weapons of mass destruction found in iraq

Int. J. Appl. Psychoanal. Studies3:177–193(2006)Copyright©2006JohnWiley&Sons,Ltd DOI:10.1002/aps

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InternationalJournalofAppliedPsychoanalyticStudiesInt. J. Appl. Psychoanal. Studies3(2):177–193(2006)PublishedonlineinWileyInterScience(www.interscience.wiley.com)DOI:10.1002/aps.98

WeaponsofMassDestructionFoundinIraq1

WALTERDAVIS

ABSTRACT

This essay focuses on the US use of depleted uranium in Iraq as a war crime repressed by the media. The use of this weaponry is seen as continuous with the death drive that shapes American society. The essay argues that in order to understand this condi-tion we must overcome all the ideological and metaphysical guarantees that blind us to the contingency of history. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Key words: depleteduranium,ideology,nuclearunconscious,Thanatos

NEWS OF THE DAY

TheUSCode,Title50,Chapter40,Section2302definesaWeaponofMassDestruction(WMD)asfollows:“Theterm‘weaponofmassdestruction”meansanyweaponordevicethatisintended,orhasthecapability,tocausedeathorseriousbodilyinjurytoasignificantnumberofpeoplethroughtherelease,dis-semination,orimpactof(A)toxicorpoisonouschemicalsortheirprecursors,(B)adiseaseorganism,or(C)radiationorradioactivity.”

Depleteduraniumisawasteproductoftheuraniumenrichmentprocessthatfuels both our nuclear weapons and civilian nuclear power programs. In fact,morthan99%oftheuraniumenrichmentprocessresultsinthiswasteproduct,whichhasahalf-lifeof4.5billionyears.Depleteduraniumisbothatoxicheavymetalandaradiologicalpoison.TheUSAcurrentlyhasover10milliontonsofdepleteduranium.Thedisposalofnuclearwasteis,ofcourse,oneoftheunin-tendedconsequencesofthedevelopmentofnuclearpower.Fortunately,asolu-tion to the problem of depleted uranium has been found. It is now used invirtuallyeveryweaponemployedbytheUSAinIraq(andearlierinAfghanistanandinKosovo).Tocitethemostconspicuousexample:everypenetratorrodinashellshotfromanAbramstankcontains10lbofdepleteduranium.Depleteduraniumisselectedforweaponsforthreereasons:itischeap(madeavailabletoarmsmanufacturersfreeofcharge)andeasytodevelop;itisheavy,1.7timesthe

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densityofleadandthusmosteffectiveatkillingbecauseitpenetratesanythingithits;anditispyrophoric,ignitingandburningoncontactwithairandbreak-inguponcontactwith its target intoextremely smallparticlesof radioactivedustwhichisdispersedintotheatmosphere.Theresult:permanentcontamina-tionofair,water,andsoil.

DepleteduraniumwasfirstusedbytheUSAinDesertStorm.2Theamountusedinthatwarwas315–350tons.Fivetimesasmuchwasusedduringthe2003invasionofIraq.Overone-thirdoftheUSsoldierswhoservedinthefirstGulfWar are now permanently disabled. The Department of Energy and theDepartmentofDefense,ofcourse,continuetodenythatdepleteduraniumhasanyharmfuleffects.AUNsub-commissiononHumanRightshas ruled thatdepleted uranium, which fits the definition of a “dirty bomb,” is an illegalweapon.

Huge chunks of radioactive debris full of depleted uranium now litter thecitiesandcountrysideofIraq.Fineradioactivedustpermeatestheentirecountry.The problem of clean-up is insoluble. The entire ecosystem of Iraq is perma-nentlycontaminated.TheIraqipeoplearethenewhibakusha.Their fate, likethatofthe“survivors”ofHiroshimaandNagasaki,isaconditionofdeath-in-life.ThelongtermhealtheffectsofdepleteduraniumontheIraqipeople(andonourowntroops)areincalculable.Thereisnomaskorprotectiveclothingthatcanbedevisedtopreventradioactivedustfromenteringthelungsorpenetratingthe skin.Moreover,depleteduraniumtargets theDNAand theMasterCode(histone),alteringthegenetic futureofexposedpopulations.Becauseit istheperfect weapon for delivering nano-particles of poison, radiation, and nano-pollutiondirectly intolivingcells,depleteduraniumistheperfectweaponforextinguishingentirepopulations.TheIraqisarenotalone.VastregionsoftheMiddleEast,CentralAsia,andtheBalkanshavebeenpermanentlycontami-natedwithradioactivedustanddebris.3

Thesefactsareworthbearinginmindthenexttimewearetoldwhathasnow become a bipartisan article of faith: the Iraqi people are better off withSaddamHusseingone.Or,asBillMaherput itonhis showofSeptember24,2004,“Eventuallythey’rebetteroff.”

WeneedanewtermtodescribeouractionsinIraq.Genocideisinadequate.Ipropose, instead, “ecocide,”which joins theGreektermsoikos, “house,”and-cide,“thedestructionof.”The“house”inquestionisthatdescribedbyecologyinbothitssenses:thebranchofbiologythatdealswiththerelationsbetweenlivingorganismsandtheirenvironmentandthebranchofsociologythatdealswith relations among human groups with reference to material resources andconsequentsocialandculturalpatterns.Thedestructionofboththesedomainsisthegoalofecocide.Ecocide is the deliberate production of a condition of perma-nent radiological, biological, and chemical contamination whereby death comes to inhabit an entire ecosystem.Aconditionofecocideexistswhenlifeitselfandallpossibilitiesof its renewalarebeingsystematicallydestroyed inan identifiablegeographicalarea,whichisalsodefinedintermsofspecifiableracialandreligious

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characteristics.Asisnowknown,thecumulativeresultofsuchactionsmaybringaboutfortheentireplanettheconditionofhomo sacer(barelife)describedbyGiorgioAgamben(1998).TheEuropeanCouncilonRadiationRisk,forexample,calculated the damage to human health of the low-level radiation thus farreleased into the atmosphere from nuclear weapons testing to be 61600000deaths by cancer alone. Moreover, in our wars since 1991 the USA has nowreleased in terms of global atmospheric pollution the equivalent of 400000Nagasakibombs.4

APPOINTMENT IN SAMARA

“...thelittlelowerlayer.Allvisibleobjects,man,arebutaspasteboardmasks.Butineachevent–inthelivingact,theundoubteddeed–there,someunknownbutstillrea-soningthingputsforththemouldingsofitsfeaturesfrombehindtheunreasoningmask.Ifmanwillstrike,strikethroughthemask.”(AhabinMelville(1851)Moby Dick)

DoesthesituationdescribedaboveofferusanintimationofwhatSigmundFreudhadinmindwhenhespokeofa“purecultureofthedeathdrive”(Freud,1923:53)?

