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With Homeland in turmoil, do not forget our troops
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Editor’s Note: Staff editorials are written to present a national or campus opinion in a persuasive manner. Although the editorial board approved printing this article, it does not represent the official opinion of the board, BYU-Idaho or Scroll. |
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Nguyen
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With Hurricane Katrina and then Rita’s onslaught, the eye of the nation is fixed on recovering from the aftermath. It’s interesting to wonder whether anyone remembers that there’s a war in Iraq.
I’ll bet the parents of our troops have lost less sleep over Katrina than they have wondering when their child will be coming home.
Here’s the updated cost of the war: more than 2,000 American deaths, more than 25,000 civilian deaths and $204 billion of taxpayer money, according to a report by the Institute for Policy Studies published Aug. 31.
The cost of human life is priceless, but to put the money into perspective, $204 billion could have paid for a four-year scholarship for 10 million students.
The best thing we can do now is to develop an exit strategy to bring our troops home to be with their families. We need to admit that according to what we know now, invading Iraq was a mistake and that our continued presence there is not in the best interests of the American people.
Today our beloved troops continue to be on the receiving end of violence that need not have ever occurred.
President Bush said that reason we haven’t brought our troops home yet is because it would “make the world more dangerous.” Did “the world” need protecting? Did someone nominate us to protect the world? More importantly, did Congress or the U.S. citizenship get to vote on whether we should be the world’s superhero?
President Bush has also said that we need to “finish the job,” and that leaving Iraq would “send the wrong message.” What job? What message?
This war has no solid basis. This invasion was a mistake and here are a few reasons why.
After we disposed of the Taliban in Afghanistan, President Bush began a campaign to convince others that Iraq was the next logical step in the war against terrorism. He did such a good job he even convinced Congress of the “threat” in Iraq. He told us that Iraq was harboring terrorists; he told us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction; he told us that Iraq had a plan to attack the United States.
We know now that none of that was true.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, in testimony to a congressional committee, revealed to us that compared to Afghanistan, Iraq was not a prominent training ground for terrorists. He revealed to us that weapons of mass destruction have not been found in Iraq, and he revealed to us that Iraq had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks. Many others have confirmed this information.
On Sept. 22, President Bush even said that if we were to pull out of Iraq that “the consequences for the safety and security of the American people would be enormous.” How do we know that is true? Don’t Americans deserve a reason that doesn’t fall through?
Again, why then do we have troops in Iraq? Is it because they had an incredibly horrible dictator? If it is, why aren’t we doing something about the horrible dictators in North Korea and Cuba?
South American countries are being held ransom by the drug cartels, and in Africa, military despots continue to turn the continent upside down. So why haven’t we done anything about the conditions in these other countries?
For the Iraqi people we have done many great things. The Iraqi people shouted for joy when Saddam was taken away, and American engineers have brought running water to regions in Iraq where at one time it would have only been a dream. Our soldiers have not died without accomplishing great things; they have sacrificed their lives to bring greater happiness and hope to others.
However, those accomplishments were not the reason for which our troops were sent and our government has been grossly irresponsible with the lives of our soldiers. We’ve liberated one country, although a solid government base is still lacking, yet we barely have control over our own. Here are some examples:
For the first time in American history the largest demographic to live under the poverty line are children. The largest groups of people in federal prison are people who suffer from drug addiction and 16-year-old girls are more likely than any other group in America to attempt suicide.
Was throwing down Saddam Hussein our only reason for going to Iraq? If so, Hussein was captured about three months after troops arrived. Why didn’t we leave then? Why are troops still there 21 months after Hussein’s capture?
To recap: There are still no WMDs to be found in Iraq, we know conclusively that Iraq was not a training ground for terrorists and there is absolutely no evidence that Saddam Hussein had anything to do with the 9/11 attacks. Once again, why are we in Iraq? President Brigham Young counseled members of the Church never to take anything that the prophets say at face value. This applies even more so to our elected officials.
As a people, we should be looking for any excuse to have peace. Instead, we are trying desperately to find any good excuse as to why we are at war.
Let’s continue to help those victims of Katrina, but let’s not forget that our troops are still in Iraq. Please email your Congressman by visiting www.house.gov and ask him or her why our soldiers continue to occupy Iraq.
Do you agree?
vote by emailing scrollopinion@byui.edu
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