‘100 Orders’ Equal One Bad Policy

Re “The Hand-Over That Wasn’t,” Commentary, Aug. 5: L. Paul Bremer III’s “100 Orders” galvanize the notion that the war in Iraq was not motivated by concerns for the freedom of the Iraqi people. Apparently, the assaulting of Iraqi prisoners will be followed by decades of economic assault by U.S. corporations and financial institutions. Rather than Operation Iraqi Freedom, the U.S. military occupation in Iraq should be called Operation Corporate Greed, Operation U.S. Hypocrisy or Operation Halliburton Profits.

To think that we are sacrificing the lives of American soldiers, creating billions of dollars in national debt and inflaming Muslim extremism throughout the world for such cynical politico-corporate greed makes one shudder. “The horror, the horror.”

Neal Kelsey

Hesperia

*

The commentary by Antonia Juhasz left me gasping for air and my coffee getting cold for two reasons: First of all, the mere information of U.S. control of the Iraqi economy has the foul smell of imperialism. Second, why is this very important information on the Commentary page?

This is the kind of investigative reporting so urgently needed in order to understand the consequences of this occupation.

Once again, the media, including The Times, fail to do the hard work and instead bring us fluffy stuff like the descriptive series (Aug. 1 to 5) about Muslims in Las Vegas -- on the front page. Shame on you, L.A. Times.

Erika Blos

Santa Barbara