Wearetoldthatitisagoodidea,whenseekinganexplanationofthehumanmotivesbehindactions,tostickwiththeempirical.Withstatedintentionsandofficialrationales.Otherwisewegiveourselvesovertopsychobabble.DespitetheofficialdenialsoftheDepartmentofDefensethatdepleteduraniumisharmful,a seriesof justificationsarenow inplace toaccount for thedevelopmentanduseofdepleteduraniumweapons.Depleteduraniumiscost-effective,militarilyefficient,andturnstoproductiveuseawasteproductwewouldotherwisehavetodisposeofatgreatcost.Withmotivesandintentionsthuscircumscribed,thedecision to use depleted uranium in weaponry need not raise the specter ofanythingdarkinthepsyche.Itisallamatterofpragmaticefficiencywithalittlecapitalist profit motive thrown in for good measure. There is only one thingwrongwith thisexplanation. It leavesout thebasis for thecalculus.There iseveryreasontousedepleteduraniumandnoreasonnottouseitif,andonlyif,onerationale informsalldecisions:How to maximize death, regardless of conse-quences or alternatives. Introduce any countervailing motives and the entirechain of decisions becomes questionable. Conscious, stated intentions thenreveal themselves as functions of something else that has been convenientlyrendered unconscious. What looks like a purely pragmatic matter devoid ofpsychological motives now reveals a different state of affairs: the fact thatThanatossoinhabitsthesystemthattheabsenceofanythingopposedtoit“goeswithoutsaying.”ThanatoshasbecomewhatWittgensteincalleda“formoflife,”awayofbeingsodeeply rootedthat itoperatesautomatically,habitually,andofnecessity(Wittgenstein,1958:129).Ithasbecomeacollectiveunconscious.Andas such it isno longeraccessible to thosewhose intentionsconceal andrevealit.Thereasonforstickingwiththeempiricalisnowclear.Thereissome-

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thing insane beneath or within the empirical. It is what the historian mustuncover.

Before we ask ourselves how this situation came to pass we need to askanotherquestion.Foritiseasytoclaimthatwedonotknowaboutsuchthingsbecausethemediarefusestotellusaboutthem.Thereisanotherreasonforourignorance,however,anditistheoneweneedtoconfront.Irefertothepossibil-itythatwechooseourignorancebecauseotherwisewewouldlosethesystemofguaranteeswedependonforouridentityandourunderstandingofhistory.AsBarbaraBushputitintellingDianeSawyerwhyshedoesn’twatchthenews:“Whyshouldwehearaboutbodybags,anddeaths,andhowmany,whatdayit’sgonnahappen,andhowmanythisorwhatdoyousuppose.Or,Imean,it’s,it’snotrelevant.So,whyshouldIwastemybeautifulmindonsomethinglikethat?”(Miller,2004:298).ItwouldbeeasytoderideMrsBush,tocongratulateoneselfonnotsharingherattitude.WhatIhopetoshow,however,isthatonanessen-tiallevel,onedeterminativeinthelastinstance,weareinfullagreementwithheranddeludeourselvesaslongaswethinkotherwise.

THE FATAL LURE OF GUARANTEES

“Thepurposeofthoughtistoeliminatethecontingent.”(Hegel)

Recently,mymotherdied.Attheendofherfuneralthepriestleftuswiththesewordsasafinalreminderofwhathadbeensaidrepeatedlyinavarietyofwaysforthepasttwodays:“Wewholeavehereinsorrowknowthatwewillonedaybereunitedwithherinjoy.”Myconcernhereisnotwiththeontologicalstatusof this preposterous belief, but with its psychological function as a guaranteethatoffershumanbeingsawaytodeprivedeathofitsfinality–andoftheterrorthatprospectentails.Thefunctionofguaranteesistoenablehumanbeingstobeareventsandcontingenciesthatwouldotherwisebetootraumatic.Thereismuchthatwecanfaceapparentlyonlybydenyingit.Suchperhapsisoneaccu-rateestimationofwhatitmeanstobeahumanbeing,toremainachildofone’sneedsanddesires,disguisingthatfactintheformofbeliefsandideas.

Theprimarypurposeofreligion,philosophy,andculturehasbeentoprovideconceptual, psychological, and emotional guarantees so that traumatic eventsbecomepartofalargerframeworkthatassurestherealizationofourhopesanddreams.Withoutsuchsupports,mostpeoplesimplyfindlifeunlivable.Throughthe ministry of the guarantees we banish thoughts and feelings that we areconvincedwoulddeprivelifeofmeaning,plungingusintodespair.Experience,accordingly,becomesthemovementfromandtotheaffirmationoftheguaran-teesthroughtheirimpositiononevents.ThemainlineofWesternphilosophycan most profitably be seen as a series of efforts to provide a ground for theguarantees.ThateffortachievesoneofitsculminationsinHegel,whodefinedthepurposeofphilosophyastheeliminationofthecontingent.Asfatherofthephilosophyofhistory,heofferedthatnewdisciplineasinglegoal:todemonstrate



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thattherationalisrealandtherealrational;thathistoryisthestoryofprogress,liberty,therealizationofauniversalhumanity.Or,toputitinthetermsofourcurrent leaders: democracy and civilization are on the march and will soontransformtheentireMiddleEast.

Inordertotriumphoverthecontingenciesofexistence–doubtaboutoneself,one’s place in the world, and one’s final end – many guarantees are needed.Moreover,theymustformasystemofreinforcingbeliefssothatifoneguaranteeisthreatenedotherguaranteescomeintofillthebreach.Thefunctionofthesystemasawholeistherebyassured.

Whatfollowsisabriefandbynomeansexhaustivedescriptionofthissystem.Oneneednotbelieveallofitforthesystemtohold.Individualguaranteesaresuperfluous.If theycollapseatonepoint,theirholdbecomesevenstrongeratanother.ThatisonereasonwhythedeathofGodgavebirthtosomanysecularreligions.Thebestwaytoreadwhatfollows,accordingly, is foreachreadertolocatetheguaranteesthathavethegreatestholdoverhimorher,sinceinthemonewillfindwhatcontrolsone’sresponsetotraumaticevents.Or,toputitinotherterms:inlocatingsuchguaranteesonewillfindwhatmustbeovercomeinoneselfinordertoexperiencetheontologicalforceofexistence,contingency,andhistory.Perhapsweonlybeginstoknow,tothink,andtorespondappro-priatelytoeventsoncewehaseradicatedthesystemofguarantees.

Here,then,isalistofthecentralplanksinthatedifice.

• Religious: a loving creator with a redemptive purpose assures us of thetriumphofgoodnessandtherewardsofeternallife.

• Philosophic:rationalitygivesmeaning,direction,andpragmaticefficiencytothehumanmindandallthepurposefulactivitiesinwhichweengage.

• Scientific:scienceisthefulfillmentofreasonandthroughitsdevelopmentwewillharnessnaturetoourneeds.Thisguaranteegivesbirthtoanother:the technological imperative, which teaches us that all technologicaldevelopmentsaregood.(Or,inanycase,thatthedieiscastsincealltech-nological problems require for their solution the development of newtechnologies.)

• Historical:historyisthestoryofprogress:thedevelopmentofthoseuniversalvaluesthroughwhicheventuallytherealbecomesrationalandtherationalreal.Throughthatlongmarchallcontingenciesareeventuallyovercome.A political corollary: the democratic ideal as realized in the USA is anultimategood;itsbenefitsshouldthusbeextendedtoallhumanity.

• Economic:capitalism,theeconomicrealizationbothofreasonandofhumannature, is the global principle that will bring the greatest good to all.Therefore,anyactionsrequiredtoadvanceitarebothnecessaryandgood.Thedeepestguarantees,however,addressusonafarmorepersonallevel.

• Psychological:wehavean identity,a self, that is strongandonceattainedcan never be lost. Trauma is but the occasion for its recovery. There isnothingfundamentallydarkordisorderedinthepsyche,nordoouractions

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derive fromrepressedorunconscious forces.The intentionsweascribe toourownactionsoffer a full accountof those actions, and thusmark thelimitofourresponsibility.

• Emotional:theinnermostneedofhumanbeingsistofeelgoodaboutthem-selves.Whateverthreatensthatfeelingmustbeexorcised.Health,normal-ity, and productivity depend on avoiding “negative feelings.” Hope andoptimismarenotjusthealthyattitudes;theyarerequirementsofournature.Biologicallywired.Wecannotremainforlongintrauma.Recovery,more-over,mustrestoreourfaithintheguaranteesandourhopesforthefuture.Theneedforhopeis,infact,thecapstoneoftheentiresystemofguarantees.Yetittooapparentlyhasahistory.Today,over10millionofourchildrenare on prescription drugs to prevent depression and anxiety. Informed ofthisfactbyBillMaher,theFrenchactressJulieDelphyspokethespontane-ous wisdom of an archaic culture: “Don’t they know that depression is agood thing; that it’s something youhave to experience inorder to grow?”Notanymore.

Thekeytounderstandingthepoweroftheguaranteesistounderstandthefearsthattheyexorcise.Religionseekstodeprivedeath,suffering,andeviloftheirpower.Reasonattempts toputback intheirplaceandrendermeaninglessallotherformsofconsciousness,alongwiththepsychicmorbiditiesandirrationali-tiesthattheymightreveal.Poeticknowingistherebydeprivedofbothitslegiti-macyanditsterror.Science,asfulfillmentofreason,assuresusofdominationover nature. What Heidegger (1978) termed “techno-scientific rationality”becomesthemeasureofwhatisreal.Beliefinhistoricalprogressbanishestherecurrentsuspicionthathistorymaylackdirectionor,evenworse,movetothedarkestofends.

Withinsuchasystem,itbecomesallbutimpossibletoexperiencetraumaticeventssuchas9/11exceptasoccasionstotakewhateveractionsareneededtoreaffirm our goodness and restore our guarantees. It is in the personal order,however, that the guarantees do their deepest work. Psychologically, belief intheselforself-identityexorcisesthemostfrighteningcontingency:thatthereisavoidatthecenteroftheAmericanpsyche,withpanicanxietyanditscorol-lary,compulsiveconsumption,theexpressionofadesperatenon-identity.Thatspecterbringsusbeforethefearthatourpsyche,notourconscious,deliberativeintentions,istheauthorofouractions,andthatourcommitmenttoself-identityisnomorethanareaction-formationdesignedtoprotectusfromtheterrorofinsecurity and moral ambiguity. All of our emotional needs then stand forthundertheruleofasinglenecessity:theneedtofeelgoodaboutoneselfatwhat-ever cost and to sustain hope by banishing anything that would trouble us.Resolution,catharsis(i.e., thedischargeofpainfultensionsorawareness),andrenewalemergeastheneedsthatbinduswithanironnecessitytotheguaran-teesandallthattheymakeitimpossibleforustoknow.Itwould,accordingly,in the contemporary political context, be a mistake to deprecate our current



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president while considering him a temporary aberration. The problem goesdeeper.Toreviveabattlecryfromthe1960s,insofarasoneisweddedtoanyoneoftheguaranteesoneispartoftheproblemandnotthesolution.Forthegrandestfunctionofthesystemofguarantees,asawholeandineachoneofitsparts,istoblindustohistory.

Andso,totakeupagainthequestionstatedpreviously,howdidtheecocidetakingplace inIraqbecomepsychopoliticallypossible?Thenext twosectionsconstitute an attempt to answer that question by constructing for America arepressedhistorythatbeginswiththedroppingoftheBomb.

THE NUCLEAR UNCONSCIOUS

“...he begins to expand, an uncontainable light...hero and horror, engineer andAriadneconsumed,molteninsidethelightofhimself,themadexplodingofhimself...”(Pynchon,Gravity’s Rainbow)

Torecapitulatehistoricalfactsthatittookover50yearstorescuefrommyth:the USA did not bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki “to end the war and savecountlesslives.”Itdidsoforfourreasons(andintheknowledgethatadefeatedJapanwaspursuingtermsofsurrenderthroughseveraldiplomaticchannels):(1)toavengePearlHarbor;(2)tojustifytheamountofmoneyspentdevelopingtheBomb; (3) tocreatea laboratorywherebyour scientific,medical, andmilitarypersonnelcouldstudyitseffects;and(4)toimpresstheRussians–andtheworld–withthisopeningsalvooftheColdWar.Inshort,Hiroshimawasthefirstactofglobalterrorism.Thatstorycouldnotbetold,however,andstillencountersstrenuousresistancefrommostAmericans,becauseitexposestoomanyoftheguaranteeswewanttohaveaboutournationanditsactionsinhistory.

