Postwar Plans for the Gulf

Well, it looks as if we have another notch on our gun. Mighty Iraq has followed powerful Grenada, and formidable Panama and unofficial Nicaragua in falling to our might. And all with light casualties.

Praise the Lord. The only casualty might be the United States itself. I mean the concept and the dream. We were the place of refuge for all the multitudes, struggling to be free, the place where individuals yearned to come, for freedom, for opportunity, for fulfillment. And what have we become? Arms merchant of the world, supplier of destruction for all those who have the cash. We don’t do much very well anymore, but we sure can build the planes and guns and missiles to wreak havoc on other nations. And now we’ve begun to use them on anyone who irritates us or stands in our way, even though some of our armaments are aimed back at us through mistaken judgment of who were friends or foe.

And probably, in our next election, some of our new heroes from the military will stand for election, and probably make it. And our transformation will be complete, from the bastion of liberty to the fortress of death. A military nation, sliding toward bankruptcy, clutching our war toys.

BILL IDELSON, Pacific Palisades