You are very passionate about your feelings and I applaud that. Many Americans agree with you. I would just add to your comments the reality that 4000-5000 children DIE in Iraq EVERY MONTH now . That information is available from many sources, but was stated by the UN in 1998. At a minimum, since 1998, that is roughly 144,000 children that have died. Many would say that is due to sanctions against Iraq and others would say it is because Iraq takes the money for its oil and invests it into its military INSTEAD of its people. Both are probably true. Still, there is probably more death and destruction ocurring in Iraq now and has occurred during that past 12 years (and could occur in the future if no one steps in) than will occur during the conflict itself. That does not take away from the reality that war brings death and destruction along with freedom from dictatorship. It should be put in perspective though.

As to the UN being a viable force, I believe the UN is NOT one now by its own accord, not due to President Bush's decision to act outside of the UN security council. Lets not forget that President Clinton did NOT ask for UN permission to bomb Iraq nor for Kosovo or Bosnia. In regards to current events however, I believe it was Angola that surrendered its WMD to the UN voluntarily as well as South Africa. Iraq refused to do so, not just during the last couple of months, but over a 12 year period of UN resolutions. Whatever compliance Iraq has met has only occurred after military troops surrounded his country, not before. It is truly sad and tragic that military force is going to be used now, but it is not surprising. Whether or not the UN agrees (although 30 countries publicly and 15 in quiet do support the U.S. policy) with President Bush, he is beholden to do what he feels is in America's interest, not the UN's interests alone. He may pay the price for that if it is determined that Iraq did not present a threat to the U.S. when the Saddam regime is out of Iraq or he may be vindicated in his viewpoint of a clear security threat to U.S. Only time will tell now.

Regardless, I believe that the UN needs to start being a viable force now and begin to enforce all pertinent UN resolutions beginning with Israel and its occupation of territories. There are other countries in the world today that are suffering massive deaths on a daily basis and nothing is being done there either. They need to step up to the plate in accordance with their charter.


Tracy

>Dear fellows,
>
>At this shadow moment we all are anxiously waiting for the start of the iminent war agaisnt Iraq, I'd like to express some of my deepest and sincere feelings.
>
>Sadam Hussein is a bastard nasty sadic dictator that have been massacrating Iraq's miserable people for decades and being a dangerous threat to all Iraq's neighbours and the ethnic minorities that live in there. There is no nedd to be longer about this, everybody knows it.
>
>No one person can deny that Sadam must be caught and put in jail (along with his bastard sons and all that sadic gang of criminals that accompanies him in torturing Iraq's people).
>
>Sadam is a threat, not to the free world, he's a threat to all forms os life in earth!
>
>He must be deposed, caught and put in jail.
>
>On the other hand we can see that the vast majority of people around the world doesn't support a war against Iraq. That seems to be a paradox at the first glance. If all agree about Sadam why not to make the war? Are those people manifesting against war supporting Sadam? OF COURSE NOT!
>
>The Iraqi people is the answer. We feel compassion and simpathy for the Iraqi people, those that have been suffering in the hands of that nasty bastard! Isn't that enough? Should they be, once more, subject of a war?
>
>It won't be a war, it'll be a MASSACRE, a bastard massacre! Don't you believe? Hundreds of thousands of well fed, well dressed, well trained and well armoured soldiers backed by the most fantastic war machine in world's history against a bunch of miserable soldiers of the Iraqi army. They'll not fight against an army they'll fight against ordinary people.
>
>The most fantastic technology, coming from land and watching from the skies to kill thousands and thousands of miserable people, men, women, old people, young children. It'll be a bastard massacre! They will destroy lives! Poor lives!
>
>What Bush will say in TV network to the whole world the day after they put the US flag in a desintegrated Bagdad: "American people... we won the war... our great soldiers smashed the evil... we set the Iraqi people free...". Words of glory! Words of pride! SHAME! Should be words of shame!
>
>It will be a massacre, a bastard ingominiuos infame massacre, that can only be compared to the atrocities Sadam has been doing!
>
>Of what kind of people is made the Bush administration? Of complete idiots? Hyprocrits? They do not have any people with sufficient inteligence to build a plan to catch Sadam? The only thing they can think as a solution is a bastard massacre war? That's unbelievelable!
>
>The US isn't the most powerfull contry in this damned world with the most briliant minds amongst its people? And they cannot think in any other solution to catch Sadam other than a War? That's unbelievelable!
>
>I can't believe they can't make a plan other than a war. I swear to God I can't! If there was such a plan the whole world would support the US to make it real. But no, the only plan is the war! That's unbelievelable!
>
>There is no excuse! If Bush wants the war, and it COULD BE there another plan, then, please pardom me here, he must be as stupid as Sadam.
>
>If he wants the war, and is not supported by most of the world leaders and people, there must be a very dark purpose behind that. It's the only thing I can think.
>
>Once more: Sadam is a criminal, and should be caught and put in jail, period! But nothing justifies the usage of the brute force against a whole country to achieve that. Poor Iraqi people, the suffering will last for as long as just God knows.
>
>Pardom me for the emotive words, but I can't stand it, nothing justifies this war.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Fernando