"We're getting ourselves into a big mess," they say, "it's not our place to liberate the rest of the world from oppression."
"We can't afford a war right now," the argument goes, "and besides, think of all the lives that will be lost. Sure they're evil, but they don't present an immediate threat to us."
"This is about revenge," many claim, "and wealth too."
These protesters are a spirited bunch. They cringe in disgust at the mere mention of their president, a man whose legitimacy has been questioned since election night. And they certainly aren't afraid to make noise. Just a week ago, 20,000 of them rallied in New York City. They congregated in Madison Square Garden, shouting emotional objections to the recently declared war.
The year, by the way, is 1917. American troops are risking their lives overseas. In just 15 months, they will be credited with saving the world. And in striking similarity to what's occurring in 2003, a vocal minority views the decision to go to war as a disastrous one.
This analogy certainly does not prove that today's protesters are wrong. What it does show, however, is that Americans who support the war today should not be discouraged by the existence of opposition, as history shows protests to be as American as war itself.
There has been much talk lately about whether an individual who protests the war today can still be considered patriotic and supportive of our troops. I'm personally torn about the issue. I want to believe that some of those at war protests are good-hearted people who love their country and believe that war will cause harm to it. And I realize that no one should be criticized or dubbed unpatriotic for protesting something he or she believes to be harmful, either to his or her nation or all of mankind.
But then I see the "no blood for oil" signs. I hear someone say that "Bush" is knowingly killing Americans. I'm pointed to and laughed at by a protester for holding my country's flag. I read that Jesse Jackson refused to let a 78 year-old Iraqi exile tell of his life in Iraq at a rally, saying that "today is not about Saddam Hussein," but "Bush and Blair and the massacre they plan in Iraq." And I just see so much hatred.
I respect many of the arguments against going to war and would much rather a person oppose it out of compassion for human life than cheer as Iraqi buildings tumble to the ground, as I've watched some do. But what I see in the anti-war movement is a group of individuals so narrow minded and so oblivious to the arguments that have convinced 71 percent of Americans that we should be at war that they question the character of those who support it.
I'm sure some of the people protesting war with Iraq view it as overly problematic yet still respect the president's view, held by many of us, that protecting the lives of Americans requires it. But I honestly think that some of you have more contempt for President George W. Bush than you do for Saddam Hussein. And that's a major problem.
I guess my point is this. War is both terrible and horrifying. No one in his or her right mind would ever knowingly choose it over superior options. But as most everyone realizes, there is evil in our world, and there are times when it is necessary for good men to die in order to preserve freedom for the masses. Bush has said that he believes this to be one of those times. You don't have to trust or agree with him. But please don't use him, or anyone else who supports the war, as a scapegoat for your negative feelings. We're not the bad guys here. We don't gas our own people or withhold baby milk rations. We don't torture POWs or use rape as a political tactic.
We have declared war on Iraq. Ending it now would absolutely cripple our standing in the international community and lessen the fear Hussein and so many terrorists now hold for us. Let's not forget that two dozen soldiers have already been killed while thousands of Iraqis have surrendered or celebrated their liberation from a tyrant who will kill them in a heartbeat if we pull out.
I just pray that we can drown out the shouting as well as past generations have.
Nathan Carleton is a Trinity sophomore. His column appears every other Friday.
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