The days of “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” are approaching their end faster and faster with each passing hour. “Books not bombs” supported by walking out of your class? Makes perfect sense to me. Disrespecting my professor, who of course has a huge influence on whether or not we do in fact go to war, is the best way to voice my opinion on avoiding action in Iraq.
The truth of the matter is that whether or not you agree with the decision to go to war, we cannot win abroad when we’re still battling ignorance and one another here.
“President Bush is too trigger happy,” “it’s all about oil,” I think we’ve heard all the reasons why action on Iraq shouldn’t happen. But consider if this war and recent conflicts before it were really “all about oil.” We could just fabricate a reason to attack Venezuela or Mexico and launch a war right from our own back yard. As for being too trigger happy, a year and a half ago President Bush could have turned the entire Middle East into a sandbox and would have had the world’s complete understanding and support. Today, after offering a peaceful settlement for a dictator to stand down, resolving to action after words have failed labels us an over controlling super power.
Post 9-11, everyone and their uncle considered themselves a true, devoted American by putting a flag on their antenna. The country was painted red, white, and blue with pride and support of the nation’s strength and future. Now however, that “thank you” to those in the armed forces has returned to a “screw you,” and our friends, family and neighbors in uniform who were regarded as heroes are back to being seen as baby killers.
America is not a war-focused nation, not now, nor has it ever been. The war on terrorism is the first time since WWII that the country is fighting for itself, and not for the defense or service of another nation. Taking action in Iraq is worth the effort now because we’re motivated by more than just Hussein’s ignoring an order of the UN, it is worth it just to be done with it. In dealing with a dictator who f—- his country and his people, unless you’ve already forgotten about Desert Storm, this is not a conflict we want to keep boiling up every decade for the next generation to deal with.
Collateral damage is something that always gets thrown at America’s military leaders whenever there is talk of an invasion or war, no matter how justified the cause may be. In actuality, no one understands the reality of collateral damage more than the U.S. military. For instance, there is a reason why Fort Benning, Fort Hood and other essential locations of the armed forces are not smack in the middle of New York or Los Angeles. You do not keep your resources and weapons in the middle of populated cities near your women, children and families for a reason: a reason that apparently leaders in the Middle East don’t consider the way we do. They know the risk and if they’re willing to use their own innocent civilians as a defense, then that’s their mistake, not ours.
Protestors will gather to yell and squawk that violence is not the right recourse for what is going on. What is going on for most of us is only what we see on television. What you don’t see on television is that Saddam Hussein has built 48 palaces for himself since the Gulf War alone, some of which have gold plated faucets, and man-made lakes that use pumping equipment that could have been used to help with civilian water and sanitation needs. The U.S. is dependent on making sure that U.N. sanctions are followed because we are the most powerful nation in the world and when the decisions and orders of the U.N. are being blown off like a student council request, then for the sake of democracy and the respect of the U.N. orders in the future, it needs to be shown that it will not be ignored.
It is always easy to say that the U.S. is only stepping in or helping in situations like this to benefit itself. Well in all honesty, that’s how diplomacy works. You give a little now; you get a little in the future. Just like charity here in America: make a contribution, and it looks good for your company’s record, or as an individual and you can write it off in your taxes. It doesn’t make your generosity any less appreciated. If you want to talk about squandering of funds, ask Saddam Hussein about the shipments of baby milk, bottles, powder, and other infancy items that he sold on the market on the Gulf to make a profit, instead of distributing them to his suffering people.
For anyone upset that we’re jumping the gun in going to war, keep in mind that this country has built itself up to the most powerful nation in the world in just the last 200 years, and would not seek to put any of that achievement at risk for a war that was not justified. America is the only country whose tactics usually entail waiting for the enemy to fire first, and then when we do win, its up to us to support, feed and educate the people who would have just burnt us to the ground and started the celebrations.
If the U.S. decided to ignore the issues and play the “world peace” card with France and the rest of our allies, then when all hell broke loose in the Middle East, or when North Korea started the countdown on their nuclear weapons, all of the people who are now protesting against action would be the ones drying their eyes when they hear the numbers of people killed either here or abroad by another Desert Storm, and looking to the heartless U.S. government as to why they didn’t do more to help stop this. Actions speak louder than words, and after many failed attempts, it’s time to finally make Hussein listen, for the good of his nation and ours.
