Howard Zinn - Against War (lecture)
If an honest history is ever written of the U.S. war on Iraq it may not be believed. It's ten years since Washington launched its shock and awe attack on Iraq. Remember: weapons of mass destruction, axis of evil, mobile chemical labs, slam dunks, Curveball, smoking guns, mushroom clouds, cakewalks, liberators, regime change and mission accomplished. The architects of the war: Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Feith, Wolfowitz, and others should be doing time instead of having a good time. Today, Iraq is a broken country. Nothing will bring back the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi dead. The U.S. owes Iraq reparations for the destruction it has caused. But being the global superpower means you never have to say you're sorry or face justice. The permanent war economy feeds on conflict and strife. Is it utopian to imagine a different future?
This program is being aired for the very first time to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Iraq War.
Howard Zinn was perhaps this country's premier radical historian. He literally changed the way we looked at history by emphasizing the resistance and triumphs of ordinary people. During World War II, he saw combat duty as an air force bombardier. He was an active figure in the civil rights movement. He was among the first to oppose U.S. aggression in Indochina. A principled opponent of imperialism and militarism, he was an advocate of non-violent civil disobedience. His masterpiece is "A People's History of the United States contunes to sell in huge numbers. Witty, erudite, generous and loved by many the world over, Howard Zinn, friend and teacher, passed in 2010.