’m not saying we should use weapons, but I wouldn’t rule it out either. Look, I know this is hard to swallow if you’re one of these people that turns out for peace marches.  But the bottom line is, freedom is precious.  After all, what is life without freedom? 

The Iraqis who survive will owe a big debt to those who die.   They will also be grateful to the coalition for giving them a dose of tough love.

I’ll admit that some Iraqis won’t be grateful.  Their wits have been addled from living under a tyrant. They may even feel resentful toward their benefactors.  They will be too busy thinking about themselves instead of Iraq’s bright future.

Time will solve that problem.  We will eventually counter Saddam’s lies by building schools and churches all over Iraq. The distant future will be very bright. Unborn Iraqis, their children, and their children’s children will come to see the destruction of Baghdad as the beginning of a new era in the Middle East.  They will bless the memory of those who died, and call them martyrs, even if they didn’t die willingly.

One other point. It’s a well known fact that Americans value human life a lot more than people do in other countries, especially people in that part of the world.  My worst-case scenario of a million deaths sounds like a lot of people to Americans, but it’s not a lot in Iraq.

Elmo FRANK resides in Vigilance, Texas, a suburb of Houston.  Elmo, who was born in 1952,  started out in life as a penniless orphan; but he's made a lot of money, which he displays with antique cars, custom-made ostrich boots, and a handsome brick house that was built to look like Monticello.  Elmo Frank vigorously opposes every form of government program except the military, toward which his support and generosity know no bounds.  His favorite commentator is Rush Limbaugh.  Will Justice, who has known Elmo for over a decade, says you can predict what Elmo thinks about anything by listening to Rush Limbaugh first. Like most people in and around Houston, Elmo fought zoning when it was proposed a few years ago.  When a gas station was built next to his handsome residence and a Burger King on the other side, Elmo said that just made his property more valuable. He's thinking about selling his house to a bank which wants to use it as a branch location.

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C.R. Mudgeon
THE BUSH-WAR CURE IS WORSE THAN THE DISEASE  
April 5, 2003

Abraham Lincoln made a wise statement that’s worth reflecting on right now.

Lincoln said, “The true rule in determining to embrace or reject anything is not whether it has any evil in it, but whether it has more of evil than of good.  There are few things wholly evil or wholly good.  Almost everything…is an inseparable compound of the two, so that our best judgment of the preponderance between them is continually demanded.”   

Let’s look at the mixture of good and evil in what America is doing in Iraq. 

President Bush’s explanation for invading Iraq is the desire to remove evil from the world.  Saddam Hussein is a bloody tyrant who’s bent on using weapons of mass destruction. The President believes that a regime change will usher in democracy for the entire Middle East.  The President’s cure, he hopes, will stabilize the region.  The poor people of Iraq will become wealthy and America will get a reliable source of oil. Surely this is a good cure.

But is the cure worse than the disease?     Below are 17 warnings I would put on the medicine even when we succeed militarily:

One.  Many of America's best and brightest are being sacrificed.  We already know that dozens are dead, and more will follow.  And it will continue after the occupation begins. Ask any mother, father, wife, sweetheart, or child about the loss. It’s incalculable.  If these fine Americans had been spared to live out their lives, who knows what contributions they might have made?

I thank God for the Americans who serve in our armed forces.  Their patriotism, their intelligence, and their bravery make me feel proud.  What makes me angry is the questionable cause these Americans are dying for.

Do not call me disloyal if I ask troubling questions about this war.  I am more loyal to our fighting men and women than warmongers who easily sacrifice them. 

We can learn from our past. Over 31 million casualties occurred during WW I.  Americans who opposed that war were persecuted. Some were jailed.  What did we gain from our involvement in that war?  Nothing. Not one blessed thing. 

Two.  America is losing its good name.  Not too long ago the people of France felt so good about us that they gave us the Statue of Liberty.  America was a bastion of democracy and freedom, not an invader.  As recently as 9/11 there was a worldwide outpouring of affection even from America’s former foes. 

That has quickly evaporated.  Everywhere on earth America is viewed as an arrogant, dangerous, imperialistic invader. 

Three.   The United Nations has been damaged.  After WWI the League of Nations came to nothing because the U.S. would not support it.  If it had grown strong, the horrors of WWII might have been prevented.  Who can say? Then, after WWII, the world tried again.  The United Nations was created to provide the people of earth a way to solve problems without resorting to war.  The UN has not been a perfect organization, but it has done many things well.  Now the U.S. thumbs its nose at the organization it gave birth to.  In coming years when powerful nations decide to take out little nations they happen to dislike, where will the U.S. speak, and what will it say?

Four.  The world’s foremost religious leaders—including the Pope and the leaders of the President’s own Methodist Church—pleaded with the President not to go to war.  They called the war unjust.  The President thanked them for their time and went to war.

Five.  Bush’s War has raised fanatical extremism to new levels all across the Muslim world.  The result will be many new Bin Ladens.

