As a loyal American supporter, I am irritated by the intense anti-American sentiment and protests, not just in other countries, but in the United States, as well. I agree whole-heartedly in freedom of speech and believe that protests should be allowed, but the dissention in our nation disgusts me. Our troops have willingly volunteered to protect and defend our nation from enemies like Saddam Hussein. No one likes war, and hearing of allied casualties is heartbreaking to all, but the removal of the Iraqi regime from power is imperative. Not only is Hussein a threat to America's and other nations' citizens, but to his people as well. He lives in magnificent palaces while his people are starved, murdered and live in fear every day.
There are many arguments against the war, including our alleged intent to gain control of oil in Iraq and the extensive cost of conducting the war. Iraq is a major source of oil in the world, but the claim that the United States is trying to gain control of this vital resource is ludicrous. Our troops are temporarily protecting the oil supplies to prevent their destruction. This will ultimately benefit the nation of Iraq and its people after the war is over. Twelve years ago, the oil fields in Kuwait were destroyed and the nation still has not fully recovered from the economic shock. Besides, the United States annually imports only 4.9 percent of its oil from Iraq.
How do you calculate the cost of freedom? Isn't the security and safety of our people worth the price tag of this war? And how can we afford not to act when our way of life has been threatened by weapons of mass destruction? For those who claim that there is no concrete proof that Hussein does possess weapons of mass destruction, are you willing to take the chance that he does? Also, what makes these proponents think they know more than our American intelligence community who have had Hussein under surveillance for over a decade? If you need more proof of the inhumanity and capabilities of Hussein, you need not look any further than his treatment of our prisoners of war. His treachery violates the tenets of the Geneva Convention to which all civilized nations adhere during times of war.
To those who protest this war, you need to realize that our troops are willingly fighting and dying in order to give the Iraqi people the same freedom of speech that you so cherish.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
