We, the El Vaquero have already seen images of rockets racing through the night, striking a building with such precision that it would appear nothing but that building was destroyed.

We are made to forget human beings may have been involved, as if playing a video game.

The reality that there were people in the building is easily swept aside by the thought that the destruction is being done for the good of the people of Iraq.

It seems clean, and simple, and easy. President George W. Bush believes this to be true. We do not.

We have watched Bush tell the nation why we can no longer use diplomatic means to disarm Iraq, ignoring the opinions of entire nations.

For the first time in modern history, an antiwar movement began before a shot was fired.

This movement does not consist of just 50 people in a Glendale park but, rather, thousands of people in every major city in the world.

The reason for this global movement is that we are offended by the transparency of the administration’s attempts at diplomacy.

According to the president, the U.N. has become irrelevant. Well, of course it has. All things become irrelevant when you ignore them.

Therefore, the president’s belligerent attitude toward France, Germany and anyone else who would oppose him is no surprise. It puts his arguments and his push for war into perspective.

He said we could not wait for a peaceful solution to arrive because “we are not dealing with peaceful men.” (I guess we would be the peaceful ones.)

He claims that Iraq is the center of all terrorism but gives no solid evidence to prove this. He said that when Hussein is removed, “this danger will be removed.”

Since Hussein won’t turn over his weapons of mass destruction, we will “use force to remove them.” We don’t believe that force is the only solution.

Bush says that Hussein will only grow stronger if we don’t remove him immediately.

He originally said that the war will be short and swift and that we are better equipped than in 1991.

He now tells us that we should prepare for a long war.

The idea that all will be well when Hussein is gone is dubious. To say that we are “going to overcome hatred and violence” with hatred and violence is the height of hypocrisy.

The assumption that the Iraqi people are going to rejoice at our arrival is now highly questionable.

We should mention that Iraq contains the second-largest oil reserves in the world.

The president and the vice president are involved in the oil business at the highest level.

This country was founded by educated men who believed in debate, despised monarchy and had more than a passing concern for the will of the people.
That is why ignoring the protests of ordinary people and going to war anyway is wrong.

We hope that the Iraqi people are as happy with their “liberation” as the Bush administration is to give it to them.