COLUMN: Iraqi disarmament is not all it’s cracked up to be
In Baghdad this week, the bombs have been falling as the regime of corrupt dictator Saddam Hussein begins to crumble. Brave men and women who have been called to serve their country thunder across the desert sand.
Saddam is surrounded in his bunkers by some of his most loyal troops, the Republican Guard. And yet, these are not the troops that are working the hardest to protect the Butcher of Baghdad.
Many thousands of miles away, the most loyal of Saddam’s troops march away in streets of American cities. The real help to Hussein comes not in the form of bombs or bullets, but in lying down in the middle of the road to stop traffic or blocking the entrance to buildings. Though they may be unwitting pawns in the deadly Iraqi chess match, they are pawns nonetheless.
I am the last one to fault Americans for taking advantage of the freedoms they enjoy. But let’s have some cohesion, people. For example, there were very few if any mass protests when President Clinton bombed Iraq or Kosovo. And yet, many of these operations had the potential to cause far greater civilian casualties than the current war. You can’t just oppose the war when it is run by a Republican.
Those who simply don’t like President Bush and don’t think him capable of leading the nation through war are not being true to their cause. This group includes the vast majority of the Hollywood celebrities who have come out against the war.
As one writer for the Wall Street Journal recently stated, “They confuse fame with geopolitical expertise.”
I am glad that some of the national newspapers are finally clearing this up, because I was beginning to believe that all I needed to understand international relations was to star in a B movie that touched lightly on the subject.
It is not enough to oppose all war and protest any time anyone is at war. Those who merely oppose all war in general because people die could really benefit from a history lesson.
In the last century, there were many examples where decisive early military action could have saved millions of lives. Peace at all costs has proven to be one of the surest roads to war.
To illustrate, a good friend of mine has a Time magazine from 1936 with a picture of Adolf Hitler listening to a choir sing in a church. The caption reads (with an implied sigh of relief), “Hitler listens to reason.”
We all know how well tyrants listen to reason. Appeasement and inspections will not do anything to alleviate the threat Saddam poses to the United States.
Others claim that inspectors should have been given more time, as though 12 years is not enough. I mean, maybe if we get Hans Blix and the U.N. bloodhound gang to poke around in the desert until Saddam grows old and dies, the expiration date on all the chemical weapons will pass, and it will turn sour and have to be thrown out? Hey, it could happen!
It is interesting to look at the sources of funding for many of these protests. After all, someone had to pay for the materials and apply for the permit. It turns out that many of the groups listed as funding sources for the protests are either overtly socialist/communist or are well-known for supporting such views. A full list is available in an article published on Feb. 21 in the Wall Street Journal titled “Anti-War Groups Invite World to 35th Reunion.”
I don’t know about you guys, but I am glad that the commies are still exerting influence over the American public. I mean, they have the American way of life close to their hearts, right?
In the end, it is respectable to disagree with those in power and policies they promote. America is built on such freedoms. It is not enough, however, to shout slogans at the world just because they are anti-war and because they rhyme.
Know the reasons why you oppose the war, and be able to support them with reason and fact. Realize the people and things you are supporting when you protest. To protest is not unpatriotic, but to protest blindly while American sons and daughters are fighting and dying is a real sin.
Gabe White is a senior majoring in political science. Comments may be sent to gkw@cc.usu.edu.