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Legal
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On Iraq IIDid We Assist Sadden Hussein?The whole world is guilty of doing too little while thousands upon thousands of Iraqi people were tortured and murdered without any pretense of civilized due process. Saddam not only violated the trust of his people but was allowed to do so because the world was too weak to act. The nations of this world are guilty of accepting Saddam’s actions and should be held accountable. This even includes the U.S., although some credit must be given to the U.S. and all coalition forces for finally acting to rid Iraq of a bully. It may even be true Saddam did not have weapons of mass destruction, so who really cares? If a school-yard bully announces he has a gun and intents to kill anyone he can, should we wait for the physical act or move immediately to take that bully down and out of action? Or do we just assume that bully is only a threat to that school and none of our business because that school isn’t in our jurisdiction? Saddam was nothing more than a bully in his own little sandlot. A bully that held the majority of his people hostage while he taunted the world. His efforts at bulling the world worked for years. His horrendous treatment of his people lasted for 30 years and was tactfully accepted by the other nations of the world. Now, some non-coalition nations are complaining because the bully’s bluff was called and raised to a level the bully did not expect the UN or the world to allow. Even some U.S. citizens are complaining and some politicians are indirectly using the Iraqi war for their own purposes. Their solution: let someone else do it; wait until the world agrees; wait until the bully does something besides threaten. Sometimes an action must be taken simply because it is the right thing to do. I’m not sure of the legal worthiness of this idea but I think the new Iraqi government should sue the nations of the world and hold them accountable for their complicity in Saddam’s actions. After all, if I can burn myself with hot coffee and sue the company that sold me that coffee, why shouldn’t Iraq have just as good a case. If a lawyer with International Law experience were to represent Iraq, he could receive billions. I wonder if it is too late for me to become a lawyer? There will always be some who are too cowardly or too timid to act regardless of the situation so long as it does not directly involve them. There will always be some who will disagree and try to place a political spin on any event, regardless of who is helped. If our government started to treat its citizens the way Saddam did, I would welcome any outside assistance to take that government down. Of course, I would view that help with suspicion. What do they have to gain? What do they really want? Why risk the lives of their soldiers to help me? All valid questions and questions that can only be answered by waiting for the end results. Only history can properly judge the effects of President George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq with assistance from a few nations that worried more about a bully’s actions than the world’s opinion. Was the coalition’s actions legal? Probably not in the eyes of other inhuman dictators who fear they too may suffer the same fate if they shoot off their mouths or don’t control the terrorists hiding within their borders. (Libya’s recent agreement to quit using terrorism is one example.) The American people must judge if the cost of freeing the Iraqi people and setting up a government that offers freedom to these people was worth the cost. Politicians will use the war to advance their political careers, their political causes, but only the voters can decide how much freedom is worth and what they would gladly pay to regain it if they were to lose it. Author: Don Miller
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2003 Articles |
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