Do ends justify means with war on iraq?

By Curtis Vincent

The Butcher of Baghdad has been captured and the people of Iraq will fear him no more. More than 500 American soldiers have died. According to a commondreams.org article,more than 28,000 of our troops have been injured, wounded or become so ill that they had to be evacuated.

More than 25,000 innocent Iraqis have died in this war. And more than $100 billion (our taxes) have so far been spent with no end in sight. But what about those weapons of mass destruction which posed such an immediate threat?

On Dec. 16, Diane Sawyer interviewed George W. Bush for ABC (http://abcnews.go.com).

Diane: But (you) stated as a hard fact, that there were weapons of mass destruction as opposed to the possibility that he could move to acquire those weapons still—

Dubya: So what’s the difference?

Diane: Well—

Dubya: The possibility that he could acquire weapons. If he were to acquire weapons, he would be the danger.

“If he were to acquire weapons, he would be the danger.” That certainly makes sense. He would be… if. If not, He wouldn’t be. So it appears that he didn’t and he wasn’t. We were told that he did and he was. So what’s the difference? Try using that kind of mealy-mouthed trash with your lover, employer, professor or father. Just don’t expect to get laid, paid, a good grade, or invited home for Thanksgiving dinner.

So what’s the difference?! Imagine driving to the local sporting goods store and on the way you get pulled over. You lean over to open the glove box and 37 bullets rip through your head and torso. You didn’t have a gun. You’re dead. I guess that’s the point. Whether you had the gun or not makes no difference. You're still gonna need a closed casket.

I have no love for Saddam Hussein. What I do have is love of truth and law. We have waged war on Iraq in violation of our Constitution, International Law and in defiance of the UN. Surely it’s good that he no longer rules Iraq. Maybe the ends justify the means. That approach was good enough for Pol Pot, Joseph Stalin and Adolph Hitler. Maybe it’s good enough for George Bush. It’s not good enough for me.

— This columnist can be reached at collegian@csufresno.edu