In the words of Congressman Virgil Goode (R-Va.), "If you're in a room with a rattlesnake and you have a hoe, are you just going to wait for it to bite you?"
On Monday, the College Republicans and members of the community sponsored a "Support the President Rally" on the steps of the Rotunda. This was not a "pro-war" rally. This was a show of support for our President in a time of impending crisis. It was a pledge to maintain our national security. And it showed that some people are not willing to sit back and wait for another Sept. 11 to occur before taking action.
Contrary to popular belief, "taking action" does not mean "waging unnecessary war in an attempt to control the entire world." I can speak with certainty when I say that nobody wants a war. What Republicans want, believe it or not, is peace. Despite multiple orders to disarm, however, Saddam Hussein remains a formidable threat not only to the United States, but to the world at large.
Hussein has had over a decade to disarm, as a condition of the end of the Persian Gulf War. And for over a decade, he has refused to do so. On Monday, Hussein reportedly told CBS News that he would not destroy his country's Al Samoud 2 missiles -- long-range weapons of mass destruction -- despite demands to do so by U.N. weapons inspectors and as required by U.N. Resolution 1441. The United States has submitted a new Resolution to the United Nations declaring that Hussein has missed his final opportunity to disarm. France, however, has absurdly counteracted this by proposing to give him another four months.
Obviously, Hussein has no plans to disarm. He has had over 10 years in which to do so and has done nothing but defy international demands. Allowing him another four months, at this point, is nothing more than appeasing a man who has no intention of coming to any sort of peaceful resolution.
Saddam Hussein is a madman. Based on interviews conducted with former employees, he has killed his own people. He allegedly has tortured Iraqi soccer players for losing matches. His sons allegedly have raped countless women and murdered innocent people, all right under Hussein's nose. And some of us want to negotiate with a man like this.
Millions of anti-war protestors last weekend claimed that Hussein has done nothing to us to directly warrant a United States-led attack on his country. Aside from his first battling American forces during a little thing called the Gulf War, it is true that Hussein has not attacked the United States. However, he has refused to operate in accordance with the United Nations. He has repeatedly and openly threatened America, our people and our troops. Knowing how he treats his own people, there is little question what he would do to us had he the capability to launch a direct attack. And, most disturbingly of all, Hussein has recently been discovered to have possible ties to the al Qaeda network ("Al-Qaeda, Iraq partners in terror, CNN.com, Feb. 5), who, 18 months ago, killed 3000 of our own citizens in the most horrific attacks our country has ever seen.
The rally on Monday showed that some of us are not willing to wait until Hussein attacks. We are not willing to wait until another 3000 people are killed before deciding to take action. Bush does not want to start a war. He simply wants to ensure the safety and protection of American citizens. Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction that he refuses to destroy. It is only a matter of time before he uses them.
As George Washington once said, "to be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." Hussein has not, and will not, respond to international calls to disarm. Saddam Hussein himself has shown that he does not believe in peaceful resolutions. By remaining in violation of the United Nations, he is forcing us to take action against him.
It would be wonderful if Saddam decided to follow U.N. orders and disarm -- especially since he is and has been under obligation to do so. He can peacefully avoid any conflicts by simply complying with last fall's unanimous resolution of the Security Council. Based on the past year, however, the chances of Hussein disarming are about as good as a snowball's chance in hell.
Therefore, it is imperative that our country support Bush and his plans during this crucial time. The U.N. resolution recently submitted by the United States does not specify what kind of action the United States will take if Hussein fails to comply with weapons inspectors; it merely states that he will face "serious consequences." Hussein is a dangerous threat to our country. His willingness to defy U.N. regulations provides only a glimpse of what more he is willing to try. There is already a mountain of evidence that justifies taking military action against him. But there is also so much more that we don't know about.
Ironic as it may seem, considering the disreputable behavior of our last president, America simply needs to trust Bush. The government undoubtedly has information that cannot be made aware to the general public for national security reasons. Naive as it may sound, there are more reasons than we know of for Bush's decisions regarding Iraq, and as a nation we must stand behind him.
Monday's rally was a refreshing sign that not everyone is ready to jump on the anti-war bandwagon. Not everyone is willing to delay action until it is too late. And not everyone has deserted our well-intentioned President. I'll be at every rally that supports our President and our nation. Will you?
(Kristin Brown is a Cavalier Daily viewpoint writer.)
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