RobertOppenheimermadetwoprescientobservations:“TheuseoftheBombwasimplicitinitsinvention.”“We[thescientists]didthedevil’swork.”Hiserrorwashisbelatedbeliefthatbyrecallingustohumanisticbeliefsitwouldbepos-sibletoreversetheprocessbeguninLosAlamos.Thehumanisticreflectionsonethicalvaluesthatpreoccupiedhisfinalyearsofferoneoftheclearestexamplesoftheefforttoreassertessentialist,ahistoricalguaranteesasawayofcleansingourcollectivehandsofhistory.WhatOppenheimerhopedtoexorcisewasthespecterthattherearecertainactionsthatareirreversible,givinghistoryatotallynewdirectionthatpermitsnoreturntothewaythingsoncewere.Perhapsthereareeventsthatmarkfundamentalturningpointsinwhichthehumanpsyche–withnoessential,ahistoricalnaturetoprotectit–makesaquantumleapintoanewwayofbeing,embracingalogicthatwillpropelittomoveinnew,unseen,andunwanteddirections.

Oppenheimeroffersusapictureof theLosAlamos scientists thatexposestheofficialideologyofscience.Heandhiscolleaguesknowwhattheirdiscover-ieswillleadtobutdissemblethatknowledge.AsFreudcouldhavetaughtthem,hidingsomethingfromone’sconsciousnessempowersit.TherushtotheBomb

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thatseizedthemfulfilledadesirethathadlittletodowithvalue-free,objectiveinquiry. “Devil’swork” isof adifferentorderanddrawson somethingelse inthepsyche.Here,briefly,isonewaytoconstituteitsmeaning.IninventingtheBombthescientistsofAlamogordorealizedthetwosublimemotivesthathaveinformedthehistoryofscience:theefforttoknowthesecretsofnatureandtoharnessthemtoourwillsothatitspowerbecomesanextensionofourpowertoovercomeanyandalllimitations,moralaswellasphysical.ThebelatedeffortofLeoSzilardandotherstodrawupapetitiontothePresidentbanningtheuseof the Bomb, along with Oppenheimer’s intervention reminding them thatdoingsooverstepstheirroleasscientists,isthecomedyofareactionformation:theefforttorestoretheaprioricleanlinessofhandsthatarealreadydirty,thenostalgicattempttoarrestahistoricalprocess thathasalreadybroken freeofthemasEdwardTellerwouldsoonreveal.

Oncewedropped theBomb, theconsequencesofdevil’sworkannouncedthemselves. Nuclear fear became condition general in the USA, producing anew kind of national psyche. What we did to the other we could expect inreturn.Projectionanddenialthusassumedcommandoverbothconsciousnessand global policy. The only way to make ourselves safe from ourselves wasthrough the production of more nuclear weapons. Like Macbeth, we had torepeatourdeed,increasingitsscopeeachtime,asifsomehowthiswouldundotheoriginalerror.Teller’sHydrogenBombprovidessuccortoaquestforpowerfueledbytheenginesofguiltandfear.ThewholeworldbecameaprisonertothelogicofMutualAssuredDestruction(MAD).Bush’srecentactionsinIraqmerelyratifyonceagainthebasictruth:theonlywaytopreventUSaggressionistodevelopone’sownnucleararsenal.MADofferstheonlycertitude,security,and “peace of mind” that is now possible. A psychotic peace. Devil’s workthereby evolves the condition demanded by the death drive that the Bombunleashed. Death has cut itself loose from anything that could restrain it. Whatbegan as a fantasy of unlimited power ends in the assurance of totalannihilation.

Whilewehave resisted thisknowledge, there isanotherknowledge fatallytiedtoitthatwehaveresistedwithevengreaterfervor.Namely,thetruestoryof“thepeacefulatom”asacontinuationofthesamethanatopicprocessundertheguiseofaprotractedsearchforafelix culpa,forexpiationandredemption.Theaimofdevelopingatomsforpeacewastoexpelanylingering(unconscious)guiltoverhavingdroppedtheBomb.Howelsetodothisbutbyfindingintheatomanewguaranteewhichwouldenableustoclaimthateverythingwedidfromthestartstemmedfromgoodmotivesandservedfinallytobringaboutagreatergood?Techno-scientificrationalitybecomesseculartheodicy,thepeace-fulatom,Messianichistoriography.Ourfaithinthisnewfaith,likeourrushtotheBomb,couldnotbequestioned.Thetwomaindogmasofthisfaithinfactgavebirthtoahistoricalprocess thatcouldnotbehalted, sinceanynegativeresults could only lead to a further investment in the process. Dogma one:Techno-scientificrationality,thenewlogoswhichwillfinallyrevealthetruthof



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everything, always produces good results in the end. All that is needed is todevelop the appropriate technology. Dogma two: That development is man-dated.Technologyistheonlythingthatcansaveus,sincealltechnicalproblemsrequirenewtechnologicaldevelopmentsfortheirsolution.LiketherushtotheBomb,thereisnowaytohaltorquestionthetechnological imperativenomatterhow troubling the results and the ensuing technological problems they pose,suchashowtocleanup thevastamountofnuclearwasteandradiationthatnow poisons the atmosphere. Having committed ourselves to “the peacefulatom”inordertodenyandrepressguiltovertheBomb,wefoundourselveswedtothedevelopmentofciviliannuclearpowerbecauseitfulfilledbothapsycho-logicalnecessityandwhathadbecomeatechnologicalimperative.LikethelogicofnuclearweaponryleadingofnecessitytoMAD,thepeacefulatomwasfatallytiedtoalogicincapableofpreventingthemovementtothesituationwenowface.Wehavebeenpromisedthebenefitsofthepeacefulatomforover50years.The resultsarenow in: theproductionofmassivepilesofnuclearwastewithdestructive capacities we have no way to contain. (Try sometime devising awarningsignthatcanbe immediatelydeciphered4.5billionyears fromnow.)Suchisthenatureof“devil’swork.”Everystepyoutaketryingtogetoutofitonlyleadsyoudeeperintoit.

