Mr. President (
[email protected]):
Nietzsche once warned us that those who go hunting for monsters must be careful that they do not become monsters themselves. Yet to my dismay, I see this happening, both in the news and in the city I live in.
I walk down the street and see signs in windows which read �Bomb Saddam!� and �Nuke em and nuke em again!� Invariably, the American flag is waving or posted near these signs proudly. Is this what we�ve become? A nation lashing out at those who we feel are threats, in the name of liberty and justice for all? I thought our flag was a symbol for freedom and perseverance, not war and destruction. And so I ask you, who is at fault for whipping the masses into a frenzy? Saddam Hussein or Washington? It seems fairly certain that Saddam would prefer the American people to remain apathetic ignorance. So unless there�s some other option, I lay the bloodlust of the American people at your feet, Mr. President.
You are quoted in the New York Times (in response to the peace demonstrations held in America and around the world) as saying, "Evidently, some of the world don't view Saddam Hussein as a risk to peace. I respectfully disagree."
But don�t you see? We, America, are the aggressors in this battle against �evil� which you insist on fighting. We are the risk to peace. We are the threat to the stability of the world.
I understand your desire to ensure the security of the American people, but a policy of striking back before they�ve done anything is destroying our image as an international superpower in the world�s eye. Public opinion polls in Europe show very clear and decisive opposition to war, and one poll in Germany showed 53 percent of the German public feeling that America was the greatest threat to peace in the world, while Iraq was only 27 percent.
Your �with us or against us� policy, in addition to portraying to the rest of the world an arrogant nation executing judgment on them for being indecisive, has threatened our very constitution, which guarantees us the freedom of debate, and the freedom of opinion.
That being said, I feel that Saddam Hussein is a threat, to the world and especially to peace in the Middle East. He�s a dictator and a tyrant, I agree that he should no longer be in power.
But we must not act in defiance of the Security Council, which you have stated repeatedly will happen should they not agree with us. Such an action would cause irreparable damage in our foreign relations. They would see, not a nation unwilling to compromise with threats to peace and security, but a rabid dog incapable of being reasoned with. And we all know that the only way of dealing with a rabid dog is to put it down.
I urge you to explore as many options as possible in dealing with the disarmament of Iraq. I believe that violence should be the last resort of the desperate, and yet war was the first word out of your mouth.
Sincerely,
Rev. Michael Drace Fountain.
