Thursday, February 13, 2003

If this is a protest against the war I find it hard to follow. The writer talks about a family of Iraqis who fled the country in 1991 after one had been involved in an attempted coup against Saddam. She talks about their struggle and survival here in America with their 11 children. Then concludes with this.

Here, in our midst, live 11 more Iraqi children than there might have been, 11 who have the opportunity not just to survive, but to thrive, handing war its ultimate rejection.

I have this to ask Ms. Nelson.

If you are opposed to the war on humanitarian grounds. How many families have been, are being and will continue to be destroyed, how many fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters will be tortured and murdered in front of their families if Saddam and his progeny (all of whom are well documented proponents of personally overseeing murder and torture) stay in power. Would the Al-Ghurairis and their children still be alive in Saddam's Iraq today? How many of them would be struggling to survive in Saddam's Gulag right now? Would their children be held as blackmail for the Al-Ghurairis 'loyalty'?

I had a professor who fled from Iraq in the 80's and from what I learned I believe that a short time of horror and death will be far better in the long run that the decades of despair and oppression that will come in the wake of a Hussein dynasty. At least when the bombs stopped falling they could come out in the streets and breath free air. And with 20% of the population now living out of the country waiting to come back and bring new ideas and money and learning they can make a great start. I think what we should focus on is making sure we don't let them falter when it is done.

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