IS HOWARD OVERCOMMITTING AUSTRALIA IN RUSH TO WAR?
28-01-03

War is imminent. The blood price of such a conflict will be enormous. It purely dollar terms the cost alone should cause extreme embarrassment to the economic rationalists. Those have talked up the need for war seems fearful that backing down now could cause their removal from office. They have avoided debate but it is time they listened to the people and it is time the people understood the actual size in human and monetary terms of John Howard's commitment to his mate George W Bush.

An alarm bell rings when the commitment ratio by population is assessed. Currently the US government have announced that they have at least 75,000 ground troops alone that will be at the ready. Previously we have heard that the UK would match the American commitment

Tony Blair the British PM appears the keenest of all despite his people's doubts. After a review of the figures, the United Kingdom will be committing almost 5 times as many to fight this war than that of United States of America by population ratio. Take a look at the figures below and you'll see that Australia is not far behind the American committed when you take into account our small population. A very reliable source informs me that Australia's commitment could be as high as 15,000, despite the information given by our government.

US: 0.03% (0.0262%)
or 75,000 people from a population of: 286,000,000

UK: 0.13% (0.125%)
or 75,000 people from a population of: 60,000,000

AUS: 0.08% (0.0777%)
or 15,000 people from a population of: 19,300,000



If we calculate the numbers above further we find that the United Kingdom is clearly taking the highest risk by committing 4.8 (4.77) men or woman per every 1 American they send to fight their war. Let's face it; it's their (United States of America) war. They seem to have a whole shopping cart of reasons while all the other countries use only the one excuse for their participation.

1. Oil
2. Removal of Saddam Hussein & his weapons of mass destruction
3. Revenge for dear daddy
4. Test a few more new weapons of mass destruction
5. 9-11 ? Go figure, coz I can't
6. To bring on World War III
7. Oh! & don't forget the terrorist, that's right don't forget them!
8. Saddam's links to Al Queda (still waiting for evidence)
9. The treatment of his own and the Kurdish people

Notice how human rights once again fit into the scheme of things at the very bottom of the list? Its inclusion appears almost as if its just there for show.

Then we get to Australia's commitment and still the alarm bell rings. Australia's commitment could end up being as high as 3 times as many of our troops than the American's by population ratio, while they have a population some 14.9 times that of Australia. It seems after we have reviewed these simple facts that England and Australia want just as much if not more of the action. Why is it that we are expected to risk more lives in a war approximately 80% of us don't want?

Now this is just bizarre, the Australian and British Armed Forces are starting to sound suicidal or at the very least, "Do' in someone else's dirty work".

If you're thinking, "oh this war will be over in minutes", think again because the Iraqi people are still suffering from the effects of the last war. Iraq has now become one of the few places in the world where horrendous birth defects are common place, where cancer caused by DU (Depleted Uranium Ammunitions) is treated with Aspirin and the sand storms are radioactive.

This war isn't about making the world safe from weapons of mass destruction or the UK and US governments wouldn't be using DU, it's partly about removing Iraq of its current stock pile so that America can sell weapons to it all over again. Don't forget war weapons are America's economy back-bone. Without ammunitions sales America will have a hard time trying to recover it current recession and huge deficit. It's just a shame that America has a no-returns policy when it comes to weapons they sell because many of the customers are disgruntled at present.

Please send the message to your governments, "War is NEVER the answer".

'Concerned Australian'