[Peace-discuss] coupla edlets

[Ricky Baldwin]

Today's N-G had a couple of interesting letters we
could refer to when writing in, if we like...

Folly in Iraq leaves Iran to develop bomb
Friday April 21, 2006

Iran claims to have produced enriched uranium. It's
good to see that we had the foresight to invade Iraq
in an imperialist maneuver without recognizing that it
would exhaust America's political capital on the world
stage and overextend our military. Now we have Iran,
always the bigger threat, free to pursue weapons of
mass destruction.

Before anyone dismisses my calling the Iraq operation
an imperialistic maneuver, let me point out that the
United States attacked Iraq, ousted its government and
is an occupying force there. It was, by definition, an
act of Imperialism.

I'm not singling out the current administration as the
only one to blame here. It's silly the way that people
lash out at Bush as if he were Satan.

We all have a part in this. Although many people spoke
out against invading Iraq, the majority supported it,
and those who questioned it were ignored. America did
not question the possible outcomes enough at the time.
Now, to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, we all must hang
together.

America voted in Bush and the members of Congress who
gave him the authority to act in Iraq. America did not
stand up to fully question the government's actions,
and America sat by as we invaded Iraq and placed Iran
on the back burner.

Now America lacks the proper tools to deal with Iran
as effectively as we could if we had handled the Iraq
issue better.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "At what point, then, is
the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it
ever reach us it must spring up amongst us. It cannot
come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must
ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of
freemen, we must live through all time, or die by
suicide."

If we continue to act on the world stage without
looking ahead to what may be the end result, we indeed
shall die by suicide.

RYAN WHELAN

Lovington

We need a new order to push world peace
Friday April 21, 2006

As the Bush administration seems bent on attacking the
Iranian people in an effort to slow down a competent
nuclear fuels program, it seems wise to reflect on a
couple of issues.

Governments since the earliest days have repeatedly
and with ruthless efficiency practiced pre-emptive
force. Those in power have historically armed
clandestine organizations, invaded foreign soil and
wreaked havoc in the name of liberty or sovereignty.

They did this in relative safety because of the
comfortable ownership of the tools of war and the
knowledge of their use.

The question is whether it has worked. Will it work in
Iran?

The problem with repeating the same folly of
imperialism in the name of commerce or democracy is
that now everyone has advanced tools. In the meantime,
common people are victimized by regimes the great
powers support or have lost control over. These
victims then grab at any chance for any tool from
anyone to meet power and the cycle of violence spins.

We must seek a New World Order based on shared
concerns and peaceful values. This country has the
economic throw-weight to reduce the influence of
radicalized religious zealots (here and abroad). The
unencumbered gifting of essentials can form a powerful
force to begin winning the war of respect of the
mothers and fathers whom we now target as terrorists
(whether they are in Najaf or New Orleans).

War as a method of advancing humanity isn't working
and has poor cost-benefit consequences (unless you're
Halliburton). Other ways of communication and
resolution have to be found. In any event, and with
any plan, it's going to be a difficult task to become
a more truly peaceful country in the midst of a system
primed for conflict and profit. We might as well start
in a time of crisis with a tough case, Iran.

SCOTT DOSSETT

Urbana

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