Analogies are never perfect, given historical contingencies and power relationships. Nevertheless, imagine the United States illegally attacked by a power -- call it Superpower X -- against whom the United States is virtually defenseless. A power that overthrows the U.S. government, installs itself as the ruling force, occupies the country with much violence and repression, and sells off U.S. assets and resources to Superpower X corporations. Now imagine that, in the process of attacking and occupying the United States, Superpower X kills more than 130,000 U.S. civilians, injures hundreds of thousands more and kills up to 500,000 U.S. soldiers (a relative comparison to the population between the United States and Iraq). Additionally, imagine that American resistance to the illegal attack and occupation erupts over the course of a week, and in one U.S. town, the occupying power X kills up to 7,000 people (mostly civilians) and injures many thousands more, and kills and injures many thousands in other U.S. towns. Now consider that a poll is then taken in X, and 57 percent of the people say that "more intense military efforts are needed" to control the U.S. "onslaught" against X's occupying forces. What might we conclude about the political culture and morality of Superpower X?

The answer is clear and needs no elaboration. Furthermore, one suspects, we would hope that citizens of X would rise above the indoctrination and soon mobilize to stop X's slaughter of U.S. citizens and the robbing of U.S. resources by X. The poll is not hypothetical, but real, and it was taken in the United States (see CNN/Time survey from April 11), and reflects American opinion about U.S. violence against Iraqis following recent (and ongoing) events in Fallujah. Fifty-seven percent call for more intense violence against Iraqis. What can we say about U.S. culture and morality? Sober reflection and careful analysis is in order. When will we begin to mobilize to stop the United States' robbing and slaughter of Iraqis, and organize to end American-perpetrated terror?