To obtain peace, remove Hussein

There is nothing I want more than to live in a peaceful world. But I can’t do that as long as there are leaders like Saddam Hussein. He gains power through fear and causes fear through his power. This means President George W. Bush was right to give up on diplomacy because Hussein cannot show fear. If he shows fear, he loses power. If he had stood down at the U.S. threat, then he would lose power. So, the man loses nothing by being forced out. The man idolized people like Joseph Stalin and Adolph Hitler and very obviously wants to be like them. He has tried twice to expand his country — once into Iran in 1980 and again in 1990 into Kuwait.

Hussein is threatening the world by seeking weapons of mass destruction (he possibly even possesses these weapons). Hussein has absolute power in Iraq, making standing against him suicide. He doesn’t just kill the people in his way but also the family of the people standing in his way. This limits the number of people who want to stand against him, fearing for the safety of their family. Hussein does not respect the power of the United Nations as evidenced by violations of treaties and sanctions over the past decade. The man is a liar, as demonstrated Thursday after he fired a Scud missile at U.S. forces. A missile he claimed he didn’t have.

Bush has more intelligence on Hussein than I do and even I can see that he needs to be taken out of power. Imagine if someone had seen what Hitler was doing prior to World War II. Then imagine the lives that would have been saved. In a sense, I believe that is what we are doing now in Iraq. By going to war now, we will save more lives than we will lose. Of course, we could take the chance of letting him continue to defy the United Nations and see what he does, but I don’t want to fight him in 10 years to find out that we could have taken the man out now when he’s less of a threat.

Thomas Coulombe Jr. is a junior majoring in socialsciences education.

Free speech fine, but show some respect

For many months now, we have been listening and watching the “peace” movement sweep through the nation. This is a little ironic given that these “peace” protesters are getting arrested for violent activities. Thursday, more than 1,200 people were arrested in San Francisco for their demonstrations, and it doesn’t look like they will ease up.

There’s nothing more American than being able to speak freely in this country and many have died to preserve that. Unfortunately, many protesters think it’s patriotic to prevent soldiers from getting to their destination. Some even go as far as approaching soldiers to spit on them or just tell them they are evil. This is absolutely un-American. These war protests are getting pathetic and dangerous. Again, they are “peaceful.” Soldiers are fighting for your freedoms, and they need everyone’s support. It doesn’t matter whether or not you agree with the war. Why don’t you attend the pro-America rally for a change? These are the real peace rallies, and you don’t have to be afraid of getting spit on for voicing a different opinion.

In the coming months, we will see Iraq become a free nation while a Hitler-like dictator is removed. War does not solve everything but sometimes, absolute peace cannot be obtained by any other means. I know that we have a president who is willing to deal with the problem now instead of waiting for the next president to do it. We, as Americans, can at least support our troops for risking their lives to defend the nation. So, let’s attend the pro-American rallies and show our troops that they are fighting for something worth fighting for.

Mark Laps is a seniormajoring in electricalengineering.

Support doesn’t mean changing life

Rebecca Meyers, you said in your Friday letter that pro-war individuals must join the armed forces to show their true support. I don’t think any amount of discussion will convince you that civilians can be pro-war without picking up an M-16, but I shall try.

Tell me, do I need to run for public office to be considered a real American? Do I need to be drafted into the NFL to be considered a football fan? Your logic does suggest such things. Further following your lead, if to support war, one must fight, then to oppose it, one must move to France, so I’m assuming you’ve written your strong letter from the streets of Paris.

As you said: “You cannot say that you fully support this action and remain in the United States, living your happy little life. If you truly want to be a supporter … go out and find an Army…recruiter.” Well, the rhetoric can flow in both directions: You cannot continue to live here, but must go and suffer with the Iraqis or go stand among the French. Why is it so difficult for you to tolerate other views? If anything, that makes you totally un-American. It is people like yourselves: impatient, intolerant, uninformed and just plain silly who start wars in the first place.

While we’re at it, what is your stance on abortion? If you support it, then I suggest you kill your firstborn on national TV to show your support. If you are against it, then give your firstborn up for adoption even if you can take care of him or her. How do you feel about affirmative action? If you support it, resign any job you may have and give it to a minority. If you don’t, go point out all the shortcomings of a minority employee here at USF and find an individual better suited for the job. Do you like capitalism? If you do, you should pour your life’s savings in to the stock market, max out your credit cards and buy a new car every six months — after all, you need to show your support for it. I hope I’ve made my point: Support for a cause does not mean one must make it their life’s singular purpose. Is that really so difficult to understand?

As you digest this letter, send us all a picture of you protesting the war from France, Germany or Russia. We are waiting to see if you can take your own advice.

Samvid Dwivedi is a junior majoring in microbiology.