War without debate

The United States appears to be moving rapidly toward a major war against Iraq. Yet, it seems that very few of us are asking ourselves the difficult questions one would expect from a country that believes itself to be the world's leading democracy. The lack of debate over the prospect of war with Iraq-the lack of debate among our elected representatives and the American public-is troubling. Is the fear of raising legitimate questions about this anticipated war so strong that we willingly abandon even the idea of debating it? If we do go to war, which may be soon if the Bush administration has its way, debate may become a mute point. I therefore urge you to ponder these difficult questions.\n• Is this a just war? Is it right to take the lives of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians in order to achieve the Bush administration's stated goal of "regime change" in Iraq?\n(It has been reported that U.S.-supported sanctions have already taken the lives of over a million and a half innocent Iraqis, mostly women and children.)\n• Are you prepared to deal with the loss of thousands of American military?\n• Has the Bush administration provided us with concrete evidence that Iraq is implicated in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11? Has the administration provided us with solid evidence that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction? If not, what are the real reasons behind the administration's plans for war?\n• Why does the Bush administration appear determined to undermine the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq? \n• Who will pay for this war and the necessary occupation that follows? Are you willing to pay for a war and occupation whose long-term cost may reach a trillion dollars?\n• Will the Muslim world respond to a war on Iraq? How will it respond to the United States' subsequent occupation \nof Iraq?\n• Will the Bush administration's policy of regime change through war on Iraq set a dangerous precedent for further military interventions in the Middle East? Where will the Bush administration's new policies of "preemptive strike" and "regime change" stop?\n• Would unilateral action against Iraq, or any other country, model the democratic ideals upon which the United States was founded?\nThere are probably many of us asking ourselves these questions, but we have not yet found the courage to speak out. I encourage you to speak out now before it is too late. Write or send an e-mail to your representatives, write an op/ed piece or join a peace vigil. In short, voice your concerns in a responsible way. Healthy democracy should encourage debate on such a grave matter as war. Indeed, the very idea of democracy welcomes debate and responsible participation from its citizens. Fear, silence and complacency, on the other hand, do not bode well for the health of a democracy. \nToday we live in a world where violence and war seem to be the preferred options for resolving conflicts. I firmly believe, however, that war is not the appropriate response to the events of Sept. 11, nor is it the answer to the tyrannical rule of Saddam Hussein. Do we Americans have the courage to show that we truly are the great democracy we claim to be by working with other nations in order to bring about peace and justice through nonviolent means? I believe the democratic principles to which we adhere demand that we do so.