Friday, December 19, 2003
Thoughts on Iraq
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________________________________________________________________________
Message: 3
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2003 07:16:33 -0800
From: "XXXXXXX"
Subject: Re: Capture of Saddam
"If you look at 'The Reigle Report' (1994) to US Congress and will find it
is your government (and mine) which supplied Iraq with biological (and
chemical) agents in the first place"
Doesn't this make it OUR responsibility to remove him from power, since it
was our funding and training that assisted Saddam in gaining such power
and it was our agents that caused so much death? What if GWBush is simply
acting on his conscience to right a wrong done a generation before? Is it
so wrong to admit that we erred and need to correct it?
Before you criticize the actions of a President in this manner, consider
talking to someone who has lived under the rule of Saddam first. One
family in my parish escaped from Saddam's tyranny 15 years ago, when he
was persecuting Christians. I asked them of their opinion of the war
against Saddam. (Remember, it wasn't against Iraqi's, it was against
Saddam.) She said it was an answer to their prayers...a prayer they have
been praying for at least 30 years. She actually said the media has not
told half of the horror that she personally knew was caused by Saddam.
And Papal infallibility does NOT mean the Pope is always right on all
things...only on things with regard to the teaching of Faith and Morals.
Please remember, even though the Holy Father condemned the war, he was not
speaking in an encyclical, or ex cathedra. He is allowed to make
statements of guidance, but even then, the only statement he made
regarding this particular issue is that war should always be avoided. He
was, in fact, very careful NOT to say this was against the Catholic faith
because he knew many Catholics were being deployed. How could he condemn
the action without condemning every soldier involved to the committing of
a sin by obeying their leader and going to war? And, in the end, it was
very clear how the Americans were going out of their way to limit the loss
of life, even to the point of putting themselves at greater risk.
I don't think the parallel of Hitler and Poland is a valid one. If I
remember correctly, there weren't Polish people cheering and greeting
Hitler's tanks as they rolled through the Polish capital, nor was there
any mass extermination of any religious group by the American troops.
As to the "blasphemies of the president", I would caution you. FDR opted
to avoid getting involved in WWII because we DIDN'T see it as our
responsibility to keep peace in the world. 6 million plus deaths later,
we saw how wrong we were. Evil thrives when the good do nothing. If we
take a position to "leave the job to God" to create peace on this earth,
what happens to the idea of creating the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, as we
are exhorted to do as followers of Christ? Elimination of evil men is not
the same as imperialism.
Let me present a different scenario to you. Everyone in Europe chose to
remain silent as Hitler invaded country after country...insisting it
wasn't "their problem". When they saw Hitler stroll into their country,
they were stunned (i.e., France). Are we required to ignore that which is
happening only until it causes massive death and destruction? No. Apathy
is the reason evil thrives. To condemn a person for acting when the
evidence was clearly shown that God's little ones were suffering is to
hand the world over to the evildoers of the world.
One thing to consider...everyone is God's child. Therefore, what the U.S.
has done by capturing Saddam and his cronies is it has given them, as
God's children, an opportunity for repentance. If Saddam was allowed to
continue on with control of Iraq, I somehow doubt he would have ever
considered what he was doing was wrong. However, he may consider that
now. Although we cannot judge a human soul, we MUST judge human actions.
Pax,
XXXXXXXX
email: XXXXX@XXXXX.net
"For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is
unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked." --Bill Cosby
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 3
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2003 07:16:33 -0800
From: "XXXXXXX"
Subject: Re: Capture of Saddam
"If you look at 'The Reigle Report' (1994) to US Congress and will find it
is your government (and mine) which supplied Iraq with biological (and
chemical) agents in the first place"
Doesn't this make it OUR responsibility to remove him from power, since it
was our funding and training that assisted Saddam in gaining such power
and it was our agents that caused so much death? What if GWBush is simply
acting on his conscience to right a wrong done a generation before? Is it
so wrong to admit that we erred and need to correct it?
Before you criticize the actions of a President in this manner, consider
talking to someone who has lived under the rule of Saddam first. One
family in my parish escaped from Saddam's tyranny 15 years ago, when he
was persecuting Christians. I asked them of their opinion of the war
against Saddam. (Remember, it wasn't against Iraqi's, it was against
Saddam.) She said it was an answer to their prayers...a prayer they have
been praying for at least 30 years. She actually said the media has not
told half of the horror that she personally knew was caused by Saddam.
And Papal infallibility does NOT mean the Pope is always right on all
things...only on things with regard to the teaching of Faith and Morals.
Please remember, even though the Holy Father condemned the war, he was not
speaking in an encyclical, or ex cathedra. He is allowed to make
statements of guidance, but even then, the only statement he made
regarding this particular issue is that war should always be avoided. He
was, in fact, very careful NOT to say this was against the Catholic faith
because he knew many Catholics were being deployed. How could he condemn
the action without condemning every soldier involved to the committing of
a sin by obeying their leader and going to war? And, in the end, it was
very clear how the Americans were going out of their way to limit the loss
of life, even to the point of putting themselves at greater risk.
I don't think the parallel of Hitler and Poland is a valid one. If I
remember correctly, there weren't Polish people cheering and greeting
Hitler's tanks as they rolled through the Polish capital, nor was there
any mass extermination of any religious group by the American troops.
As to the "blasphemies of the president", I would caution you. FDR opted
to avoid getting involved in WWII because we DIDN'T see it as our
responsibility to keep peace in the world. 6 million plus deaths later,
we saw how wrong we were. Evil thrives when the good do nothing. If we
take a position to "leave the job to God" to create peace on this earth,
what happens to the idea of creating the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, as we
are exhorted to do as followers of Christ? Elimination of evil men is not
the same as imperialism.
Let me present a different scenario to you. Everyone in Europe chose to
remain silent as Hitler invaded country after country...insisting it
wasn't "their problem". When they saw Hitler stroll into their country,
they were stunned (i.e., France). Are we required to ignore that which is
happening only until it causes massive death and destruction? No. Apathy
is the reason evil thrives. To condemn a person for acting when the
evidence was clearly shown that God's little ones were suffering is to
hand the world over to the evildoers of the world.
One thing to consider...everyone is God's child. Therefore, what the U.S.
has done by capturing Saddam and his cronies is it has given them, as
God's children, an opportunity for repentance. If Saddam was allowed to
continue on with control of Iraq, I somehow doubt he would have ever
considered what he was doing was wrong. However, he may consider that
now. Although we cannot judge a human soul, we MUST judge human actions.
Pax,
XXXXXXXX
email: XXXXX@XXXXX.net
"For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is
unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked." --Bill Cosby
