It’s happened, war, and with it tragedy, death, sadness and loss. Though I am saddened by these things, I can’t help but remember the purpose we have. Our purpose is to rid Iraq and the world of a madman with destruction on his mind and the button to do it at his fingertips.
Some of you may argue that President George W. Bush is the madman because of the civilians being killed in Iraq. In fact, you think we shouldn’t be at war at all. I agree that it’s terrible that innocent people are being killed. And no one really wants war, including me, despite what my last column said. However, I am not naive enough to believe that by doing nothing, nothing bad will happen. Had we done nothing, we would be sitting here, waiting for more smoke and bodies to clear. We would be waiting for another Sept. 11.
However, despite what most people think here in Eugene, polls show that support for Bush and his decision to go to war remain strong. The polls show 72 percent of respondents in the ABC News/Washington Post poll support the war versus 26 percent who opposed it. I believe at least 20 percent of that number are people from Eugene.
Your “peace” protests weren’t the majority; your voice wasn’t the one heard. The majority was in favor of going to war and showing Saddam Hussein that the United States will not sit by and watch a madman hold weapons that can not only hurt his people but ones that could come back to haunt this country. Steps have been taken, the people have spoken — it’s time to rid the world of this madman. Whether for peace or for fighting, none of us want to see people killed.
But when and how do we decide whose life is worth more than another’s? I ask a question to those who protest. Who would you protect? Who would you rather die? If it was between your families and those of the Iraqi people, who would you choose?
On another front, you’ve protested loud and proud. You continue to do so, and I commend you for your perseverance to your cause. But, now it is time to use your voice to show support — if not for the president and his decisions, then for the troops who have taken their lives and used them to give the Iraqi people the same kind of freedoms that you have.
You protest because you can. You’re free to speak because you can. You’re free to march because you can. Why? Through the years, soldiers fought for the freedoms our country has, and it’s about time you support it instead of protest it.
They fight because they believe in “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” They fight so their children and their children’s children will understand and believe in freedom for every country around the world, not just the United States. They fight because it’s our time to fight.