As Sept. 11, 2002 approaches, people need to remember what happened to our country a year ago through the inspirational and motivating tales of bravery and courage of those who redefined what it means to be a hero. But beyond that, I hope that people will seek out the more poignant images: those of pain and destruction. We should remember the nausea we felt as we watched footage of passenger filled vehicles colliding into towers of concrete and steel, and civilians leaping out of 110-story buildings because they thought their free fall would give them the best chance of survival. To those who say that we should give Iraq another chance to cooperate, I ask why this tragedy must be repeated before we take action.
To continue to promote liberty for those who are free, and to those not fortunate enough to be free, our country must eliminate Saddam Hussein's rule. On Sept. 14, 2001, our Congress declared war on terrorism in a remarkable decision, dissented by only one. The people who gave our President approval to use military force are the same people now in office, and they are the same people elected by the citizens of this country. Our Congress specifically gave the President the right to execute war on those he believed were terrorists and on countries he believed to harbor terrorists. This resolution did not, in any way, detail criteria by which terrorists were to be identified, stating only that it was up to the discretion of the President. War has already been declared, partially executed in Afghanistan, and is not yet over.
Many who oppose any military involvement in Iraq do so largely because they are unsure of how the rest of the world would react to such measures. This is the wrong mentality. Not only is it wrong, it is dangerous and deadly. Simply hoping that problems will go away on their own and a reluctance to remove dangerous leaders is what leads to the loss of freedom. Hitler, as just one example, was allowed to attain power because others refused to act. Yet, didn't everyone at the end of the second World War gather together amongst friends and family with banners and bands, and unite with the phrase, \Never again""?
Despite his complete and total authority to execute the war declared by Congress nearly a year ago, our President said on Wednesday he would again come before the elected representatives of our country and make sure that they are still in support. In this noble display of character and patience, the President, knowing the approval he already possesses, agreed to confirm with the legislature that he does in fact have the support of the nation. By agreeing to their requests, he shows that he is a true leader.
Hussein, however, is not a true leader. He has shown he will not negotiate and that he is not to be trusted. He has refused to follow regulations set by the United Nations, the same regulations he agreed to following the last Gulf War. These regulations were written for the explicit purpose of denying tools of destruction to Iraq. Yet, he has denied investigators access to his country and facilities for years. And he has spent those years developing incredibly deadly weapons, both chemical and biological, while working on nuclear force. He has shown his willingness to use such weapons on a variety of occasions. He has shown that he will not let his own people be free. He has shown that he is a threat to this country, his country, and the rest of the world. Americans obtained freedom because they fought for it. Over the course of our country's history, brave soldiers have repeatedly risked the termination of their own lives to give us the right to be free. And, when it comes to Iraq, American lives will again be lost, yet on this occasion we can decide where and by whose hand.
We need to remove Hussein from rule in Iraq because the risks of inaction are too high. How quickly many seem to have forgotten the unsightly details of spilled American blood in our own country. But the unspeakable must be spoken, the unthinkable must be thought and the unimaginable must be imagined, or history will repeat.
