Well I coudln’t resist, hasn’t been much action in here recenty and
definitely not much deabte, so I thought why not interject a little
something inot the mix. Now respond if you liek or you’re welcome to
completely ignore me, I would. 
Instead of writting an elaborate
explaination of my views I figured why not just post a letter I wrote to my
rep, that basically hashes out my whole opinion on ths iraq issue, and we’ll
see where it goes from there------------
Our nation has reached a pivotal moment. It appears that war with Iraq is
imminent. We have a President who feels he can do just about anything, and
we have a congress that is willing to roll over for him at his request.
Today I read the proposed declaration President Bush sent to congress. In it
I read the same claims he has been reiterating for the past month, many of
which have been unsubstantiated. He has yet to provide evidence to the
public that an al-Qaida presence even exists there, along with any intent to
aid terrorist organizations. Also, Bush in his speech to the U.N. bemoaned
Iraq’s refusal to allow the return of inspectors. Iraq has now agreed to
allow inspectors back into Iraq, yet instead of claiming this as a victory
and supporting the immediate return of inspectors, Bush has asked for
authorization to attack anyway. Iraq isn’t being truthful Bush claims, then
why did he call for inspectors, per UN Security Council resolution to return
only a week ago?
We have the opportunity to return inspectors to Iraq. We should not commit
to military action, at the very least, until their return is meet with
resistance. Furthermore, the United States has never formally initiated a
military action without provocation, we should not do so now. We are
inviting more pain upon ourselves with the likely increase of terrorist
attacks on our country, and the deaths of our US servicemen. This is not
even mentioning what would happen if a broader conflict broke out in the
Middle East. Those who were in Vietnam have warned publicly that action here
could create a similar situation, one which is not so easily resolved. But
the majority of representatives prefer to listen to saber rattling, war
mongers like Donald Rumsfeld.
As a young American, I fear the day when we are committed to an unjust war
where I am forced to take up arms regardless of my personal beliefs. We
should not be in the business of regime change. It was unsuccessful and
wrong in Latin America, and we have yet to see how successful we will be in
Afghanistan. We are not world dictators, or at least we shouldn’t be.
I would hope that politicians from both sides of the aisle would see through
Bush’s remarks and allow reason to dictate their actions, and not allow a
President to play with powerful “toys,” as he seems to think our armed
forces are. Few in congress, Democrats and Republicans, have been willing to
stand up to Bush and tell him he is wrong and we will not roll over for you.
Some have lightly tapped him on the shoulder, but its time for a rhetorical
punch. Americans have only heard what Bush has to say its time they hear the
other side. It is not unpatriotic to disagree, it is however to remain
silent.
I urge you to be that voice, to stand up for what’s right and American, and
to lead your party away from complacency. I plead with you to stop this
lunacy that makes me shudder every day I open the paper. We should be
building bridges in a world torn after September 11th, but instead we’re
saying “with us or without us.” The cycle of war will only continue.
–
Brian Wilmot
http://www.jumpnow.net/
http://www.uglybillboards.com/
http://www.jumptraveler.com/