Posted on 09/10/2002 5:49:37 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
You've seen those bumper stickers: "Visualize World Peace."
And then there's my favorite parody of that one: "Visualize Whirled Peas."
I'm not much into this whole visualization business. And I never thought of "peace" as the ultimate achievement of man.
I suspect those displaying the "Visualize World Peace" bumper stickers are among the people writing to me complaining about my hawkish views on war with Iraq. I would say my mail is running 10-1 in opposition to my position that we must invade, that we must depose Saddam Hussein and that we must do it very soon.
Some columnists might be tempted to moderate their views in the face of such opposition. Some media people might decide to wet their finger and stick it in the air to see which way the political winds are blowing. Some newsmen might be tempted to commission a public opinion poll to determine which position on the inevitable war wins most favor with the American people.
But that's not how I work. In fact, I have to confess, opposition nearly always strengthens my own commitment to a position – especially if it is a position well-grounded in fact and reason.
I have probably opposed 90 percent of the foreign military adventures of this country in the last decade. I opposed our involvement in Bosnia. I opposed our involvement in Kosovo and Serbia. I opposed our involvement in Haiti. I opposed our involvement in Somalia. In fact, I oppose every so-called "peace-keeping mission" for which the United States has committed troops. I oppose any mission involving the United Nations and certainly those operating under its authority. I have been branded an "isolationist" because of my near knee-jerk attitude against deploying American troops in foreign lands where there are no vital American interests to protect.
This is not the case in Iraq. There are vital American interests at stake. This will not be a United Nations mission. Nor will it be a phony peace-keeping mission.
Iraq is an ever-present and growing threat to the American people – to our domestic tranquility, to our safety, to the lives of millions.
Iraq has already struck American civilians, though, for some reason, our government has been loathe to implicate Baghdad in these terrorist crimes against humanity. The Oklahoma City bombing comes to mind. Anyone who does not see the Iraq connection in the destruction of the federal building simply has not looked at the evidence.
Likewise, Baghdad has sponsored and harbored Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network for years – long before Sept. 11 and ever since. This fact alone was justification enough for the U.S. to invade Afghanistan. But there is a far more compelling reason to strike Iraq.
Iraq, unlike Afghanistan, has developed three forms of weapons of mass destruction – biological, chemical and nuclear. And guess who he plans to use those against?
That's right – America. In fact, my intelligence sources tell me disturbing information suggesting some of those horrible weapons may already be deployed in the United States – just waiting for us to make a move against Hussein.
"Well," you might say, "that sounds like a reason not to invade."
But there are three problems with that response:
No, we must strike – and we must do it sooner rather than later. There are grave dangers ahead for America. This may not be a conflict like the Persian Gulf War. There will be more U.S. casualties in the Mideast and possibly more here at home. But it is the right thing to do. It is, I fear, the only thing to do.
There's one more very positive side to this military campaign. We have an opportunity not just to defeat sponsors of terrorism in Iraq. If we are successful at freeing Iraq from the tyranny of Hussein, it would represent an excellent start at solving the root cause of Islamist terrorism in the Middle East. In other words, just visualize a free Iraq.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.