Wheres the money?

The Bush administration is once more plowing deeper in to the Iraq war with another “solution for success.” Bush has constantly said it is OK to differ with him, but his view is the only view that counts. Now with more than 3,000 American GIs killed in Iraq and more than 20,000 wounded, including those maimed by the loss of arms, legs or eyesight, he admits that even more American casualties will be forthcoming with his new “plan to win.”

Bush has for the past six years lied Congress, the American people and the world, claiming his program is for the good of the people when actually it is the opposite. The invasion of Iraq was to destroy the weapons of mass destruction, he lied, when it was instead a mission to take all the oil resources of Iraq and permanently set up bases there, with the aim of ensuring a dominant role in the Middle East for American imperialism.

For the past four years, the Pentagon has doled out billions of dollars to “contractors” like Halliburton to repair the damage done by the U.S. military. They were supposed to restore electricity, clean water, streets and highways, schools and health facilities in Iraq. None of this has been accomplished.

Where did these billions of dollars go? A lot of it was Iraq’s own oil money. There must be an accounting for this.

The Halliburton gang is devouring billions of dollars of our tax money. In addition, billions of dollars from the Iraqi people’s oil revenues are disappearing into someone’s pockets. Now, Bush is demanding Americans fork up more.

With the money taken from our taxes going into a quagmire in Iraq, and the cost of American and Iraqi lives, Bush and his administration should be charged with crimes against humanity.

John Gilman is a decorated WWII veteran and a peace and social justice activist in Milwaukee.