Hegelfoundin“thecunningofreason”awaytoredeemanyandeveryhis-torical situation.Allevilsarebutapparent;eventhedarkestevents servethecourseofprogress;1945inauguratesadifferentlogic,callingforanantitheticalunderstanding.Theprimarylessonisthathistoryletslooseconsequencesthatcannotbecontrolled,thateveryactiontakentomakeussafefromthedestruc-tivenessweintroducedintotheworldbyturningthatdestructivenesstoagoodendonlyproliferatestheveryevilitwouldreverse.Therewasnowaytoforeseeorpreventtheconsequencesofthepeacefulatombecausebelief initspursuitderivedfromthesamegrandiosefantasythatfueledtheBomb.Itstaskwasinfactevenmoregrandiose.UtopianandMessianic.Otherwisetheunthinkable:history would have to be conceived in a radically different way. That idea ismoreterrifyingthanthemagnitudeofthenuclearpollutionthatnowconfrontsusbecauseitforcesustoseethatnothingprotectsusfromhistoryandtheirre-versible changes that certain events bring about. There are no guarantees.Nothingintheconceptual,psychological,oremotionalordersthatwecancallontodeliverus.Weface,instead,adifferenttask:wemustderacinatetheentiresystemofguaranteesbecauseitisthemainthingthatstandsbetweenanaccu-rate understanding of our situation and, of even greater importance, how wemust learn to feelinthefaceofit.Einsteinsaidthebombchangedeverythingexceptthewaywethink.Thattaskstillbeckons.

ThedevelopmenttracedaboveoffersusawaytounderstandthemovementoftheNuclearUnconsciousfrom1945tothepresent.ItisahistorydefinedbywhatIcalltheMacbethprinciple:tolivewiththeguiltofadeedonerepeatsthatdeeduntilone isno longer troubledby it;orwhatamounts to the samething,untilnothingelseexists.AworldruledbyThanatosisoneinwhichthe

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psychological transformation that the death drive requires has taken placethroughincreasinglymorerebarbativeactions,tothepointwhereoneprogres-sivelyevisceratesthevoiceofconscience.Eventuallythatvoicebecomessothinthatit’stransformedintoitsopposite:thefanaticalvoiceofafundamentalismproclaimingitsrectitude.WearereadyforatourofBush’sAmerica.

THE FANTASMATIC BECOMES THE REAL

“Therationalisrealandtherealrational.”(Hegel)

Here is one way to describe American foreign policy since 9/11. Long beforeBush’sascension,fantasiesofdemocracysweepingtheMiddleEasthaddancedlike sugar-plums in the neo-conservative imaginary. 9/11, however, upped theante.Asreturnoftherepressed,aterrifyingcaseofthechickenscominghometo roost, it raised the specter of Hiroshima. A new exorcism was needed.Projection anddenialwereonce again calledon toprovide theonlypossiblepsychologicalresponse.Byappropriatingground-zero–atermfirstusedtodes-ignatethedesolationofatomicexplosion–asasymbolofwhathadhappenedtouswebecamefantasmaticallytheinnocentvictimsofanunmotivatedandunprecedentedterror.ThePresidentmobilizedanddirectedthisfantasybypro-claiming,“Theyhateusbecausethey’rejealousofourfreedom.”Ourdutythenbecameclear:toridtheworldofevil.Thetraumaof9/11wasthustransformedintotheonlythingthatitcouldbe:theoccasionforunleashingdestructiveragetoward any object that could be figured as evil. Pre-emptive unilateralism ispsychologicallynecessarytothefantasmaticdemandforgrandioseactionastheonlymeansofrestoration.Realitybedamned.Thus,theunleashingofaWeaponofMassDestruction,depleteduranium,onacountry,people,race,andreligionthatdeservesthatfateforbeingspeciouslyassociatedwith9/11.Thepsychoticneed to proclaim fantasy over against any correction by reality has becomeperemptory.WehaveattainedaCartesiancertitudethattheIraqipeople(andthentheentireMiddleEast)willembraceusforsettingthemfree;andsurfaceevidence to the contrary we see new signs of progress toward that goal eachday.

ButourholdonIraqdeterioratesmoreeveryday.Noneof the things thatthe fantasypromisedhavecome topass.Two thingsdohappen,however: (1)TheshellingofIraqwithdepleteduraniumincreases,contaminatingtheentireinfrastructure with chemical and radiation poisoning. Ecocide becomes official policy; (2)Thephantasmsbecomemore fervent in theiraffirmation themoretheyprovefalsetoreality.Bushproclaims“Democracyisonthemarch.”Quantityhas,asEngelsanticipated,becomequality,bringingabouta fundamentalpsy-chologicalchange.BeforeIraq,neoconservativefantasywasadreamthatlongedtoberealizedinreality.Itisnowadelusionthatcanbesustainedonlybydenyingreality.Thefantasmatichasbecomeapsychosis.Thereis,accordingly,nowayitcanrefertoorbecorrectedbyreality.Onlyonesolutionisnowpossible:reality



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mustbeeradicated.Theconditionsofpsychoticcertitudehavebeenmet.Theinfra-andeco-structureofanentirecountryisdestroyedinordertosustainthefantasythatonewillbeembracedasaliberatorfordoingso.Becausepsychoticcertitude has been attained, otherness cannot exist. Any challenge to Beliefactivateswhathasnowbecomeanunderlyingparanoia.Failuretoconformtofantasycanonlybetheproductofconspiracy.PatriotActsbecomenecessarytoeliminatinganyandallsignsofdissentfromthefantasy.Thegrandioseselfbecomes omniscient and omnipotent. Consequently, everything fantasmaticbecomeshyper-real,inablindrushtoglobalrealization.Withtheonsetofpsy-chosis, the mad know, in the evanescence of a consciousness they cannotsustain,theactualfunctionthatalltheirbeliefshaveplayedfromthebeginning.Thesebeliefsarethewaysinwhichonefleesthevoidwithin,theguaranteesbywhichonestavesoff thecatastrophiccondition intowhichonewouldplungeshouldtheyevercollapse.SuchistheinnerstateofthosewhothrowthemselvesintothearmsoftheLord,intoabsolutebeliefsystems,inordertodeliverthem-selvesfromthemselves.Thefinalsolutionthatconstitutestheinnerconditionoftheparanoidpsychotichasbeenreached:thenecessityofcontinued,increasedexplosionsinordertoavoidapsychologicalimplosion.

WearenowinapositiontodescribetheAmericanpsyche–avoiddefinedbyapanic anxiety relievedbyconversion toanabsolute faith: Jesus forBushand Ashcroft; Leo Strauss for neo-conservative ideologues; capital for DickCheney.Becausethefaithmustbringtotalsalvation,itsreachmustbeglobal.Thatiswhattechno-scientificrationalityis:theobliterationofanylogicotherthan its development and thereby a progressive estrangement from any otherway of being. That is what capitalism is: the abolition of any moral restraintagainstimposingontheworldtheconditionsthatmaximizeprofits.Afterall,peoplearenothingbutconsumersconsuming.AnditiswhatChristianfunda-mentalism American style is: the need to establish an allegory in which theGoodareempoweredtoundertakeanapocalypticefforttoridtheworldofEvil.ByturningIraqintoavastthanatopolisallthreeimperativesachievesimultane-ousfulfillment.

