Dear Editor,

The April 25, 2008 Wall Street headline reads, “U.S. Says New Find Shows Iran Still Sends Arms to Iraq.”  Are readers supposed to feign surprise?  Is this news to Pentagon analysts?  Lets put the thinking cap on, and the shoe on the other foot, for a brief insight.  If Iran of the “axis of evil” was occupying Canada, would we be sending arms to resistant Canadians?  How would we react to Iran having permanent bases in Canada?

                In our world of pre-emptive and proxy wars, exporting weaponry for political and monetary gain is the rule.   For comparison sake, which foreign power has sent more weapons to Iraq-- Iran or the U.S.? 

                You get what you pay for.   America is heavily invested in war, a war for oil in Iraq, and it is breaking our bank accounts, while shattering all hopes for peace in the Middle East.  “In God we trust” is written on our dollar, yet lethal firepower is our primary expenditure worldwide.   The terrorists have induced us to play their game, to share their role as bad guys. 

While our money is still worth something, we need to fully capitalize diplomacy, and fair interdependent development economies [please read “The End of Poverty” by Jeffrey Sachs].  You get what you pay for, and we need to start paying a whole lot more for peace and justice, the best part of the American way.