The Lay person's Guide to Bombing Iraq

February 13, 1998

You may have heard that the U.S. wants to bomb Iraq if Saddam Hussein does not give in to our weapon-inspection demands. What you may not have heard is that such an issue is never this simple. What we are contemplating is war. And contrary to the belief of those who say "bomb those damn Iraqis!" as I pass out my peace flyers, war is not remote or safe or well-removed from our lives. War is death. War is the rape of other nations and the manipulation of those who serve. War is coming, and until you speak out against it, you are this very moment giving it your stamp of approval...

Would you agree with my following statement: we should avoid war at all costs or, in other words, we should avoid the slaughtering not only of our so-called "enemy" but also that of our own soldiers? Do you WANT war? In my opinion, the U.S. is not exploring alternative options or even thinking about discussing peace and trying to find solutions that are best not only for the American people but also for the people of Iraq.

It is much too simple to say, "bomb those damn Iraqis!" - especially when the only person you really know from Iraq, the only face you have to put with a country of many, is that of a "bad man" - Saddam Hussein. "Clearly evil," our government and media tell us. Do you know what an Iraqi child looks like? I'll bet you a cup of coffee it looks almost exactly like the last American baby you saw. Someone once said, "there are no capitalist babies, there are no communist babies, there are just babies." Are you ready to take the responsibility for their slaughter? Until you speak-out, you are doing just this.

Put yourself in the place of an Iraqi citizen right now. Your leader is making ultimatums and decisions which are going to drastically affect your life, decisions which you feel powerless to control. The American and the Iraqi are not so far off. I do not agree with what my government is spouting out about Iraq; is it such a distant notion that an Iraqi (in fact many) does not agree with what their government is saying? And even if they do agree with their government, is that reason to kill them? Should I be ready to kill the next pro-war person I meet?

War with Iraq is not the remote concept you would expect from the media's treatment of it. War is war, for those fighting on all sides. It means the death and injury of at least one of your loved-ones or the loved-ones of your friends. It means new graveyards to visit in memory of those who served to defend...to defend what? What do you think we are ready to fight for?

If you wanted to read into this issue, you might discover that common sense will take you far. Please feel free to knock down the following philosophical arguments, or use them in your own debates: if Saddam is such a bad person and a horrible dictator, why do we want to bomb the very citizens that he is doing this horrible dictating to? Would we victimize his victims in an effort to harm him, which by the way we did unsuccessfully during our last invasion, the Gulf War in 1991 (in fact, US economic sanctions against Iraq since then have already caused a huge amount of poverty and death for the children and poor of this country)? And why are we using our weapons of mass destruction to convince Iraq that they should not use or create their weapons of mass destruction? It's like hitting someone in order to stop them from hitting you.

Fortunately, it is not too late to join the millions of people across the world who are opposed to the impending U.S. action against Iraq. You heard it - right at this very second, there are protesters walking among you, planning mass demonstrations in over 50 major cities across the country...and even the mouse-town is taking part! Join concerned community members for a peace vigil every Wednesday on Mills Lawn (the front lawn of Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave, Winter Park, FL) at 10pm. Hear local activists plot anti-war strategics! Watch the local media go nuts over college kids evoking the 60s! Light candles! Chant "peace"! Get educated! Speak out! Act out! Whatever you do, never be afraid to ask questions...and never shut up. Call me to take Orlando into the Anti-War-With-Iraq-Movement...407-671-2904, or e-mail me.

--Melodie Malfa

Melodie Malfa
is a student at Rollins who actively participates in the Central Florida Film and Video Festival. She also spearheads Voices for Justice, an organization that pursues anti-war activities and other humanist causes.