To the editor:

Is it true that if you repeat the same behavior you will get the same results? I think not.

When we started the Iraq War, although we used falsified and misleading information to deceive the country and the world, not that it matters anymore, we did willfully and with wanton disregard for the truth and law invade a sovereign nation and murder its leader ( after he had a fair trial). I believe this is a first for the United States, hopefully the last time also. The issue of using the Iraq courts as our puppet to murder Saddam will long be an issue for those wishing to undo the injustices we created. By the way, I am still wondering how the GOP can ever claim that we are winning the Iraq war or by leaving we might lose the war. News flash folks, when you invade a sovereign nation with bogus information and lies to the world you are already the world’s biggest loser. There is no winning the Iraq war, only bad options and worse options as pointed out by President Obama long ago.

Now we finally come to the present moment. No matter which candidate had won the election, no matter if we leave Iraq in 16 months or 16 years, the future of Iraq is the same. There will be a blood bath all over Iraq when we depart. Since the “surge” began we have been bribing insurgents with $300 per week to not shoot us. Guess what, when we stop paying, they will start shooting. Can’t blame them, we lied to them also.

Many of us told W. that he was headed into a long protracted conflict but he ignored the good advice in exchange for the opportunity to exact his personal revenge. We have a new definition of coward in our country, look up George W. Bush. But we can’t blame Bush entirely; we allowed it and have not yet brought him to justice. In the end we are all responsible for invading a sovereign nation and killing its people; we stood idly by and allowed it to continue once we knew the truth. Not very American of us, shameful at best.

Now we get to the good part. Two months ago we started bringing the Iraqi people who have helped us in Iraq to the United States. They are to say the least, in grave danger. Bring them to the U.S. or they will end up in a grave. So far 14,000 new Iraqi citizens have arrived in the U.S. with another 100,000 expected by the end of 2010. Very similar to the Vietnamese airlift in 1974/75. We are at least being more generous to our new citizens; each new Iraqi/American citizen is receiving $10,000 U.S. dollars for their relocation expenses along with free education and medical benefits for life. Thus far the majority of our new citizens have been relocated to Dade and Broward counties because “those locations have recent experience assimilating immigrants into our country.” I am pleased that we in Florida are good at something. Hopefully if we ask the federal government to make Lee County the new destination for the next 20-30,000 Iraqi/Americans we will see a jump in our local economic prosperity. We certainly could accommodate them with all of our empty homes available. It would also allow us to show the world that even though we do not have a clue in Lee County how to run a local government, we are the most compassionate county in the country and open our arms to our new citizens. God Bless America.

Nickolas Tsolakis

Cape Coral