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An Invitation to Take a Stand
By Dick Ackermann, Winsted
President George W. Bush is proposing that the United States remove Saddam Hussein from power by whatever means is necessary. If necessary, he is prepared to send United States military forces to invade Iraq without allies participating in the effort. At least that is what he seems to be saying. There is no mention of the number of young Americans who will come back in body bags.
If Saddam Hussein is as evil as we are told and if he has those weapons of mass destruction, would he use them on those who would try to destroy him? If he doesn't have these terrible weapons, who will be the monsters that invade and destroy?
I personally think that taking this course of action would be a dreadful mistake. It would be more than presumptuous to think that my opinion would have any effect upon the President of the United States. However, if many others have the same opinion, perhaps together we can have an impact that will really matter.
There has been very little debate about the President's plans. He usually speaks about this matter in the first person as if he were King: "I am a patient man." "I will not stand by while Saddam Hussein threatens this great country." "I, I, I, I …" constantly.
Only Congress has the power to declare war. This President seems to feel that as Commander-in-Chief he can order our soldiers to do his bidding as he sees fit. It is likely that he will try to force the Congress to declare war on Iraq by provoking the Iraqis to act against us in ways that will justify massive retaliation. He would then call upon Congress to declare war. However, the implication right now is that he intends to invade Iraq.
We need to have open debate on this issue. We need to hear the opinions of people we trust and who have experience that matters. To that end I propose that a group of interested citizens get together for the purpose of involving past presidents in the debate. Not just living presidents, but any past president who spoke or wrote about foreign affairs.
This will take some real effort and require more than a few people to finish the job. It will be fairly easy to send registered letters to the living past presidents asking them for their opinions and reasons for these opinions. It will be somewhat more difficult researching the writings and speeches of long dead presidents.
There are others who should also be asked to make public their opinions. It will not be enough to publish our findings in this area. To have real impact we will need to reach a much wider audience. We will need folks with ideas and know-how about this.
I am not looking only for opinions that agree with mine. If President Bush has the support of most of the people we consult, then it is important that everybody knows this. On the other hand, if those we honor and respect believe the President is on the wrong path, that will be very important also. This is still a democracy, and an informed electorate can influence foreign policy in either direction. So if you agree or disagree with me, this is your opportunity to act.
If enough people are interested we can organize and begin to work right away. My number is 860-379-8957. If I can't be reached there, try 860-379-8423 or <rackerman8081@sbcglobal.net>.
I hope to call for a meeting around August 23.
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