Six.  America has damaged valuable relationships.   France, which has been a strong friend of America from the time of our Revolution on has become the demon de jur.  This demon of the day is being castigated, chastised, and scolded, and its products boycotted.  Germany is once again our enemy.  Even loyal, dear Canada is not beside us.  Bush never asks Canada’s prime minister down to the ranch.  In a great irony, NATO is becoming anti-American.

Seven.  Enormous problems have been created for many of America’s best friends.  Egypt’s Mubarak is under pressure to close the Suez Canal to American warships.  The King of Jordan pleaded with Bush not to start the war.  Turkey refused to join America in war with her neighbor even though we offered many lavish gifts.  Pakistan’s Pervez Musharraf is once again in a precarious position because of hostility toward us. The Saudis, who are protectors of Mecca, are feeling enormous pressure to distance themselves from us. 

Eight. Dangers multiply at home. Terrorist retaliation is a very real threat. 

Nine. America’s national treasure is vanishing.  The national debt will soon reach the highest point in history.  The price tag for the first few weeks of the war is about $80 billion plus covert payments that don’t show up in the budget.  The President proposes to pay the debt with a tax cut.

Ten. Old tensions are being revived.   Russia and China with their huge Muslim populations are making ominous noises. America may be the only superpower, but no American in his right mind wants to take on Russia or China.

Eleven.  The President did not count on Iraqi patriotism.  Even now he still seems not to understand that people will fight for their native land. The Arabs have a saying:  “I will fight with my cousin, but my cousin and I will fight a stranger.” We were told to expect Hosannas.  That hasn’t happened.  Now we are told the Iraqis are waiting to see if it’s safe to cheer. Everybody’s just afraid of Hussein. But if that’s true, why are thousands of Iraqis in Jordan returning to fight for Iraq?  Nobody is holding a gun to their heads.  Stalin was a bloody tyrant, but the Russians fought bravely, not because of fear or love of Stalin, but because they loved Russia. 

Twelve.   Bush’s War has made it dangerous for ordinary Americans to walk safely in fifty-plus Islamic nations.  It also has put America’s international investments at risk.

Thirteen.  The war is dividing America in ways not seen since the Viet Nam War. Just listen to the angry accusations on the radio talk shows.  But the struggle for the soul of America is not between good Americans and bad Americans. It is between good Americans and good Americans. 

Fourteen. The costs of the occupation will be staggering.  When coalition forces manage to occupy Iraq, who will pacify the nation?  Fathers and mothers who have lost their children, and children who have lost their parents will look for opportunities for revenge. Americans will call their desperate acts “terrorism.”  When we leave, who will we put in charge?  Some secular Sunni strongman who will become ruthless just to stay in power?  Some weak, unstable coalition government? Or some clever Shia mullah who will give us another Iran? 

Fifteen.  Bush’s War could make Iraq ungovernable.  When ancient grudges are exploited to gain temporary advantages, there is no telling what the outcome will be.  Who could have predicted that WWI would produce a Lenin and a Hitler?  We are pitting Shias against Sunnis, secular Muslims against Islamic fundamentalists, and Kurds against non-Kurds.  Who will put Humpty-Dumpty back together again?

Sixteen.  Israel will be more vulnerable than ever.  Ariel Sharon wants to see American troops close by.  But Sharon has not taken into account what will happen if democracy comes to the Middle East.  The new regimes will be more anti-American and more anti-Israeli than the leaders they replace.  If democracy comes to Egypt, might not the gang that produced the 9/11 terrorists come to power?  If democracy comes to Saudi Arabia, might not Bin Laden’s supporters come to power?

Seventeen.  We are creating an irresistible temptation for Iraq’s neighbors.  Iraq has the world’s second-largest pool of oil.  At the first opportunity Iran, Turkey, and Syria will be tempted to take whatever they can.  Will this mean that America will have to stay forever to protect its spoils?  

C.R. Mudgeon is a reclusive free-lance writer and folk philosopher who resides in a spacious old house perched on a hill in the lovely Perspicacity Mountains.  Mudgeon, who's in his early 60s, has a great view of the Plains of Conformity, which he sometimes visits.  On clear days he claims he can see the Ocean of Tranquility.   He is known in his community as a liberal and a non-conformist.  Some call him a crank.  When the spirit moves him, C.R. Mudgeon submits articles to www.theamericans.us which we usually publish.

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The Anti-War Movement, ANSWER, and Demonstrators                           March 27, 2003
Elmo

Just watching the demonstrators march makes me want to vomit.  How can these idiots, who call themselves Americans, march in support of a wicked regime like Saddam Hussein’s? 

They should be ashamed of themselves. If they took the time to look at the facts, they’d be demonstrating for Our troops, not Hussein’s.  Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it.

You asked me to give you one good reason why the anti-war movement is wrong.  I’ll give you six.  (I’ve got a lot more if you want them.)