KarlMarx,atafarmoreinnocenttimeinhistory,sawthetaskofphilosophyasoneofextractingtherationalkernelfromthemysticalshellofHegelianism.Thatkernelwastheproletariatandthematerialistunderstandingofhistorythenewguarantee.Livingatalaterstageofthings,shornofallguarantees,wefaceafardifferenttask:to extract the psychotic kernel from the fantasmatic shell.

Todosoistofindanobjectivecorrelativeofthatpsychosisinthefantasmaticprocesstracedabove.ConvertingdepleteduraniumintoaWMDthatwecoulddeploy throughout Iraq fulfilled another fantasy dear to the dream logic thatinformscapitalism.depleteduraniumispurewaste.Shit, ifyouwill.Andlikesurplusproductsandthefallingrateofprofit,badshitkeepspilingupwithnowaytogetridofit.Itisonethingwhenweonlykilledthepoorbastardswhohadthebadlucktolivedownwardofourreactorsortheblackinnercitychildrento whom we shipped radioactively contaminated milk. But now things have

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gotten out of hand. We have got over 10 million tons of this useless stuff.Eventuallyitwillseepintoeverything,turningevenourparadisiacalestatesintonuclearcesspools.Unlesswecanfindawayreallytoshititoutofoursystem.Anysolution,however,mustderivefromthelogicthatinformsthesystemandfulfill the unconscious needs that fuel it. And then, Voila! In answer to ourprayers,onedayweseeawaytoturnourshittogold.Nothingiseverlost.Thedeepestarticleofcapitalist faithis fulfilled.Therewillbenobad,unintendedconsequencesfromourlengthyromancewiththeatom.Wehavefoundourowncunningofreason.Evenourshitcanberedeemedoncewehavedevelopedtheappropriatetechnology.Withitsdiscoveryweseizeawaytoturnourwastetoprofitwhilefulfillinganevendeeperneed:totakeadumponeverythingthatimpedestheprogressofglobalcapitalism.Iraqisperfect.Afterall,theoilistheonly thing there that has value. The rest of that landscape is nothing but atoilet.Byrelievingourselveson itweget thetruemachopleasure thatcomesfromagooddump:thefeelingthatwearereleasingallofourtoxicmatteronthe Other – in this case those people of color committed to a religion thatSamuel Huntington and others remind us stands unalterably opposed to theforwardmarchofcivilization.Inshort,theclashofcivilizationsandthemakingofthenewworldorderrequiresnolessthantheshitstormnowragingalloverIraq.

ThemaximizationofdeathunderthereignofThanatosfindsinIraqoneofitsghostliestembodiments.Warinthe20thcenturywitnessedtheprogressiveerosionof all distinctions between combatants andnon-combatants,military,and civilian targets. Inflicting the greatest possible physical and psychologicaldamageto“theenemy”becametheobjectofmilitarystrategy.HiroshimawasthefirstrealizationofthatlogicasapureandunrestrainedexpressionofThanatosasglobalterror.Iraqnowservestoadvancethatlogicinanew,andqualitativelydifferent, way. Thanks to depleted uranium, Thanatos finds release from allrestrictionsandextensionovertimeinawaythatpromisestoadvanceitsagendathroughasilent,unseen,innerworkingonallthatlives.Deathiseverywherenow:intheairtheybreath,thefoodtheyeat,thewatertheydrink,theshardsradiatingupatthemfromthedepleteduraniumdebristhatlitterstheircities,thespermtheytransmitintheactoflove,thecomingcancersandbirthdefects,theviolencetotheDNA,inalltheleukemiasofbodyandofsoulthatwillturnIraqintoonevastThanatopolis,thecityofthefuture,anoidoswhereallthatliveswillcometobearDeathasitssolemeaning,thevisibleandinvisiblesignthatispresenteverywhere.

A BILLET FOR DUBYA

“Themanhasabranchofficeinourbraincalledtheegoanditsmissionisbadshit.Weknow exactly what they’re doing and do nothing about it.” (Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow)



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Here,then,isapictureofourtruehistoricalsituation,whatwewouldknowifwe lookedatourworldwithout theguarantees.Thecategorical imperativeofthehistorianistoknowthehorrorofasituationbyapprehendingthemadnessbehindit.Onenameforthatmadnessisnuclearism.Aproperdefinitionofitisnowpossible:nuclearismis theassertionof theright tounlimitedpowerovernaturethroughtheovercomingofanythinginthepsychethatwouldresistthatassertion.Toputitconcretely,thereisnopeacefulatomandthereneverwas.Nuclearism has only one logic, implicit in it from the beginning. Ecocide.Anothernameforthemadnessiscapitalism.It,too,isweddedtoadeadlyimpera-tive:theextinctionofeverythinginthehumanbeingthatopposesthelogicofacquisitionandconsumption.Theidealconditionitseeksisonewherethereisnothing but consumers consuming. Everything else must be purged from thepsyche.

When a belief becomes dominant in American psychological circles onethingiscertain:thatbeliefreferstosomethingthatnolongerexists.Suchisthecasetodaywithself,subject,identity,andtheego.Thesamegoesforthecount-lessguaranteesthatareinventedtosupportthatbelief:thecurrentemphasisonattachmenttheory(theperfecttheoryofmotheringfortheageofchildbeautypageants)andrelationality(thewarm-fuzzyof“adult”life)toprovidenewguar-anteesthathealthy,normaldevelopmentis inthecards.Initsrushtobethementalhealthwingoftheguarantees,contemporaryAmericanpsychoanalysishasbecomeaprimarybarriertothetruth.ThereisnoselfinAmericatoday,onlyavoidproducingpanicanxietyintherushtocompulsiveconsumptionasthemomentarywaytofillwhattherebybecomesprogressivelyemptyofevery-thingsaveonenecessity.Malignantenvy.Thatpsychologicaldisorder,brilliantlydescribedbyMelanieKlein’s (1967)Envy and Gratitude,hasbecome theonlymotivethatremains:thedesirenottoattainbuttodestroyanythingandevery-thing that excites one’s envy. Iago triumphant disguised as progress. OnlyThanatos matters. The envy that nuclearism projects onto nature, capitalismprojectsontoallhumanrelations.Thewholeworldmustcometogorge itselfunderthegoldenarches.Nomoralrestraint,noresidualhumanitycanintrudeon the necessity to reduce everything and everyone to the conditions thatbenefitcapitalism.

