[Peace-discuss] Assume they find WMDs

[John Fettig]

* Chuck Minne <mincam2 at yahoo.com>: 
>  Put differently, what do we say when the evidence is discovered? And
>  shouldn't we be saying it now?

What you already said is a good start.  You can be assured that they are
either going to find WMD's, or at the very least prove that they exist.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Saddam is hiding things
that he is not supposed to have.  But it doesn't change my feelings
about turning 10 million Iraqis into refugees (or at least make them
need humanitarian aid), nor does it change my feelings about killing 1/2
million civilians (these are UN estimates!).

So that's my main argument.  War is terrible...we should not start one.
In this situation diplomacy and investigation has not proven (in my
mind) to be of no use, we should continue to pressure Saddam through
inspections and diplomatic measures, but we should not resort to war.
Anybody who is for the war is going to jump on you for this argument,
though.  Bush and his henchmen are working round the clock to convince
the American people that inspections and diplomacy have failed, and that
we have no other choice but war.

So basically I feel as though the people of this country would back a
war if they thought it would make them safer.  The moral question that
they need to answer is: does saving the life of a few thousand americans
justify the slaughter of 1/2 million Iraqis?  I am always surprised when
people answer this question with a yes; well maybe more saddened than
surprised.

John