Bronson, Scott Prof Dali Oped

Iraq War

We all remember that tragic day on September 11, 2001 when hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center. Those were horrific scenes. We might recall when President George W. Bush gave addressed the public about the terrorist attacks and the War of Iraq Cnn reports president bush speech Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or in their offices -- secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers. Moms and dads. Friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. Im not here to talk about the past and what happened. I am here to talk about the future of the United States when it comes to war and how we can make better decisions. At the time, declaring war seemed like the right thing to do after our country was so tragically affected. But, after a while, I believe America lost sight of what we were fighting for and who we were fighting against. I believe there is a lot that can be done so that the United States is not put in a position like that again. During the two World Wars, the United States had a clear objective and reasonable amount of information to go to war. For World War I the ship Lusitania, which was carrying American citizens, was sunk by Germans for carrying supplies. World War II was a no brainer as Pearl Harbor was attacked destroying most of our planes and sinking two of our carriers. For these wars, there was a great deal of American support because there was a strong, logical reason for both to occur. As for the Iraq War, the basis of attack was because of Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction that he apparently had and was hiding. According to Hinessbusch Bush had to claim that Saddam Hussein was linked to al-Qaida and was actively developing weapons of mass destruction. When the United States attacked and seized Iraq, there were no traces of weapons of mass destruction. Why am I comparing past wars and this current one? Well, because if we dont have enough information on a specific objective, we will waste lives and money on tasks that are unnecessary and wrong. Another way a war like this can be avoided is not relying on the government to make these decisions, but the people of America instead. The government should release important, useful, and true information to the public and let the public decide if it is enough to declare war. After all, it is the public's people, men and women, who will be fighting in the war, not the rich

people in office. By showing the public what is really going on it will help with approval and could even stop protesting. But how does this help the citizens of the U.S? By showing the citizens information on the war, they will be more inclined to listen to reason and stand behind their government if they need to. If the citizens disagree with them, they would have the chance to speak out, save money, and more importantly lives of innocent soldiers. How does this work? If the people of America are shown the facts of the world, they will have a stronger foundation to make their decisions off of.

This picture above shows how horrible the Iraq war truly is. The numbers Say it all.

Finally, by seeing and actually voting on acts of government, the people could also obtain the ability to approve military action on the situation. Since they saw all the pros and cons of the situation and they voted on what was actually happening, they will feel more relaxed knowing they had a say in action rather than feeling like they are casting a vote in the dark. Not only will this new system of government work, but by doing this the American people will also feel a lot safer knowing that their voice counts. There would be no hidden evidence or secrets swept under the rug because the people would now feel as if they are part of the situation and that they control of what happens next. As humans, there is nothing we strive for more than control. In the end, it all comes down to your personal politics, thoughts, and feelings about the situation. Believe it or not you too have a say on what happens in this upcoming war. In essence, that is what our Founding Father's fought so heavily for: A country for the people, by the people, and of the people.

Reference Page Hinnesbusch, R. H. (2007). The american invasion of Iraq: cause and consequences . Un- published raw data, Institute of Middle East,

Text of bush's address. (2001, september 11). Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/bush.speech.text/