I disagree with much of
Daniel RadoshI disagree with much of what Howard Zinn says (sorry, Anthony), but he made a good point the other day on Bill Moyers. Asked if we don't need to do SOMETHING about Saddam Hussein, Zinn said absolutely -- there are a lot of things in the world we need to do something about. For instance, anyone can see that AIDS is a far greater threat to the world than Saddam Hussein, on both humanitarian and geopolitical levels. Bush aides have estimated the cost of an Iraqi war at $60-$200 billion. The UN has said the world can dramatically reduce the spread of AIDS for a mere $7-$10 billion per year, with the US's fair share coming to $2.5 billion (ten times our current pathetic spending). If your argument for war with Iraq is that it's necessary to make the world safer and relieve the misery of the Iraqi people, I say I'm open to believing that's the US's true goal -- as soon as it ponies up for the Global Fund for AIDS. Which, by the way, would certainly help our reputation in the world, and thus reduce the threat of terrorism, far more than invading Iraq will.