Toknowthis situation forwhat it ischallengeswhat isfinally thedeepestandmostfundamentaloftheguarantees,theprincipleofHope.ToappropriateEliot:“Aftersuchknowledge,whatforgiveness?”Thereisperhapsnothingthatcan be done to change the situation I have described. But then what is thepurpose of knowing such things if they only produce meaningless suffering?Is despair the end result of a life shorn of the guarantees? Or are we finallylike thedrunks inO’Neill’sThe Iceman Cometh,who realize that inorder tosustaintheillusionsrequiredtogoonlivingtheymustpronounceHickeymadandrejecteverythingherevealedtothemabouttheirlivesasaproductofthatmadness?

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PerhapsitistimetoadmitwhattheneedforHopereallysignifies.Denialofresponsibility for certain situations under the assumption that knowing themcorrectlywouldleadtodespair.Raisingthatspecteris,ofcourse,therhetoricalployinvokedtoterminateinquiryprematurely,beforeitcanimpingeonemo-tionalandpsychologicalneeds.Despairthusremainsanemptyconcept.Wedonotknowwhatitisandneverwillaslongasweusetheneedforhopetopreventdiscoveryofourcapacitiestoendure.Whetherdespairiswhatwewillfindontheothersideofhopeissomethingwecannotknow.Forallhopereallysignifiesisatestamenttoourweaknessandourfears.Perhapswearecalledtosomethingbeyondit.WhatShakespearecalled“tragicreadiness.”Forinopeningourselvestothepossibilityofdespairwealsoopenourselvestothepossibilityofself-over-comingandthrough it thediscoveryofapraxis that liesontheother sideoftheconceptualandexistentialparalysescreatedbytheguarantees.Wecannotknow“Whatistobedone?”aslongaswecontinuetorespondtooursituationbyinvokingahistoricalvaluesandguaranteesthataregroundedinanessential-istandahistoricaltheoryofhumannature.

“Isthereanythingmoreevilthanshootingchildreninaschoolyardorflyingplanesintobuildings?”Onehearsthisrhetoricalquestionoftentoday.Gettingit firmly implanted in our minds seems to be one of the current ideologicalfunctions of the media. A correct response requires careful reflection on thecircumstancethatunderliestheknee-jerkresponse.Thepoweroftheimageitconjuresup.Thepromiseinherentintechno-scientificrationalityisdeliverancefrom images. Killing for it, like everything else, occurs at a distance. In theinauguralmoment:TibbetsinthecockpitoftheEnola Gayunabletoimaginewhathehas justdoneasahumanact.“Itwasall impersonal”(Tibbetset al.,1978).Andtoday:inthesilent,secret,midnightwaysthatradiationpoisoningworksfromwithin,likeadeedwithoutadoer,separatedinspaceandtimefromitsabsentcause.Perhapskillingatadistanceisthegreaterevilpreciselybecauseitabrogatestheimageandthehumanconnectionbetweenslayerandslain.IfIkill anothermanwithmybarehandsmydeed is immediate tomyembodiedconsciousness.Tokillthatwayyouhavetofeelhate,fear,anguish,remorse,andsoforth,whereastokillfromadistanceorthroughaninvisiblecontaminationistorenderthewholethingimpersonal.Withthedesiredresult:theability,forexample,ofthemanwhodroppedtheBombonHiroshima,incinerating600000peopleinasecondandcondemninganother300000totheconditionofhiba-kusha,thewalkingdead,toboastforover59yearsnowthathehasneverfeltamomentofregretorremorse.Tibbets’lackofmoralimaginationisonewithhisrepresentativestatusasprecursor.Fornowit iseasyto littera landscapewithdepleted uranium while denying that the stuff has any long term medical orenvironmentaleffects.5Theevilofkillingatadistanceisthatitmakesdeathunreal.Protectedfromtheimage,allwhoparticipateinthedeedaredeliveredovertoapureandimpersonalcalculus.

Our government learned one lesson from Vietnam: no more images. ThemistakewastoletusseethecarnageupcloseeverynightonTV.Thenewsas



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imageenteredourconsciousnessat theregisterwheregenuinechangebegins.The image iswherehorror is felt, freeof the tyrannyof theconceptand thehypnoticpoweroftheguarantees.DesertStormwasthecorrective:theNintendowar,awarbroadcasttolookjustlikeoneofthevideogameswehadbeenpro-grammedtolove.Prohibitionoftheimageisnowafundamentalarticleoffaith.NoimagesareallowedtocomebacktousfromIraqII.(MichaelMoore’srealcrimewastogiveusabriefglimpseatwhatthemainstreammediaproscribe.)

Abolitionoftheimageisoneoftheprimaryconditionsofecocide.Everythingmustberenderedabstract,invisible,unreal.Noimagecanbeallowedtotroubleoursleep,tolacerateoursoul.Forthenwemightbegintoknowthatthereisindeedanevilfarworsethanshootingchildreninschoolyardsorflyingairplanesintobuildings.Tomoveustowardthatknowledgeletmeendwiththeforbidden,whichImusthereattempttoconveysolelythroughthemoreabstractmediumofwordssinceIhavenotyetgainedpermissiontoreproduceaphotographIsawnotlongago.It is the picture of an Iraqi baby, a victim of depleted uranium, who was born with no nose, mouth, eyes, anus or genitals and with flipper limbs, a common result of radiation exposure in utero. That child’s body, full of red open ulcers, is twisted in knots, its ulcerated face contorted in a look of unspeakable suf-fering. An authentic image of the sacredness of human life. Of the preciousness of every breath.Tolookatthatchild is torealizeone’sdutytomournit, togivevoicetoitsrighttoinvadeourconsciousnessandexposetheevilofthosewhoprateonaboutbeingPro-Lifewhilerefusingtoletusseewhattheyhavereducedlifeto.(Luke,17:1–2:“Itwouldbebetterforonetobethrownintotheseawithamillstonearoundhisneckthantocauseoneoftheselittleonestosin.”)Theimageof thatchildmustbecomethe force inourminds thatmotivatesus toderacinateallguaranteesthatshieldusfromtherealityofthatchild’ssituation.Or to put it another way: every time one demands catharsis, resolution, andrenewalthatchildisbornagain,condemnedtoitswrithing.

