News reports slowly creeping into our press are only now reporting drugs are rolling into Iraq like oranges. It will only be a matter of months before we (DEA) need to open a full-blown FO in Baghdad with tentacles to other major Iraqi cities. And it will only be a matter of time before our GI's start showing signs of their drug use that began weeks ago.

But rather than give the story to you in my words I will let two other writers speak those words because they said it better than I could. The first writer I will quote published his/her comments on April 10th. The second wise writer provided us a "Think Piece" way back on February 16th...

10 April 2003:

"At this very moment the undisciplined youth of Iraq (14-20 years of age) are coalescing into rudimentary gangs/orgs. All it takes is a political entity to persuade these kids to re-focus their wants from material objects to political activism. Once that happens a new VietCong type org can be created..."

And from 16 February 2003:

"In response to, or maybe I should say in addition to, what the 20:43 "Love Him or Leave Him, con't" writer on Feb 14th contributed about "Operation Somalia" and the crack epidemic centralized in Los Angeles a few years back, I would like to include some other information that was important at the time and could be of urgent importance today as we are about to move into Iraq.

"Although Somalia offered unlimited strategic potential from a geographical point of view, that country also offered a native narcotic that posed a serious addictive and incapacitating problem for American troops who would be based there over extended periods of time. And although Somalia, like most Muslim/Islamic country's that practice a singular form of religion, generations of exposure to a native narcotic was not only generally accepted as legal to use openly, it was often integrated into many social and religious ceremonies.

"Unlike Vietnam where every narcotic under the sun was widely and cheaply available -- by enemy design -- to American troops... Somalian "khat" appeared to be the predominant drug of choice... It was noted in "Somalia" that we lost the war in Vietnam not because our superior military was unable to fully contain or neutralize a far inferior enemy's presence or aggression, but because U.S. military rooted corruption, spread across the entire Southeast Asian theater, rendered all of our military operations useless, worthless, ineffective... narcotics money underwrote the bulk of enemy military activity, provided fertile breeding ground for spies on all levels, corrupted government officials and military officers -- ours and theirs--, and eventually found its way into our three largest transport agencies (the Military Airlift Command, the U.S. Post Office and the Bank of America) enabling "dirty G.I.'s" to send millions of dirty dollars and tons of narcotics into the U.S.

"Our failure to de-finance enemy operatives produced exactly the opposite. Criminal activity working against our military effort increased and accelerated. The problem in Vietnam wasn't too few M-16's, the problem was too much MPC (Military Payment Certificates).

"The resolution to this nightmare, recommended in "Somalia", is simply to eliminate G.I. money altogether. That is, don't distribute pay to U.S. military personnel while they are stationed overseas.

"Whether or not "Somalia" is ever taken off the "shelf" and re-activated, American military personnel (in-country and off-shore) participating in all foreign hostile or peacekeeping missions should not be permitted to receive or possess a single dime. To native economies, drug barons and blackmarkets Vietnam proved that the presence of American "greenbacks" or MPC is irrelevant. The problem is American soldiers and civilians possessing currency of any form. Without currency in the pockets of our G.I.'s there can be no viable blackmarket or drug purchases to fund enemy efforts. Nor can there be the attendant problems such as prostitution, venereal disease, and abandoned babies unwanted or discriminated against...

"American deployment and/or occupation in Muslim nations, as recommended in "Somalia", must include new, revolutionary, enforceable programs that eliminate our military personnel from possessing either ours or foreign currency that can be used to destabilize local economies and purchase drugs...

"The current Administration has no plan to deal with the common problems resulting from our military personnel being "over sexed, over paid, and over there"... Any extended occupation of Iraq will, predictably, result in serious problems should our occupiers be allowed pocket money. People with little money by fewer drugs. People with no money buy no drugs."

Iraq is now suffering from Sins that didn't exist under Saddam Hussein. Saddam had eradicated drugs, vice and organized crime. Our removal of Saddam brought those Sins back to Iraq. Now our GI's are swimming in a sea of bad news waiting to happen. I am not surprised at the number of GI's being whacked on a daily basis. What surprises me, with all of the chaos caused by our inept and incompetent civilian and military leadership running around like chickens without heads, is that we are not seeing MORE of our personnel getting whacked.

Our policy in Iraq since we arrived was to treat this country as if it were a huge prisoner of war camp or penal institution processing every Iraqi through a BG to find three men, Saddam and his two sons. And in order to find Saddam we are subjecting all the people of Baghdad and other cities to the same "Patriot Act" nonsense we are subjecting the American people to... with the hope that our president's police-state measures will locate the people who don't like us. What our leadership refuses to realize is that the more heavy-handed our police forces become the more we CREATE people who hate us.

Iraq is now a lost cause. We can never hope to win. There will be continued killings, sabotage and monkey wrenches thrown into the machinery. Sooner or later our president, or his successor, will have to throw in the towel and accept an "honorable" withdrawal.

The big question is, do we cut our losses at 200 dead and get out now, or do we wait until we have another 58,000 dead and 600,000 wounded before we accept the reality that no country can be policed into submission by invaders.