April 7, 1998 —- LIONS EYE - Page 5 Opinion lr Review A Rebuttal: Life, Liberty, and the U.N. By Harry G. Charalabidis Since that Saturday when an NBC “Special News Report” interrupted The Golden Girls to inform the public that Iraq had invaded Kuwait, I have never liked Saddam Hussein. He started a war he had no chance of winning and interrupted hundreds of hours of good television for a little mustard stain on the map. The US government in turn riled up the United Nations to start a war, and the price of gasoline has since remained a nickel lower than it would have had Saddam actually held onto Kuwait. I suppose the war was not all bad; it did, after all, let other Saddam wannabe’s out there know that attacks on weaker nations will not be tolorated. At least, not in nations the US has something to gain from. But what now? Saddam is still spreading his anti-American propaganda, hurting his own people, and maintaining himself as a threat to world peace. Last month's issue of The Lion's Eye stated two popular opinions on dealing with the matter in articles entitled, “Take Out Saddam” and “...But Then What? Better to spank him.” In this month’s issue, there is yet another suggestion; this time arguing that we should leave matters as they are and just stay out of it. Take out Saddam? Spank him? Stay out of it? What? It truly frightens me that the most obvious answer to this most serious question was not offered. My deep- rooted hate of Saddam may have begun with his making me miss my Golden Girls, but that does not mean that I'm not furious with the fool for being the cause of so many deaths. If we let him be, not only are we cowards and not finishing what we have started, but we also are allowing a cruel dictator to hurt his own people and leaving him to create weapons that make him a threat to world peace. Furthermore, we run the risk of becoming isolationists, and as we - learned in the World Wars and are again learning be watching China's emergence into the Global Community, isolationism is only temporary. If we spank him around with random bombings and trade embargoes, we would not anger his Republican Guard into eliminating Saddam themselves, as was suggested in the spank him article. Instead, we would only be making Saddam a cornered animal that would strike out in order to survive. If we take out Saddam, would his replacement be worse than he was? How many people would we have to murder before we are satisfied? What if we mess up and there is another Bay-of-Pigs incident? Besides, even if the CIA or the NSA worked its magic and actually “took out Saddam” and installed a puppet ruler in Iraq? At what price? Must we defy our ethics and become murderers simply because it’s a quick _ fix at calming the “fleeting passions of the masses” who chose rather to watch the last five episodes of Sienfeld rather that solve a serious global problem? Do we trust our intelligence bureaus to create justice in Iraq? in the United States? So what should we do? What does our evolved sense of right and wrong help us to recognize as our best course of action? How about helping the Iraqi people win the rights we innocently take for granted? The very rights this country was based on. Why don’t we finish what we started and remove a vile dictator as a threat to world peace and a murderer to hisown people? Let us end all the anti-American propaganda and prove that we are Americans by voting in the UN to help liberate the Iraqi people from their ruler. Let us help them elect their own leaders. We are the greatest nation in the world not because of our military or economical power, but because of our beliefs in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Let us act with the world to help the Iraqi people win their freedom. Penn State Delaware County’s 4th Annual OFF-CAMPUS RETREAT “BUILDING A CLIMATE OF RESPECT” Monday, April 13, 1998 8:45 AM - 4:00 PM atthe Media-Providence Friends Meeting House Media, PA Come for a day of: o lively interactive drama with Venture Theater « small group discussions oe delicious lunch e building a vision of respect for the campus. Come for YOU! Sign up in the Office of Student Life Today 2nd Floor Commons Event Is Free to Campus Participants. Transportation from Campus Will Be Provided. University LGB resources. “Tw nty-five Years of PSU History,” a display concerning lesbian and gay issues, is located in the Vairo Library, along with information about area and B The Facts About Iraq: A Response to the Rebuttal By Rob Coyle Last month two editorials appeared in the Lion's Eye concerning the crisis that was occurring in Iraq at the time. Since then, the crisis has been averted, and although the U.S. has refused to withdraw their aircraft carriers from the surrounding waters, the threat of another war with Iraq has momentarily subsided. “Urban warfare is brutal ... The losses would be massive.” Included in this month’s issue is a response from another student concerning the different approaches outlined in the two previous editorials which the U.S. might have undertaken to eliminate the problems in Iraq. Although well written and thoughtful (I especially liked the part about the ~ Golden Girls), the proposal concerning how we should have responded is not realistic. In the original draft by the writer, it was suggested that a massive force comprised of the U.S., Britain, and other U.N. member nations should invade Iraq and take Saddam out of power with brute force. I argued that although in the long run this tactic would most likely work, the glaring Letter to the Editor To the Editors: I was quoted in the March Lion's Eye as saying “Asians are quiet and submissive. Consequently, they are the last to be helped if they are struggling academically”. I most certainly did not say that was my opinion! However, I do believe that this is the stereotype! I ask the staff to be more careful when printing quotes in the future. Thank you, Ajay Nair Admissions Counselor problem with this approach is that the death toll would be outrageous. The positives simply do not outweigh the negatives. I spoke with Dr. Stephen Cimbala, a professor of Political Science at this campus, concerning this matter. He agreed that this approach simply is not feasible. “Urban warfare is brutal. Imagine thousands of Iraqi citizens hiding behind every window and every door, waiting for the troops to appear. The losses would be massive.” Upon speaking with Dr. Cimbala, I too realized my thinking had been off as well. I had suggested in the March issue that we send an elite force into Baghdad, hoping to pick Saddam off in his sleep. That too is ludicrous; the odds of us even finding Saddam are slim to none. The hypotheses concerning our responses are simply that — guesses. Any attack on Iraq by the U.S. will spur controversy, and possibly terrorist response. Perhaps the best action would be none at all. Previous air-strikes have left Saddam and his forces depleted and basically immobile. His ability to attack surrounding neighbors or even the Kurds that inhabit Iraq has been greatly compromised. Continuing sanctions have left Iraq's once rising economy in shambles. It is time to let - the people of Iraq find out for themselves that life without Saddam would be a much happier and richer life, and for them to take the initiative - to put him out of power themselves. ~ Apparently the writer must have agreed with me, because in the final draft that the Lion's Eye received from him, he had changed his mind completely on how this matter should be undertaken. Perhaps he, too, realized an all - out assault on the city of Baghdad would cause a tremendous loss of life, with nothing truly to gain but a few overworked morticians. I applaud his change of heart and offer one final question concerning this entire matter: why stick our necks out for people who won't stick up for themselves?
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers