Dear EDITOR:
President Bush: On Saturday, Jan. 18 there are going to be
marches in both Washington D.C. and San Francisco to demonstrate
that many people in our nation are opposed to war with Iraq.
Dear EDITOR:
President Bush: On Saturday, Jan. 18 there are going to be marches in both Washington D.C. and San Francisco to demonstrate that many people in our nation are opposed to war with Iraq. This issue is so serious that I most likely will participate in the rally in San Francisco. Also, I will encourage my friends and neighbors to really start thinking about the implications of our Iraq policies.
I agree with you that weapons of mass destruction in the hands of Saddam in such a strategically important part of the world is an untenable situation. And thanks to Secretary Colin Powell’s counsel, your challenge to the United Nations to stand up and address this problem was right on the mark. Perhaps without such a tough approach, the world community would have let the issue slide or the possibility of a military coup or exile for Saddam would have been considered unrealistic. Maybe a game of hardball is what is required.
Yet, I am deeply troubled by a number of aspects of our strategy and these concerns have led me to voice my opposition to military action as the answer to the problem:
1. Based upon the information I know, I do not believe that Iraq is such an immediate threat that pre-emptive military action is necessary. Containment is the viable preference. You likely have secret intelligence that supports your tactics, but you will need to make your case to the world community in detail to justify a war. Aggression on this scale to avoid some undefined projected scenario is a very scary precedent and morally unsupportable.
2. The United States seems to be unilaterally assuming the role of judge and policeman for the world. We are the strongest nation on earth, yet we have a responsibility to use our power with wisdom, restraint, and consistency and in collaboration with the United Nations. The U.N. is the appropriate forum to handle the course of action with regard to Iraq. The U.N. needs to be built up by the United States, not run over. The perception of many our world neighbors is that the United States is not listening very well to the concerns of men, women and children on the streets. Our image is tarnished because we appear selfish and greedy and arrogant.
Secretary Powell is on the right track –programs that foster the dignity of individuals, democracy, human rights, and economic development for poor countries must be enhanced.
3. Someday, we have to embark on a path where military budgets and arsenals are not always being enlarged. This will require a complete reversal of our human mindset that has locked us into the premise that freedom and security are only achievable when we are able to dominate our neighbors. Violence and conflict are everywhere because of the need for some to be on top while others suffer in oppression.
4. Sure I am feeling unsettled by the prospect of inevitable war if Saddam does not back down. But I can’t imagine what the people in the region are feeling because this confrontation could get real ugly. I am talking about the loss of innocent life, biological and/or chemical warfare, and the possibility of creating another whole generation of terrorists.
5. What if the United States decided to devote all the resources, now focused on Iraq, into solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? What if we used these resources to develop a new energy supply and distribution system? What if we tackled the problem of global warming which is now scientifically proven? What if we scrapped the idea of missile defense and the militarization of space and invested the money into breaking the cycle of poverty in Central America or providing a massive health care effort in Africa? What if we focused on eliminating weapons of mass destruction from all countries?
Mr. President I believe our priorities are out of whack. The military tool box is too readily opened to solve problems around the world. We need some creative thinking and a lot of spiritual guidance to turn this situation around; and to avoid more confrontations like this in the future.
Michael Monroe, Gilroy
Submitted Thursday, Jan. 9 to ed****@ga****.com
