Hello, this is Blase Bonpane with a comment.

MR. CHENEY HAS BEEN GOING DOOR TO DOOR THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST SAYING TO EACH HEAD OF STATE, "WILL YOU HELP US BLOW UP IRAQ?" AND HE COMES HOME POUTING THAT NO ONE UNDERSTANDS HIM AND HIS APOCALYPTIC VISION OF ETERNAL WAR. ALL OF THE HEADS OF STATE SAID, "NO WE WILL NOT." JUST LIKE RODNEY DANGERFIELD, CHENEY GOT NO RESPECT.

THE HEADS OF STATE WITH WHOM CHENEY MET HAVE NO LOVE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN. AND WHILE WE ARE AT IT, PLEASE IDENTIFY ANY HEAD OF STATE FOR WHOM YOU YOU HAVE A SPECIAL LOVE.

IF EVERY DISLIKED HEAD OF STATE WERE BOMBED, THERE WOULD PROBABLY BE NO EXISTING STATES IN THE WORLD.

BUT CHENEY WAS ON A MISSION AUTHORIZED BY MR. BUSH WHO IS HANDLED BY ADDICTS OF WAR. (BY THE WAY I RECOMMEND THE NEW COMIC BOOK ENTITLED, "ADDICTED TO WAR", OUR YOUNG PEOPLE WILL LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CULT OF MILITARISM IN THIS SHORT AND ACCURATE BOOK BY JOEL ANDREAS THAN THEY MIGHT LEARN IN THEIR FIRST TWELVE YEARS OF SCHOOLING).

I WAS IN IRAQ IN JANUARY OF 1991 JUST BEFORE ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE.

WE SPENT A DAY IN BABYLON IN THAT CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION AND THEN RETURNEDTO BAGHDAD IN THE EVENING. THERE WERE TEN OF US AND OUR MINIBUS WOUND ITS WAY INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE DIPLOMATIC COMMUNITY. WE WERE ESCOURTED INTO A HOME TO FIND THAT DINNER WAS READY AND YASSER ARAFAT WAS THE SURPRISE GUEST. YASSER ARAFAT WAS DESPONDENT BECAUSE PRESIDENT BUSH, THE ELDER, WOULD NOT TALK TO HIM AS HE ASSURED EVERYONE THAT HE COULD NEGOTIATE A PEACE WITH SADDAM HUSSEIN AND THAT THE UPCOMING WAR WOULD BE A LOSE/LOSE SITUATION.

MICHEL GORBACHEV WAS ALSO TRYING TO AVOID THIS UNNESSARY WAR. BUT THE LONG STANDING FRIEND AND ALLY OF OUR GOVERNMENT, SADDAM HUSSEIN, HAD COMMITTED THE UNFORGIVEABLE SIN OF NATIONALIZING IRAQ'S OIL AND THAT WAS JUDGED TO BE AGAINST CORPORATE INTERESTS…THEREFORE SADDAM WAS DUBBED AS ADOLPH HITLER.

SOMEONE SEEMS TO HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT WE SUPPORTED IRAQ AND SADDAM HUSSEIN AGAINST IRAN IN THE 1980'S IN ONE OF THE MAJOR WARS OF THE 20TH CENTURY.

SINCE 1991 WE HAVE BOMBED IRAQ ON WHAT MR. BUSH THE YOUNGER CALLS "ROUTINE MISSIONS". JUST LIKE ROUTINE DRIVE BY SHOOTINGS.

WE HAVE ALSO HAD A ROUTINE EMBARGO WHICH IS DESTROYING THE CHILDREN OF IRAQ.

BUT IRAQ HAS WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION! WELL, WELL…AND WE DON'T HAVE SUCH WEAPONS? THE SELECTIVITY OF OUR CONCERNS IS OVERWHELMING.

BUT MINDLESS REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATORS TOGETHER WITH THE COMMERCIAL MEDIA ARE SALIVATING FOR NEW KILLS IN IRAQ.

THANKS TO FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL RAMSEY CLARK OUR ENDLESS ATTACKS ON IRAQ ARE DESIGNATED AS WAR CRIMES. NO WONDER WE WANT TO UNSIGN OUR PLEDGE TO SUPPORT AN INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT.

YES, IN THE ABSENCE OF AN INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT, THE FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL CONDUCTED HEARINGS IN TWENTY NATIONS AND THIRTY CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL WAS CONCLUDED ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1992 IN NEW YORK CITY. I WAS ONE OF HUNDREDS OF EYE WITNESSES WHO TESTIFIED AT THESE HEARINGS. THE TRIBUNAL'S INTERNATIONAL PANEL OF JUDGES CONCLUDED THAT PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH WAS GUILTY OF NINETEEN CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST HIM BY THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY.

HERE IS CHARGE NUMBER TEN: PRESIDENT BUSH OBSTRUCTED JUSTICE AND CORRUPTED UNITED NATIONS FUNCTIONS AS A MEANS OF SECURING POWER.

THE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THIS CHARGE WAS OVERWHELMING. IT INCLUDED BOTH BRIBES AND THREATS.

THE SAME NEWSPAPERS WHICH PUBLISH TODAY'S WAR MONGERING EDITORIALS REFUSED TO COVER THE DECISION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL AND WERE THEREBY GUILTY OF A BREACH OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO THE PUBLIC. THE FOREIGN PRESS COVERED THE TRIBUNAL AS AN IMPORTANT NEWS STORY AND WAS PRESENT AS AN INTERNATIONAL PANEL OF TWENTY-TWO JUDGES GAVE THE PRONOUNCEMENT OF GUILT BEFORE AN AUDIENCE OF 1,500 PEOPLE IN NEW YORK.

THE 5,000 TO 6,000 DEATHS CAUSED MONTHLY BY THE COMBINATION OF BOMB DAMAGE AND UNITED NATIONS SANCTIONS ARE A CONTINUING CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY. THE SANCTIONS ARE KILLING INFANTS, CHILDREN, THE SICK AND THE ELDERLY. ACTUALLY THERE WAS NO WAR IN IRAQ THERE WAS ONLY A MERCILESS SLAUGHTER CONDUCTED BY 110,000 AERIAL SORTIES DROPPING 88,000 TONS OF EXPLOSIVES. 93 % OF THESE EXPLOSIVES FELL FREELY ON A DEFENSELESS COUNTRY.

WE MUST STOP THE MANIACAL PLAN OF A RENEWED WAR IN IRAQ.

SUCH A PLAN RECKLESSLY ENDANGERS THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES.

THE THIRD REICH ACKNOWLEDGED ITS UNSPEAKABLE HORRORS AND GERMANY HAS DEVELOPED INTO A PEACEFUL AND PRODUCTIVE NATION.

IT SEEMS THAT THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR US TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR MISDEEDS AS WELL. CONFESSION IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL, ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE.

Let us love one another.

For a free copy of this commentary, call the Office of the Americas at 213/852-9808 or visit the OOA web site at http://OfficeOfTheAmericas.org.

This is Blase Bonpane.