Reposted from Sat Nov-06-2004
On the day we invaded Iraq I ended a friendship over this issue. This is the text of the last letter I sent her. Somehow, knowing that I was right, has not cleared the taste of ashes and gall from my mouth. I am so ashamed of what we have done. And heartbroken that nearly half my countrymen still cannot see the horror:
March 23, 2003
I deeply regret to hear that you agree with this bellicose position. How many atrocities will we tolerate now and point to 9/11 as an excuse? We've already leveled Afghanistan. Now we're leveling Iraq, which even our own intelligence sources say has no links to Al Qaeda. We've launched a preemptive war against Iraq losing all claim of moral superiority over Imperial Japan for attacking Pearl Harbor.
The saddest thing about all this is watching this country tear the constitution and the bill of rights to shreds in the name of freedom liberty and democracy. We are slowly turning into a National Socialist state and we are so blinded by hatred we can't see it. By this measure, the terrorists won.
Almost five centuries ago the forces of Hernán Cortés laid siege and destroyed the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán. Cortés was motivated by a thirst for gold but he also genuinely believed in the moral superiority of his religious faith. To end the siege, the Aztecs had to surrender more than just their weapons, they had to also surrender their faith. So the siege continued until the defenders were too weak to cast stones and the conquerors walked over the emaciated bodies of the defenders. The memory of that disaster is seared into the Mexican consciousness to this very day; It poisoned relations between Mexico and Spain for 100 years after Mexican independence.
The Fall of Tenochtitlán:
Broken spears lie in the roads;
We have torn our hair in our grief
The houses are roofless now, and their walls
Are red with blood.
Worms are swarming in the streets and plazas,
And the walks are spattered with gore
The water has turned red, as if it were dyed
And when we drink it,
It has the taste of brine
We have pounded our hands in despair
Against the adobe walls,
For our inheritance, our city, is lost and dead
The shields of our warriors were its defense.
But they could not save it.
We have chewed dry twigs and salt grasses:
We have filled our mouths with dust and bits of adobe.
We have eaten lizards, rats and worms
When we had meat, we ate it almost raw.
- Cantares Mexicanos
The National Library of Mexico,
circa 1523
We have invaded Iraq and visited death and destruction upon its people. We too are motivated by a thirst for black gold, and we also genuinely believe in the moral superiority of our religion. Not since the conquest of Mexico has there been such a lopsided mismatch of weapons. The "war" with Iraq and the siege of Baghdad may not last three weeks but its aftermath will reverberate for countless generations. May the satisfaction of our victory outlast the collective memory of those who are about to receive our Democratic "blessing"
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