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Time to recycle the peace signs
By Ibrahim Bah
Published:
Thursday, December 5, 2002
Ibrahim Bah -- Guest Column
I'll have to step on a few toes here. Pacifists, put down your peace signs. The war with Iraq has begun.
U.S and British forces have already begun their strikes. You can bet that by the time the U.N inspections are done, all Iraqi strongholds will be destroyed.
Get the picture? The weapons are drawn. Regardless if the U.N. concludes Saddam is guilty of having weapons of mass destruction or not, his time has expired as far as President Bush's position.
I know most of you are ready to put a blowtorch on my head for telling you to put down your "war is not the answer" signs, but I'll give you a few good reasons why.
We can agree on many points, like that this war is nothing but for the interest in Iraq's oil. We can agree that it is a waste of money that could be used to solve problems at home. We can agree that the war is to settle unfinished business. We can even agree that Saddam is no direct threat to U.S security in any way or form. Now, why do I support the war?
President Bush may not say things in a poetic way, but he certainly does what he says with results. He has unfailingly proven to be a man of his words.
We've seen how he has successfully saved Afghanistan from tyranny. The war didn't last long and special precision weapons were used to direct the war at the enemy rather than civilians. Today, we can confidently say that Afghans have been liberated and are far better than they were before.
Iraq has the same problem. It is plagued by one dictator's control and civilian lives are at their worst. Even Iraqis could agree that Saddam must go.
Iraq has the potential to become one of the wealthiest nations in the Middle East, especially since it is one of the world's leading oil countries.
Saddam's absence will also mean that future U.S. presidents will not be conducting unnecessary attacks on Iraq, like when Clinton bombed the Iraqis for unknown reasons in the nineties.
If Bush does what he says he will, Saddam's elimination will mean that future dollars will be saved from being committed to Iraq, especially if a new puppet or U.S-friendly leader replaces Saddam.
As of now, put away the peace signs, but don't forget to recycle them. You may be called into action sooner than you know. What do I mean? If Saddam is gone, Yasser Arafat is next. Who else but him?
Until then, keep praying that Iraq's potential new puppet leader will bring stability and sustain a U.S.-friendly relationship without turning his back as Saddam and others have in the past.
