LETTER: Speak out

Editor,

Some people assume that I, along with millions of Americans who oppose the Bush administration’s push for war with Iraq, don’t support our troops. I am a veteran, and so was my father.

This pre-emptive and unnecessary war against Iraq will only breed more violence, terror and war, making America less safe and requiring more and more American troops to go into battle. In so doing, we dishonor those who have fought and died to preserve our sovereignty and to make world peace a possibility.

Our troops protect this nation by their mere existence. They are at the ready. They should be sent into battle only when absolutely necessary — and not for the hegemonic fantasies of a group of chicken-hawk, anti-democratic ideologues. The Bush administration is bullying and bribing the other nations of the world with your money into this war against the democratic wishes of the citizens of virtually all the world’s nations.

Truly supporting our troops is stopping the Bush administration from sending them into a war that is wrong.

Show your patriotism and call your representatives to tell them to stop this war — President Bush and Vice President Cheney at 202-456-1111, Sen. Orrin Hatch at 202-224-5251, and Sen. Robert Bennett at 202-224-5444.

Mark Ellis