Oon Yeoh writes with such confidence that the US government is always benign in its intentions and always a force for good in the international arena. That is such a breathtakingly ignorant and naive attitude to have that I can o­nly begin to pity him.

It is obvious that neither he nor his loved o­nes have ever been the recipients of US 'benevolence' like the Palestinians who are killed or maimed daily by US-armed and supported Israel, the Guatemalan peasants massacred by US-supported regimes, the millions of Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotians and Afghans who had American bombs rained o­n them, the Argentines and Chileans who till now are trying to come to terms with the fact that thousands of their compatriots had disappeared and presumably been killed under US-installed military dictatorships.

These are but a few well-documented examples of US 'benevolence' which if Yeoh or his loved o­nes had ever been subjected to, I am pretty sure he won't be so trusting of the sole remaining superpower.

On the Iraq issue, Yeoh's 'only-time-will-tell, all-will-turn out-well' pro-war stance is beginning to sound like Umno Youth, who in domestic political matters resort to asking the public to trust the government unquestioningly and accept that the use of the ISA and the police to clamp down o­n dissent and criticism is for the good of the country.

I suppose Yeoh would tell the Iraqis that the thousands of bombs and cruise missiles targeted their way are but for their own good, never mind the thousands of Iraqi elderly, women and children who will die while that favour is being done.

Quoting Colin Powell and William Safire is far from proving the case for war in Iraq. I am amazed that Yeoh would resort to this means to support his arguments; we should know that a dose of scepticism is called for when assessing statements by the high and mighty.

Right before our very eyes, o­n malaysiakini , we can see that even the US Embassy in KL is liable to issue misleading statements (inadvertently or otherwise, who can say?) What more the warmongers in Washington?

To those folks who are convinced that the use of brute force would solve the problems of Saddam, tyranny, weapons of mass destruction, etcetera, please ask yourselves: would you like it if you and your loved o­nes are at the receiving end of that brute force, even if you were nothing but innocent bystanders?