www.whyville.net Mar 28, 2003 Weekly Issue



plikt
Guest Writer

War: The Costs

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Lately, all that has been airing on the news seems to be about the War on Iraq. I've been, as most of you are, following news of the war closely and I've thought about this matter for a long amount of time. I've come up with my conclusion: there shouldn't be war going on in Iraq. How did I come up with this? Simple. By using the method for any good opinion-making, which is to lay out the facts and evidence and then formulate my opinion. Here's what I came up with:

1. Saddam Hussein is a brutal dictator. He is known most famously by the Gas Chambers he uses to gas (and hence killing) his own people. You hear this same piece of "evidence" all over the news and in Mr. Bush's speeches, but do you know the full story? Do you know who gave that gas and gas chambers to Saddam hussein? Yup, You've guessed it... the wonderful United States. During Operation Desert Storm, the U.S. gave gas to Iraq so that it would be able to spray it onto people in Iran. Editor's Note: That's a mighty powerful accusation, plikt! You should be very careful in declaring such things -- this and many other things that you state here verge on libel, for which a person can be sued. If you have proof, please be sure to cite the newspapers, websites, and any other sources you have next time! If you want to send me a list now, I will add it to the current article....

2. Why Iraqis can't get out of their country. A lot of people are saying that the Iraqis should just leave the country. Well, there's a great solution! Only if it were possible. Did you know that Syria and Jordan have closed their borders to the Iraqi people? That means that they are not allowing the Iraqis to enter their country, and are turning them away at the border. Another reason Iraqis couldn't get out of the country, even when the borders were open, is because it costs money to get to the borders. And quite frankly, there are a lot of destitute (poor) people in Iraq.

3. The Cost of the War. War is no cheap little thing. Having a war with Iraq will put the U.S. at a loss for money for healthcare, education, and such -- which we need to improve on greatly. President Bush has already asked for a down payment of 75,000,000,000 dollars to fund the war, and that might grow to even more money in the coming weeks. Seventy-five BILLION is not a small amount of money, mind you!

4. Problems at home already. Why in the world is the U.S. going to war, which will needs tons of money, when America already has problems at home? I think President Bush needs to look around and see that we desperately need to improve healthcare costs, POVERTY, and education! The U.S. cannot afford the price tag for war, can't you see!? The 75 billion dollars could go to something that needs the money to improve the United States.

5. ???Casualties???, or How many helpless humans are going to be killed. Basically, the U.S. is going to war with Iraq to find and kill Saddam. But along the way, how many other innocent humans will die? You cannot honestly tell me that none will die ???because the U.S. is very careful with its targets.??? Even the Pentagon's figures say that a pre-emptive strike could kill some 10,000 Iraqi civilians! This is not one or two people; it's ten thousand innocent civilians! Not to mention all the young American men and women that are going to be killed, too. Is this death toll really acceptable?

6. Weapons. Another so-called reason the United States is going to war is to disarm Saddam Hussein. But did the Weapons Inspectors find any Chemical or Biological Weapons? I don't think so! The official U.N. inspectors certainly don't feel they did! So the U.S. is going to war with a country that that they claim but cannot prove possesses WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction). But if you move some to the west of the United States, you'll find North Korea. And guess what? North Korea has shown that it is making WMD and already has them, too. So, of course, the U.S. is going to war with the country that they are not sure has WMD, while the country that everyone knows about sits there with no U.S. intervention.

That doesn't make sense to me; does it make sense to you? And by the way, have you seen Saddam release any chemical or biological weapons? I haven't! Don't you think that Saddam would release his chemical or biological weapons on the U.S. army if he had any? Well... since he hasn't released them, maybe that could mean he doesn't have them!

Saddam Hussein is a mean, evil, and brutal dictator. He needs to be removed from power... but is war the way to do it? I say no! To kill one man, why must the U.S. kill some 10,000 others also? I know why President Bush is doing this, though... oil. This little word shows the reason why this whole war is taking place. Why did President Bush specifically tell the Iraqi people not to burn the oil fields? So he can get his hands on it when the war is done, of course!

I do believe that Saddam Hussein needs to be removed, but I don't believe this is the way. The cost in dollars and in lives is too high, and I believe that if the U.S. is so intent on removing Hussein, they should think of a better way, one that doesn't leave so many killed and Iraqi oil fields in America's possession!

 

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