That iswhy its imagemustemboldenus toquestionthemosthallowedoftheguarantees,theoneIhaverefrainedfromdiscussinguntilnow.Inthefaceofsuchevilwhatistobedone?Isresistanceeverjustifiedinresortingtoviolence?No,wearetold,because“Ifwedosowebecomejustlikethem.”Thisethicalprinciple supposedly applies universally and a-temporally. It does so, however,becauseitassurestheguaranteethatnomatterwhathappenswewillnevergetourhandsdirty.Historycannotintrudeonthecategoricalimperative.Whateveraction one takes one must maintain one’s ethical purity. Even if that meansthereisnothingonecandoandafterithasbeendemonstratedthattherearenonon-violentways tochange the situation.Perhapswecanno longerallowourselvestheluxuryofsuchanethic.Bushdidthemoralimaginationonefavor.Hispre-emptiveunilateralismmadeofficialwhathasbeenclearforsolongbutdeniedduetoitsimplications.ThereisnobodytowhichwecanturnforJustice:nottheUN,theWorldCourt,oranyotherframeworkofinternationallaw.TheUSAwillflauntitscontemptforsuchbodieswheneveritsuitsitspurpose.Andthusanothermodeofpeaceful,non-violentpraxisisdeprivedofitsguarantee.

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Butthenwhatistobedone?Icannotofferananswer.BecauseIdon’thaveone?BecausetodosowoulddrivethelastnailintothecoffinofHope?Becauseanyanswerwouldonlyservetodisplacethetraumawehaveperhapsonlybeguntoexperience?Becausedoingsowouldminimizethepsychologicalterrorismofthischapter?Or,forafinalhypotheticalreason–whichIincludedinanearlieroral version of this essay presented to a conference on depleted uranium –becausetodosowouldlegallyopeneveryonewhohearsittothechargeoftakingpartinaconspiracy?Suchwarningsneednotbeattachedtowhatweread.Surelywecanpreservethatguarantee.Butofcoursewecan’t.ThankstothePatriotAct,thesamewarningmustnowaccompanythewrittenword.

NOTES

1 Forthe factualbasesof thisessay, IhavereliedespeciallyonKoehler(2004), thewebsitesfor Depleted Uranium Watch (www.stopnato.org.uk/du-watch/) and the Uranium MedicalResearchCenter(www.umrc.net/default.aspx),andtheonlinebookthatemergedfromtheconference“DepletedUraniumandOtherUraniumWeapons”(www.mweaponsconference.de)ReadersmightalsoconsultthestudybyMakhijaniandSmith(2004),whichwaswrittenfortheInstituteforEnergyandEnvironmentalResearchinthecontextofadebateoverthebuilding of a uranium enrichment facility, and which offers alarming details about theoptionsandrisksofdepleteduraniumdisposal.

2 DesertStormdidnot,however,markthefirstuseofdepleteduranium.IsraeluseditunderUS Army supervision in 1973. For details onDesertStormand the current Iraq war, seeBusby(2004)andRokke(2004).

3 Inconnectionwiththisparagraph,seeBollyn(2004)andMoret(2005).4 Such developments were for a time furthered by the Bush administration’s plans to build

nuclear “bunkerbusterbombs” (or, touseofficial languageand thusgain insight into thelibidinalbasesofthenewtechnologies:RobustNuclearEarthPenetrators).TheseplanswerescrappedinOctober2005.Notlongbefore,however,theUSsold$153millionofdepleteduraniumweapons includingbunkerbuster technology to Israel.Theclearpurposebehindsuchbehavioristoblurthedistinctionbetweenconventionalandnuclearwar.Iraqisthesystematiceradicationofthatdistinctionandassuchafirstsignofthingstocome.

5 TheDepartmentofEnergycontinuestoinsistthatthereisnoevidencetosupporttheclaimthatdepleteduraniumisharmful.AndalternativeexplanationshavebeenfloatedtoaccountforillnessinIraq.(OnthisseeGraham-Rowe,2003)Allthisofficialskepticismsuggestsaconcludingfantasyonhowtheclean-upofIraqshouldbegin.Eachofthem–Bush,Cheney,Rumsfeld,Wolfowitz,Rice,Perle,Roveandalltheothers–shouldbegivenasackandaskedtofill itwith chunksof the radioactivedebris thatnow litters Iraq.They should thenberequiredtotakethatsackhomeanduseitastheirpillow.Pleasantdreams.

REFERENCES

AgambenG.Homo Sacer.Stanford,CA:StanfordUniversityPress,1998.BollynC.Depleteduranium:therealdirtybomb.(Availableatwww.rense.com/general56/dep.

htm),2004.BusbyC.InterviewwithSunnyMiller.TraprockPeaceCenter.(Availableatwww.traprockpeace.

org/chris_busby_08may04.html),2004.Davis WA. Inwardness and Existence: Subjectivity in/and Hegel, Heidegger, Marx and Freud.

Madison,WI:UniversityofWisconsinPress,1989.



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DavisWA.Deracination: Historicity, Hiroshima and the Tragic Imperative.NewYork,NY:StateUniversityofNewYorkPress,2001.

Graham-RoweG.Depleteduraniumcasts shadowoverpeace inIraq.(Availableatwww.new-scientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993627),2003.

FreudS.TheEgoandtheId.Standard Edition,1923;19:12–66.KleinM.Envy and Gratitude.NewYork,NY:Delta,1967.Koehler RC. Silent Genocide. (Available at www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5941.

htm),2004.HeideggerM.The Question Concerning Technology, and Other Essays.NewYork,NY:Garland,

1978.MakhijaniA,SmithB.Costsandrisksofmanagementanddisposalofdepleteduraniumfrom

thenationalenrichmentfacilityproposedtobebuilt inLeaCountyNewMexicobyLES.(Availableatwww.ieer.org/reports/du/LESrptfeb05.pdf),2004.

MillerMC.Cruel and Unusual: Bush/Cheney’s New World Order.NewYork,NY:Norton,2004.Moret L. Depleted uranium: dirty bombs, dirty missiles, dirty bullets. (Available at www.

sfbayview.com/081804/Depleteduranium081804.shtml),2005.RokkeD.DepleteduraniumsituationrequiresactionbyPresidentBushandPrimeMinisterBlair.

(Availableathttp://traprockpeace.org/doug_rokke_12july04.html),2004.TibbetsPW,StebbensC,FrankenH.The Tibbets Story.NewYork,NY:Stern&Day,1978.WittgensteinL.Philosophical Investigations.NewYork,NY:Macmillan,1958.

Walter A. DavisProfessor Emeritus,

Department of English,Ohio State University,

Columbus,Ohio,USA

[email protected]

weapons of mass destruction found in iraq

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