LETTER: Was the teach-in biased?

To the Editor:

The second round of the teach-in featured Dr. Paul Lakeland of the religious studies department and Joy Gordon of the philosophy department.

Lakeland spoke about the Just War Theory while Gordon addressed the 12-year-old sanctions on Iraq. Gordon outlined in minute detail how America has vetoed Iraqi requests from yogurt machines to child vaccinations in the UN because America has asserted that these things could be used for weapons of mass destruction.

Based on the accuracy of the above report, I hope someone at the teach-in refuted Dr. Gordon’s implication that the sanctions were the fault of the U.S. and that we somehow hurt the Iraqi people. Saddam Hussein is solely responsible for the sanctions and their effects on his countrymen. Saddam could have had the UN sanctions lifted at any time if he had simply given up his WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) programs. He chose not to. Moreover, he chose not to use the “Oil for Food” exemptions for several years so that he would not lose control over the economy or the populace. Saddam was able to generate approximately $3 billion per year via smuggling with his neighbors and exceptions to the UN program. When he gained some control over the program he also took the medicine and food items and sold them on the black market to generate free currency to pay his security services, Baath Party loyalists, Tikriti relatives, and to build WMD’s. He bought precious little baby formula (or yogurt machines), and to the extent he did, the goods went to prop up his oppressive regime.

Sincerely, Thomas JA Lavin, ’06