(Donald Rumsfeld meeting Saddam Hussein - captions in the comments!)

Then look at Saudi Arabia, our supposed friends. There tends to be a lot of internal repression there. Any plans to invade? Don't think so.

They are even proud that Algeria signed up for the 'War on Terror'(TM) when they must know that if you look up 'Internal repression' in the dictionary, Algeria is quite high up the list.

Who is supporting Fascism here? It looks like the West doesn't it?

Saying that they have removed one fascist loses its glamour when they are continually supporting other ones. The west also does not have the right under international law to do what it is doing.

I can't remember the name off hand (I can trawl through some stuff and find it if anyone insists - Chomsky quotes it direct from the government in paper in one of the lectures on his site) but an American official said after Gulf War 1 that the ideal scenario for the USA was an 'iron-fisted Iraqi junta' - just with someone who wasn't Saddam Hussein.

I have always objected to the arms industry, not just arms in the hands of people I personally don't like.

Also, the enormous expense that hits the taxpayer and the INCREASED likelihood of terrorism means that the west is harming itself in all this.

If you tell a member of your family to stop drinking because you think they are harming their health do you do it because you hate them? I don't think so.

I have previously been accused of being 'pornographic' for publishing this photo. It is only pornographic if you get a kick out of it. I am appalled by it but I post it to show the link between actions (or even inactions) and consequences. If you support the policy you accept that these things are going to happen and believe it to be 'worth it'.
I don't but some others obviously do becuase they keep supporting it and sticking up for it.

Finally, I have no romantic notions about the Iraqi resistance at all. I have went to some talks in various places done by refugees from the conflict and they all say more or less the same thing - That there is some popular resistance and some that are a nasty bunch. Nevertheless they all said that tensions will decrease once the Coalition leave. Also, they all more or less said the thing that is in the Gandhi film (I don't know if he really said it - a lot of the quotes in that film are not right) that there is no country in the world that would not prefer its own bad government over a good foreign one (or a puppet government).

UPDATE

I think this song sums it up well, you can listen to it or download it for nothing here

Operation Iraqi Liberation - David Rovics

We've got a situation and it calls for a solution

That upholds our domination of the planet

We're gonna make our case and we're gonna make it well

But if you don't like our logic you can can it

We'll use impeccable intelligence from any country in the world

As long as we all see eye to eye

And if we don't find quite what we need we know what to do

Just look into the camera and lie

(Chorus)

Cause it's Operation Iraqi Liberation

Tell me, what does that spell

Operation Iraqi Liberation

O - I - L

And we'll lie about the missiles and the nuclear research

We'll lie about uranium

We'll build military bases and smile for reporters

As we give away bubble gum

And we'll lie about bin Laden and his connections with the Saudis

And we'll lie about 9-1-1

And we'll lie about the Baathists and their connections to Al Qaeda

Because we know there's none

(Chorus)

And we'll lie about the North Koreans and we'll lie about Iran

And don't mention Israel

Keep those nuclear weapons out of this song

And it will all hold together swell

And now we'll liberate these people, we'll liberate their money

We'll liberate their soil

We'll liberate their airports,

we'll liberate their harbors

And we'll liberate their oil