What is frustrating to continue to hear from all of my anti-war advocates on the forum is the insinuation the United States is equally corrupt in its morals as the current Iraqi regime. I suspect this comes from the belief of moral relativism, which is a completely self-contradicting philosophy. However, I will spare you my philosophical banter and stick more directly to whether the United States is equally horrible as Iraq.
I will be the first to admit the United States has not lived up to the ideals it claims 100% of the time. However, let�s look at Iraq vs. the United States in one important area: freedom of expression. This conversation we�ve been having about whether it�s germane for the Minneapolis City Council to speak on the war with Iraq simply would not be happening in Baghdad. You know as well as I that dissent in Iraq is simply not tolerated. If we were discussing on the Baghdad Issues Forum whether the Baghdad City Council should speak against Saddam, every proponent of opposing Saddam would be tortured and/or killed. Please tell me, when is the last time the FBI showed up at your house to torture you because you spoke against the national government? When is the last time the CIA showed up to torture your children with you watching because you dared say the US government has made mistakes? When is the last time you had to sign your name on your ballot for president so the National Guard knew who was voting against the government�s choice of president? Furthermore, when is the last time the United States government openly used chemical or biological weapons against a whole people because it served to terrorize people into submission (and please keep the answer to weapons similar to what Saddam used on the Kurds)? **Despite failures we see in hindsight (which, as is said, is always 20/20)**, the United States has made far more attempt to recognize the worth of all people and bring justice to all people than will ever be seen under Saddam. The United States has also brought more freedom to other countries than will ever be seen by Saddam. It saddens me that so many take their freedoms so lightly so as to try to make the very country that allows such freedom as horrible as the truly horrible ones. As far as the 50 other cities that have jumped on the bandwagon of political correctness to vote for anti-war resolutions, I bluntly tell you I don�t care. Whether it�s 50 or 500, none of these cities should be spending their valuable time playing debate club. There are streets to police, fires to put out, parade permits to issue, and many other relevant issues for city councils to deal with. Every Council Member and Mayor is completely free to express their opinions independently, as R.T. Rybak has and will likely continue to do. But, whether we knew we were going to war or not when the Council was elected, nobody expected City Councils to speak on national issues. I again repeat this is why we elect US House members and Senators. Consider this theoretical twist on the argument that we�re all so interrelated: If city governments should speak out on national issues, then why shouldn�t national governments speak out on local issues (excepting constitutional arguments)? Maybe we should expect Congress to weigh in every time the City Council wants to issue a parade permit. Certainly an argument could be made that Congress has a vested interest in assuring city streets are well used by American citizens. Wouldn�t it be an interesting twist to have the likes of Jesse Helms debating whether a parade permit should be issued for the Gay Pride Parade? Is this what you really want? Is this really a wise use of Congress' time? Let�s face it: war is a terrible thing. I remind you, though, history has shown appeasement usually if not always fails. When Europe tried to appease Hitler, six million Jews died. Do we really want a repeat of this? I pray not. If we can free Iraqi citizens from tyranny and horrible oppression, if we can remove a horrible terrorist before he successfully terrorizes more people, why do we sit and wait? Isn�t that just as immoral? Who on this list had a signature on their posts talking about the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who stand by and do nothing in the face of evil? In closing, if we want to quote from the Bible, let me quote this: �Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you also are in the body� (Hebrews 13:3). The Iraqi people remain in a prison. And, so long as Saddam remains, we all remain in a prison of fear and terror over what he�ll do next- all based on his past actions. Gary Bowman Audubon Park ===== "Wars are, of course, as a rule to be avoided; but they are far better than certain kinds of peace.'' --Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
