Bill Sykes' Newsletter
from America.
(November 2004)
An ex-Brit gives his views-(without fear
or favor)---of the American Scene
Up
Front and Personal - What you see is what you get .
 True to my early Yorkshire upbringing I tend to be somewhat
outspoken at times, but in my defence I try to be honest
and accurate on subjects that I write about and which I
consider to be affecting the lives of the peoples of this
world, and try to reflect this in my newsletters. As President
Nixon was wont to say, "Let
me make my position perfectly clear", and so in
the same vein I would also like to make my position perfectly
clear that I am not a Pacifist, Isolationist, Communist,
Capitalist, Republican, Democrat, Peacenik, Religious
entity, or whatever. I have never actively participated
in any rally for or against any political party, regime,
or any popular or unpopular political position. I like
to think of myself as an "Independent realist",
and that my intent in writing these newsletters is in
part to distribute and discuss up to date information
and opinions regarding events that are happening within
the United States and elsewhere in the world, accurately
and without malice aforethought.
After re-reading the
above I feel that one could say that perhaps I am a bit
of a  non-entity in the political action field - well,
you are what you are - but may I remind you that first
impressions are not always correct. Oh, wait a minute,
I did vote against Winston Churchill at the end of World
War Two, and at a later time I voted for Harold Wilson
to be Prime Minister and look what happened to poor old
Harold - I’m informed that he finished up living
in abject poverty somewhere in the Scilly Isles.
Would that make me a neo-liberal-socialist at heart?
I did not, nor do not, support the political position
by the United States Government for going to war with
Iraq based upon the pretexts, or excuses that Iraq was
somehow involved with Al Qaeda in the September 11th
2001 acts of terrorism upon American soil, and that caches
of weapons of mass destruction existed in Iraq after
Gulf War One. Both of these accusations have recently
been proven to be, without a doubt, false and misleading.
I have much admiration for the sacrifices that have
been made by the Coalition Forces and have very much
concern for their safety and well being, and I will do
my best to protect the rights of all individuals, military
or otherwise, who are participating honourably in what
I consider to be a politically motivated war. I can’t
say the I have the same admiration for the political
entities that placed these young people in harms way
by going to war with Iraq for the wrong reasons.
 The despotic regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq was indeed
a case where external force was needed to free the people
of Iraq from tyranny, but not for the reasons given. In
general, I firmly believe that the job of forcing a regime
change within any country is the prerogative of the citizens
of that country, and not the task of a unilateral go-it-alone
Foreign Power, except perhaps under extreme circumstances
when the security of World peace is at stake. I am of the
opinion that this was not the case under the circumstances
at that time, especially since some of the leading Nations
of this world, France, Germany, Russia and China, were
very much opposed to the unilateral actions which were
taken by the United States without the support of, and
acquiescence by, the members of the United Nations.
We welcome feedback about any of the contents of these
newsletters. Please send all correspondence to bill_sykes@huddersfield1.co.uk
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