Counting the ways that invading Iraq was a bad idea

Counting the ways that invading Iraq was a bad idea

EDITOR:

Your view that Iraq should be forced to pay for its reconstruction finally takes the tragic war full circle. You certainly imply in your editorial that the reason we are in Iraq is due to Bush’s desire to spread democracy and fight global terrorism. I kindly disagree:

1. We were told by the administration that we needed to invade Iraq due to the imminent use of weapons of mass destruction from Saddam Hussein. There were, obviously, no such weapons and no such reason.

2. Spreading democracy and nation building were not given as reasons for the invasion. In fact, despite our flawed assumption about WMD, the United States ignored protests from numerous countries, the condemnation of the attack by the United Nations, and opposition from many segments of the Christian church which opposed an unjust war. If the administration would have stated from the start that we would go to war simply to create a democracy in Iraq, public support from U.S. citizens would have been minimal to non-existent.

3. It’s old news to suggest that there were terrorists in Iraq who were somehow connected with Sept. 11. And it’s wrong news.

4. We attack a sovereign nation, without request by its citizens, and we bomb and destroy its infrastructure with “shock and awe” killing tens of thousand of innocent Iraqis, and we feel we should be in a position to tell them what to do with their oil? Because gas prices are high in the U.S.? You’ve got to be kidding, but unfortunately, you’re not.

There was no exit strategy. Congress, representing the taxpayers, authorized the attack for dubious reasons, mostly political. We are in a mess of our own creation. And countries are no longer respectful or fearful of the United States. We can and must do better.

TOM BRESKO

Youngstown

Obama is one scary guy

EDITOR:

We, as a people, are far more removed from the principles and purpose our founding fathers fought for and established. To have to even consider the presidential choices we’ve been given is a tragic tale.

I can’t even compute how this country has come to the point we could elect a guy with ties to all sorts of radicals, socialists and self-avowed communists. Presidential candidate Barack Obama is on the far-left of the democratic party. Based on his record, his inspirational sources, his mentors and associates, Obama is one scary guy.

There is nothing note worthy about him that would suggest an acute ability to “change” this country for the better. Sure, he speaks well. His tone seems friendly. But there is a huge difference between one being educated and one being wise! This country became the most powerful and prosperous nation in the shortest amount of time because of character, self-reliance, freedom and free enterprise. Obama promotes policies that bear no distinction from the tired, stagnant nations of Europe. Why should we emulate European states? Many of them would be gone without help from the United States.

Putting the federal government in charge of more and more industries, and choking us with more and more taxes and restrictions will only make everything worse. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles would love this guy, but not me.

GARY H. MARCY

Austintown