BURNING FATE

BURNING FATE


Earth was made by Him so that
All men live as equal.
But the greediness of man
Wrought a different sequel.

All the countries have their own
Special identity.
All are entitled to their
Freedom and dignity.

A free country’s people can
Their President elect,
Who decides to buy or sell
What’s best for him, in fact.

Iraq wanted to sell oil
And it wanted to earn
Not US dollars, in fact,
But Euros in return.

Saddam, chosen Prez through a
Process democratic,
Wanted to sell Iraq oil
For benefit public.

But are sovereign nations
Equal in world today?
The US President must
Have his decisive say!

“Iraq, the second largest
Reserve of fossil oil!
Why should that country own it?
We too must have our spoil!

“The US dollar must show
To the whole world its might;
How dare Saddam Hussein hold
Euro in better light?

No, no, Saddam, the rascal,
From Iraq, you must go.
That you have WMD,
To the world, I will show”.

Thus spoke Bush, the global cop
And Marines marched ahead
In the burning desert sands.
A Burning Fate they met.



• Written in abcb, 7-6-7-6 format.
• Initially written as item 845455, later deleted and substituted on 22 March 2005
by entry 336197 in WAR POETRY--award winner, "WAR POETRY--award winner" . Posted as independent item again on 4 March 2008.


M C Gupta
4 May, 2004


**********

• Scholars in international affairs and economics have determined that the real reason why US invaded Iraq was to save the dollar from collapsing, which would have meant collapse of the US economy. Saddam had decided to sell oil to others in exchange for Euros, not US dollars. This was the sole right of Iraq, but it would have wiped out US economy which is tottering. This has been explained in detail in the article “The Proposed Iranian Oil Bourse” dated January 20, 2006, by Krassimir Petrov, Ph.D., Austrian Macro Economist/Investment Strategist. It was commissioned by: J. Douglas Bowey and Associates

It can be viewed at www.lemetropolecafe.com

[Abstract: The American Empire depends on the U.S. dollar. The proposed Iranian Oil Bourse will accelerate the fall of the U.S. dollar and hence the fall of the American Empire].


** I got an anonymous review criticizing this poem. I wanted to clarify the points raised by the reviewer, but could not do so since it was anonymous. I am posting below the review and my response to it in the hope that it might address the thoughts of other readers having similar views.

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ANONYMOUS REVIEW:

Why is it that some people think the US is only in this for the $$$? The maniacal bastard (Sadaam) you so honorably mention in this poem is perhaps one of the most greedy and self-serving individuals the world has ever known! There are only 3 things this man cares about: Himself, his sons and his wealth. Damn to his own people... killer and torturer of women and children, an evil being who belongs in the ranks of Hitler and the like!!

It is apparent you are not an American. If you are, perhaps you suffer no feelings of disgust and contempt for the kinds of people who bully their way into power with cowardly acts of terror. If you are, perhaps it is people like you that have weakened the spirit of our great nation. If you are, and this is how you truly feel, perhaps it is time to move to the Middle East. They have such high regard for persons like yourself who speak their minds. They are such a peaceful people, regarding human life as sacred and worthy of dignity and respect. NOT! These people take the teachings of their Allah and twist it into something ugly and hateful for their own purposes. Their "Holy War" is laughable, in that there is absolutely nothing holy about it whatsoever!!!

I honestly do not mean to offend, but this touches a raw nerve. You have a right (thanks to the freedoms that you and I have) to speak your opinion, as do I.

=========

MY RESPONSE


Dear Reviewer,

Hope the following will help clarify your doubts:

1. It is not that SOME people think that the US is in it for dollars. If you read seriously researched books and articles, many available on the internet, you would find enough evidence from experts about; ONE, deep interests of a close-knit group of US families and individuals and corporate houses in oil reserves of the middle east (you would agree that oil means dollars); TWO, emerging challenge from euro to dollar as international exchange currency and the grave threat to US economy if the switch over becomes effective at big scale—Iraq decided to change to Euro and soon faced evasion.

2. If Saddam is a bastard, that does not matter. A bastard means a person, the identity of whose father is not known. The world is full of people of unknown parentage and some of them have been really great. No one knows the name of Jesus’s father. If Saddam is a maniac, he is absolved of all alleged crime because unsoundness of mind is a standard exception to criminal liability in common law. In any case, all countries have their own quota of bastards and maniacs and they have to be dealt with by the people of the country concerned, NOT by US. If they are internationally dangerous, then UN and international law may come into picture, but, NOT US.

3. If Saddam “is perhaps one of the most greedy and self-serving individuals the world has ever known! There are only 3 things this man cares about: Himself, his sons and his wealth. Damn to his own people... killer and torturer of women and children, an evil being who belongs in the ranks of Hitler and the like!!”---Well, in that case, HOW does the US come into picture? He is NOT a US citizen!

4. You wrote—“ It is apparent you are not an American. If you are, perhaps you suffer no feelings of disgust and contempt for the kinds of people who bully their way into power with cowardly acts of terror. If you are, perhaps it is people like you that have weakened the spirit of our great nation. If you are, and this is how you truly feel, perhaps it is time to move to the Middle East. They have such high regard for persons like yourself who speak their minds. They are such a peaceful people, regarding human life as sacred and worthy of dignity and respect.” -- This simply shows your state of mind. A look at my bioblock would reveal my nationality. If you write all the above choosing to be ignorant of publicly displayed facts, it does not reflect an entirely objective, sober or serious mental attitude.

5. You wrote—“ These people take the teachings of their Allah and twist it into something ugly and hateful for their own purposes. Their "Holy War" is laughable, in that there is absolutely nothing holy about it whatsoever!!! “—Let us be clear. Ridiculing somebody’s faith and laughing over it does not put you in good light. In doing so, you are denying them a basic human right. To that extent, you are even violating the US Constitution. As about war, holy or unholy, Iraq has never declared war on US, so, the question of US sending its army to Iraq does not arise!


The problem is that the US somehow feels it is the global cop and the world at large is the courtyard of the great palace called White House or Casa Blanca. Once we create myths and start believing in them, we become victims of our own beliefs or notions of grandeur.

I would rather wish and welcome that you discard your cloak of anonymity and discuss the issues seriously and objectively like a learned gentleman / lady in an interactive manner to the mutual benefit of both.