Yeah. The US should leave Saddam alone. They should have left Hitler alone too. After all, Hitler never attacked the U.S. until after we attacked him. Oh, and while we’re at it, the US should never have pursued S.D.I. (and therewith brought about an end to the Soviet Union) because hey, the Soviets never attacked the U.S. either.
Okay, now for my real thoughts…
Unfortunately, the world is governed by the aggressive use of force. It is a horrible, sad fact. If the men and women who love freedom do not present a unified, capable military front, then the despots of the world will aggressively seek to rule the aforementioned. Saddam proved it by attacking Kuwait, the Soviets proved it repeatedly. Hitler proved it blatantly and repeatedly. The old Japanese Empire proved it. Militant and Radical Islamic Jihadists prove it even now. Despots throughout history have proven that the enemies of freedom will always put power before humanity.
Some have said that the US should have a pacafist president. Pacafist comes from the root ‘pacify’ which means to appease. Those who sought to appease despots such as Hitler (remember ‘Peace in Our Time’, the wonderful treaty Hitler signed just before attacking Europe?) were proven wrong, and if given the opportunity to succeed, those who seek to appease Hussein will be proven wrong. Appeasement has no effect on a despot because a despot has one goal: domination at any cost. A despot does not value human life. The countries in which most all of you live are more or less free. Your governments, for the most part, value human life. Which of you has lived under the ravages of a madman such as Saddam?
Is Bush 100% just, forthright, and honest? I don’t know. Maybe not. He wasn’t my first choice for US president, to be sure. Has the US made some stupid diplomatic choices in the past century? Absolutely. But at this point in history, is it worth the risk to sit back and wait, hoping that Hussein won’t attack anyone or give chemical, nuclear, or biological weapons to Al Quaida? I think not.
Two years ago I would have been completely against any military action against Iraq. But two years ago I lived in innocence, and had no idea what it meant for my friends and neighbors to be senselessly killed by terrorists. But even if Saddam were never going to give his weapons to terrorists, and even if he never attacked Israel again (a humorous ‘if’) and even if he never again attempted to ‘annex’ Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, I would still be for removing him. Why? Because I have recently started to learn what is happening to innocent Iraqis every day at the hand of Saddam’s regime.
But, you might say, what’s worse? getting killed by Saddam or getting killed by a US bomb? When my country was in it’s infancy, Patrick Henry, one of our founders said, “I know not what course others may follow, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” And even if some would choose life over liberty, I can all but personally gaurantee you that the US will not kill 2 million innocent muslims as Hussein has already done.
I don’t want a war. I wish Saddam Hussein would simply leave or disarm, and take away any pretext for a US attack on Iraq. I hope it still happens. I PRAY it still happens. But if it does not, I pray that the loss of innocent life is minimal, and that the battle ends quickly so that the people of Iraq can taste freedom for the first time in most of their lives, and so that we, the evil, wicked, oppressive americans can rebuild that country with our money and allow it’s people to thrive and breathe free air as free men and women.
I honestly believe that many world leaders want the US to fail because they are resentful of the fact that the US has not yet converted to socialism. I believe that in the case of the French and Russians, they want Saddam in power because of their multiple billions of dollars in oil interests in Iraq. I believe the Chinese want the US to fail because they envy the US position as a superpower, and want to join the US in that status. Are any of these bad or illigitimate reasons? Perhaps to some degree, perhaps not. But summarily dismissing the US position as being ‘all about oil’ is crass. Is oil a factor? Absolutely. Is it the major factor? Well, ask the poor, enslaved, oppressed, often tortured Iraqi people whether they give a damn WHY they have been freed once it’s all over.
It’s easy for us to sit in front of our computers in our first world, rich countries and pontificate about the evils of war. I wonder how easy it is for the oppressed to live from day to day wondering whether they will be killed for merely offering a viewpoint that opposes Saddam Hussein.
I respect all opinions, and I know that both sides are passionate about theirs. If you disagree with me, thank GOD IN HEAVEN (if you believe there is one) that you have the freedom to do so.