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I am not comfortable with the
pending conflict with Iraq. I am concerned that the war cost (dollars and lives) may be excessive, especially if Saddam Hussein decides it is time to “use or lose" his WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction: chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear) arsenals.
I am extremely uncomfortable that U.S. citizens in “Peacekeeping” Forces (or other occupying structure after such a conflict) would be convenient targets for suicidal radicals whose myopic dedication to inflicting harm has already been proven. I expect that that our leaders are also weighing these hazards; my unease is whether their estimation of “admissible risk" matches mine.
I am also concerned because I cannot know that the criteria of a “Just War" would be satisfied. These require that the war we wage not be disproportional to the damage the aggressor would inflict if we refrain, and that there are no viable alternatives.
The stated justification for the war has also evolved, as political spin-meisters attribute our motives to what poll results indicate will sell, instead of holding to a stable thesis which much bear scrutiny if it is legitimate.
There are numerous countries whose abuse of their people, irresponsible behavior, and pugnacious rhetoric cries out for interdiction; North Korea and Sudan are quick examples of governments arguably “more evil" than Saddam, who has not gassed anyone lately.
So, given these grave concerns, we should oppose intervention, right? Not necessarily- lyA
government, even the government of a Christian nation, has an obligation to protect its citizens (indeed, our Declaration of Independence argues that that is a primary raison d’etre of any government).
Individuals are encouraged to try to turn the other cheek, but government has a responsibility against proximate danger to its citizens which trumps that luxury. The calculus of anticipating coincidental Iraq civilian deaths vs. the body count of the next World Trade Center is a hypothetical exercise and another unaffordable luxury (within the Just War criteria noted above).
My only information source is the news, but I offer a hypothetical case: suppose
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