Editor,
For all of those who chose to gather in protest of any military action against Saddam, I applaud your expression, but would like you to consider just a few points. First, there is a reason he is called the "butcher of Baghdad," showing no hesitation at all to killing and maiming his own people, and making free use of chemical and biological weapons on innocent people.
Do you really think that, given the chance, he would not use them to kill you, your classmates, your children -- all of whom he has declared to be his enemy? Do you think that you can sit down at a table with this man and talk of peace? His regime's links to terrorism are also very strong, making him every bit as dangerous to us as bin Ladin was prior to Sept. 11.
The man is in bed with Al Qaida and is in fact fueling its terrorist goals. Middle East Newsline has reported several times in the past that Iraq is coordinating with Al Qaida on plans to attack the United States. There is good evidence that his hand has already been felt by our citizens. According to the London-based Sunday Telegraph, two weeks before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein put his military on its highest state of alert since the 1991 Gulf War. The Iraqi leader even took the unusual step of moving his two wives, Sajida and Samira, from Baghdad to an undisclosed location in the family's hometown of Tikrit, 100 miles to the north. "This evidence is very powerful," according to the article. "There is collaboration between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaida, which means to destroy us. It entails chemical weapons, biological weapons; training in their application. And he's working on nuclear weapons. The message is very clear.
Now, for the inspectors who are over there, an Iraqi defector who was a chemical biologist had this to say: aside from telling how the labs are built, he warns that, "For a biological programme, all you need is a sealed room four metres by four metres." And these labs can be mobile, moving from place to place. The inspectors may never come upon one.
As a proud American, I support your right to gather and speak your concerns. But have you forgotten what happened that September morning? Would we be doing the right thing to just turn our backs and wait for it to happen again?
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Trust me, I am not in favor of war any more than you are. I know what it to does to people. But Hussein's regime has already declared war on us right along with Al Qaida. He must be stopped for the sake of our security and to re-establish a healthy Iraq, with whom we really can sit at a table and talk of peace.
Brian Ditmer
UNM student
