Many now say that the Iraq War is not just. Amazing how that changed from just days after 9/11 when 3000 American deaths were recorded on our own soil. And that was from only 3 locations. It does not include the rest of intended East Coast locations to be hit, or the intended targets on the West Coast as well.
Relatively few faiths have rules for a ‘just war’, but the Catholic Faith has previously derived a “Just War” doctrine. That doctrine includes:
1) the damage inflicted by the aggressor must be lasting, grave, and certain
2) all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective
3) there must be serious prospects of success
4) the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated
Most everyone, including Bush, looked at these conditions, and decided that Hussein must step down. Most agree that the above conditions have been met. But the question remains: What does Hussein have to do with 9/11?
First, from documentation found in one of Hussein’s palaces [fmso.leavenworth.army.mil/products.docex.htm], it was determined that Hussein aided and abetted radical terrorist groups routinely. It was Bush who said immediately after the 9/11 terrorist attack, “You’re either for terrorism, or against it.” It was known that Hussein had WMDs from initial conflicts. He would not say they even existed, and lied profusely about their existence on a 14,000 page document he later provided.
In the Freedom of Information Act it was admitted that more than 300,000 troops likely breathed small doses of sarin gas (WMD) during the initial incursion into Iraq. Hussein would not admit that his people had been to Niger hunting for ‘yellowcake’—the primary building block for nuclear weapons (WMD). Brit intelligence stands by this fact today.
Putin(Russia) had told the US previously that Hussein had planned to use WMDs against the US. Even Iraqi General Georges Saddas had written a book(Saddam’s Secrets) about how Hussein had shipped WMDs to Syria before the incursion. Intelligence found out Hussein’s own generals believed he would use their WMDs if the allies invaded. The list doesn’t stop there.
So many remember even the pope disliked the war that ensued. Most did. But John Paul’s comments were only infallible for religion and morality, and he would not go so far as to say the war was immoral. It’s likely he already knew about the atrocities being committed by Hussein. And pacifists need to take heed of God’s aid to people in military conflict, which occurred over 10 times in the Old Testament. And Jesus even took a whip to drive out moneychangers in the Temple (NAB; John 2:15).
From the reams of information linking Hussein to the terrorists that struck on 9/11, as well as the reams for Hussein’s WMD plans, the war was a just one.
That conclusion is a must when people realize that America did not take the vast Iraqi oil reserves, did not impose it’s form of government, it has helped rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure and electric grid, there has been no intended attacks on non-combatants, there is no intention to acquire additional land, there was hundreds of successful attempts in Iraq preventing civilian deaths from terrorist IEDs, Hussein was stopped from attempts at shooting down allied jets in the no-fly zone, from routinely cutting out tongues, putting Iraqis in ‘shredders’, and just killing his own people at whim. The definition of “occupation” never fit.
And just recently, Bush has advised ‘Democrat’ presidential candidates (Clinton & Obama) that it might be wise to curtail the rhetoric about removing the troops from Iraq immediately. In fact, almost all Democrat candidates have recounted their pledge to do just that. Clinton even says (if she’s elected) the troops will be home starting in 2009. It would have been good to be a fly on the wall during those discussions. It sounds like Democrat candidates realize that promises to bring the troops home immediately is not feasible—because maybe they needed to be there.
What did Bush say to those candidates to make them change their mind about troop return? Why would so many sour from killed American troops that stopped terrorists over there, instead of here? It seems many just don’t have the stomach for true freedom, which has never been free.
Albert Einstein said, “The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” Jesus abhorred violence, but was definitely not a pacifist. The Old Testament proves that in spades. But it can be said that in all their good intentions, pacifists have indeed made this a more dangerous world.
Kevin Roeten can be reached at roetenks@charter.net or kevin@kevinroeten.us.