One.  Saddam Hussein is an evil man.  He supported the 9/11 terrorists, used poison gas against his own people, and is developing weapons of mass destruction.  The world will be a better place when he’s gone. 

Two.  We need to support our elected Commander-in Chief, not find fault with everything he does.  It’s OK to argue before our troops are engaged, but after that happens, we need to give him our whole-hearted support.

Three.  The demonstrations provide aid and comfort to the enemy.  Saddam and his cronies believe that if they wait long enough, the demonstrators will win the war for them.

Four.  The marchers and demonstrators are exercising a right that doesn’t exist in Iraq. An anti-Iraq version of ANSWER wouldn't last 10 minutes in Iraq.

Five.  It’s highly disloyal to our troops.  Just think how it must feel to be out there risking your life to rid the Earth of an evil regime, and Americans whom you’re protecting are demonstrating for the regime you’re trying to topple.  Don’t tell me you’re loyal to them when you’re demonstrating against what they’re doing.

Six.  It’s un-American.   This is a time to stand up for America.  Years ago I read a book entitled “None Dare Call It Treason.”  I like that title.  Treason is a strong word to use, but people who don’t support America when it’s under attack are committing treason.  People should love America, or leave it.  

C.R. Mudgeon
I agree with Elmo quote about learning from history.  President Truman used to say that the only new thing in the world is the history you don’t know.  All of this propaganda has been used before.  Who can think of one good reason to justify the millions of deaths that occurred during the First World War?  Yet Americans were put in prison for opposing it. The same arguments were made then that Elmo is making.   His last paragraph also sounds like something straight out of Senator McCarthy’s hearings on un-American activities.  During the McCarthy era many American’s lives were ruined, and thousands were slandered for being un-American—even Presidents.

Reminds me of something my uncle Ernest told me back in the 1950s.  Uncle Earnest worked at a funeral home in a little town in Alabama.  One day Earnest declared that the owners of the local funeral home were Communists.  I had been studying about Communist ideology in school, so I asked,  “Uncle Ernest, do  they oppose private ownership, and do you think they’re committed to the violent overthrow of the government?”  Uncle Ernest replied gravely, “I don’t know about that, but I do know they’re mighty mean people.”

Elmo gave you six reasons why he thinks the anti-war movement’s wrong.  Well, here are six good reasons why I think it’s the American thing to do.

One.  There are lots of evil leaders in the world, and always have been.  Hussein looks like a Sunday School teacher compared to Joseph Stalin. Stalin killed more innocent people than Hitler. During the Cold War, Stalin and his successors weren’t just trying to create weapons of mass destruction.  He (and they) had them, and they were pointed at us.  The world was able to escape a nuclear catastrophe because Americans contained the threat and didn't try to “take Stalin out.”  If the United States is going to take it upon itself to “take out” all the rulers of the world who oppress their people and torture and kill their enemies, we will be at war forever.  Bush appears to have a very long “regime change” list:  North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela, and no-telling how many other nations that don’t measure up to his standard of democracy.  I’m sure he would love to have a regime change in France and Germany.

Two.  Who says I shouldn’t criticize a President in time of war?  If it was a dangerous and wrong-headed policy before shots were fired, why is it a wise policy now?  Holding a President accountable during time of war is a great American tradition that goes all the way back to George Washington, who was wildly popular and is rightly regarded as one of the world's finest leaders.  George W. Bush is no George Washington. Why should he be immune from criticism? Another President deemed great by historians was Abraham Lincoln, who had many detractors.  Lincoln was constantly explaining to Congress, journalists, friends and foes what he was about.  Americans don’t give their politicians blank checks.  People who promote the Don’t-criticize-the-President attitude must have a secret longing for a King or a Pope. This submissive attitude toward rulers makes dictatorships like Hussein’s possible. 

Three   The demonstrations actually may make the world safe for Americans by keeping the world from hating Americans indiscriminately.  I can’t think of a single nation where rank-and-file citizens support what this administration is doing.   The marches tell the world that all Americans don’t behave like the gang that’s running Washington.

Four    Elmo says people don’t have the right to march against the government in Iraq.  So, what does Elmo propose?  Stop the marches so that we will act just like Iraqis.

Five   I’m more loyal to our troops than the warmongers are.  I love our young people, and think it’s criminal to wound or kill even one of them for such a wrong-headed foreign policy as this one.  

Six.  The United States was born when Americans decided to disobey their rulers.  Americans are still an independent-minded people who, if given sufficient time and information, will not follow any leader down a wrong path very far, very long.  

And let me add one thing.  If Elmo read a good newspaper, like the Los Angeles Times, he wouldn't be repeating as gospel the propaganda that Hussein supported the 9/11 terrorists.  There's not a bit of evidence to support that piece of misinformation, but we can get into that in a later issue.

Editors note:  We will discuss that issue very soon.   We'd love to have your comments about this issue of Elmo Frank and C.R. Mudgeon .  Just click here. GG