[SamuraiProgrammer]

If we had wanted Iraq for the oil, we would have kept it Last time.

It is undisputable that Saddam Hussein is a terrorist. He used chemical warfare against his OWN POPULATION.

It is undisputable that he has encouraged terrorist acts against this country.

He rose to power in Iraq by assasinating any member of the legislature that had opposed him. I have seen videos of the event. For hours he sat and called them out, one by one, and had them killed. Grown men were blubbering in their chairs because they knew they were probably on the list.

These are the facts.

Is there a definite link between Saddam Hussein & 9-11? We will never know for sure. For every report that says yes, there will be one that says no.

Has he publicly advocated such actions? Yes.

Should he pay for those statements? Yes.

Should the people of Iraq pay with him? The knee jerk reaction is NO. Upon further inspection, though, there might be a different answer. How responsible are they for the actions of their government?

If the entire population of Iraq got up from prayers one morning and said "No. You are Evil. You are wrong. We will not cooperate. We will not be party to your tyrrany. Step Down," and began a campaign of peaceful civil disobedience (ala Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King) what would happen?

If you determine that that is useless, they could find ways to leave. Considering the amount of contraband that is smuggled all over the world, I believe that people could get out if they really wanted to.

They have choices and are not exercising them.

If they populace of that country rose up in peaceful civil disobedience, how many civilians would die before it came to an end?

I don't know, but I suspect it is more than the number of civilians that died in the Gulf War. And, furthermore, I suspect it is more than the number of civilians that are likely to die if this war commences.

War is bad. War is ugly. War is evil.

What is happening at the behest of Saddam Hussein is (at the very least) as bad, ugly, and evil.

We must choose between evils. We can let this go on until he evaporates a city with nuclear fire. Or we can try to stop it now before it goes any further.

Unfortunately, those are our choices.

Talk has failed to work for 12 years.

The most peaceful periods in history have been named Pax Romana and Pax Brittanica. During these periods, those two empires exerted enough military dominance that no one was strong enough to fight back.

Rome had the Iron Pilum.

Britain had their navy.

Where we failed as a country was in failing to impose a Pax Americana when we had the bomb and no one else did. To be sure, we should allow cultures and societies to evolve and retain their individuality. But no where, in my opinon, does that imply that we must live in fear.

You are entitled to your opinion.

So am I.

One Last thing:

Yes, the United States of America is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in anger. I am not particularly proud of that fact. But I would ask you to take a hard look at the following and THINK.

In the past, many have tried to conquer Europe. Rome (various leaders), Charlemagne, Genghis Khan, Napolean, Kaiser Wilhelm, and Adolph Hitler all made amazingly successful attempts. Since the release of nuclear weapons, no one has tried.

How many lives has that saved?

In World War II, 15 million soldiers died. Between 26 million and 34 million civilians died. How does that number compare to the tragic losses at Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

How many might Saddam Hussein kill if we keep letting him get away with things incrementally.

How many fewer would have died between 1939 and 1945 if Hitler had been stopped in Czechoslovakia or the Sudetenland?

No one complained when we kept the peace in Europe and Eastern Asia in the 1940's. Apparently we have more work to do.

Pulling a thorn is usually painful. Amputating the leg because you were squeamish about the thorn is debilitating.

Which would you choose?

If you are citizen of the United States, call your congressman and voice your opinion. Vote for whomever represents your views.

If you are not a citizen of the United States, mind your own damn business.