Bob Dorta

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To the people of our country, I have a solution to the present conflict in Iraq, and I invite all to review it and comment.

If you agree with me, please clip this article and send it to our elected officials.

If you disagree, please e-mail me at robertdorta@aol.com to opine. I’d love to hear your solutions.

First, I was involved in the initial phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom, commanding an infantry company near Balad, Iraq, which is about 60 miles north of Baghdad.

By my observation, and also by reading history, I am prepared to state that there is no possible way Iraq will be a stand-alone democratic country by itself. There is no historical precedent for an Islamic or Middle Eastern democracy, and there is no reason to believe it is going to start with Iraq.

I learned that Iraqis have no concept of collaborative work, economic investment and equality among people.

Now, I will agree that the initial strategy of rushing to Baghdad was flawed, but we are now in a situation that demands decisive action. There is no way we can leave Iraq; just look at history. Israel was attacked immediately after Great Britain left the region after World War II. In my humble opinion, if we just leave Iraq (by the way, we still haven’t left Japan, Germany or Korea), we will see a civil war that is unprecedented in the history of mankind.

First, Turkey will make an incursion into northern Iraq. The Shiite majority will begin slaughtering the Sunni minority, with the help of Iran. Syria will also try to enter the fray, trying to reignite the Baath party. And don’t forget, there are countless tribes within Iraq that have hate dating back centuries.

The only clear answer to the Iraq war is for us to annex Iraq into the United States or, at a minimum, make it a U.S. territory.

If our politicians (I refrain from using the word “leaders” intentionally) will take charge and annex Iraq, the benefits for the world are numerous. First, the power vacuum that will explode if we leave is closed. Additionally, OPEC just goes out of business and we don’t have to drill in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge! (Not to mention we can further free ourselves of dependence on foreign oil, and with the resurgence of Russia, this is imperative).

The tax base increases by several million, and Iraq will be able to lean on the United States for decades, as opposed to floundering in a stormy sea. For stability and security in the Middle East we need to assume complete control of Iraq, for if we don’t someone else will, and who knows who that someone will be?

Bob Dorta attended Naples Park Elementary School, Pine Ridge Middle School and St. John Neumann High School, graduating in 1986. A graduate of West Point, he served as an infantry officer from 1991-1995.

He worked for Ford and Peterbilt as a production supervisor in Nashville, then moved back to Florida and joined its National Guard unit in 2000.

In 2003 he helped provide security for two Patriot anti-missile batteries in Bahrain and until 2004 worked in Iraq with counterinsurgency operations. He worked for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office as an intelligence analyst, then as facilities manager for the Seminole tribe’s museum in Big Cypress and now as owner of Bob Dorta Taxidermy in North Naples.