No,Non, Nein, Nyet.
This weblog has not issued any statement on the upcoming war with Iraq. Until now.

As editor of the ModerateRepublican, I think that the rush to war is illogical, ill-advised, ill-timed and immoral.

I should say, I'm not your typical person against this war. I do not think that America is a "terrorist state" because of certain policies. I do not think any war is for oil. I also do think there are times when military action is complete justified. I had very little truck with the boming of Afghanistan after September 11. That was or is, a war of self-defense to stem a treat to our very existence as a people. We have a military in order to protect us from those who would seek to destroy the world as we know it.

But this upcoming war is not a war of self-defense. It is not even a preemptive war vis a vis Israel in the Six Day War of 1967. It is a preventative war on the chancethat Iraq might at some point develop a weapon of mass destruction to use against us or to give to terrorists. However, Iraq would do that at its peril. Even if they gave a nuclear, chemical or biological weapon to a group such as Al Queda, it would be likley that we would find the return address and strike back. Hussein maybe an evil man, but he is far from stupid. He would not risk losing his power by giving a weapon that could be traced back to him. He know the consquences would be his head.

Preventative war is a dangerous idea that threatens global stability. If we can attack Iraq on a vague threat, then can China attack Taiwan? Can India take on Pakistan? If we go into this risky venture, we have no leg to stand on if these other nations start wars on their own vague threats.

As an ordained minister, I also believe that preventative wars goes against Christian teaching. Many Christians beleive that war is a last resort. It is only used when it would be worse to not go to war. It does not appear at this time that we have come to that point of last resort. And in spite of comments to the contrary, Saddam is not a modern Hitler. He is a two bit tyrant that has threatened the world but he is far from the Arab furher.


Those who favor war talk about how he has tortured his own people. Yes he has. He is not a lover of human rights and has had a bloddy history of maiming and injuring those who get in his way. Many cite the fact that he gassed his own people in the last days of the Iran-Iraq war. Again, that is true and it is ghastly. But it happened 15 years ago, and Washington did not seem to care then. Why is that we are crying foul of something that happened over a decade ago when at the time we hardly cared? Yes, Hussien should have been called to the carpet for gassing the Kurds, but it should have happened a long time ago.

Then there is the connection to Al Queda. There are those who think that Iraq is behind every major terror attack that took place in the nineties. The evidence is pretty scant. The connections between Iraq,led by a secular Arab regime and the Isalmic fundamentalist Al Queda are pretty loose if they exist at all. The latest message from bin Laden talks about standing with the Iraqi people, but there was very little love for Hussien. If there was proof that Iraq had helped the conspirators of 9/11 then we should warm up the planes. However, the evidence is scant to none. If there is a clear link then the Bush Administation needs to give it to us and not give us conjecture.

Finally, this war takes us a way from our prime objective: the war on terrorism. We are at war with a enemy that wants to wipe us out. They have a warped view of religion that sanctions killing in the name of God. Focusing on Iraq has taken us off the goal. Plus, a war could also give us more solidiers in bin Laden's army of darkness that will end up trying to wreak havoc in the United States.

The French are correct in saying that we need to let the inspections work. Let them be backed up by peackeeping troops or military troops that could strike suspected targets if need be. But let us not create suffering for millions simply on some hunch. That is not conservative and it is not American.