I feel I must respond to a letter in Tuesday’s issue of The Herald (“Fighting terrorism: Liberals seem to forget reality”). The writer takes issue with the “liberal” opposition to the war in Iraq. As one who considers herself a liberal and a patriot, I found the letter insulting.
The war in Iraq was never about fighting terrorism. If we had been interested in fighting terrorism we would have poured more resources into Afghanistan and not given bin Laden the two-month lead which allowed him to escape. Of course, the right-wing counter to this argument is always, “Saddam killed thousands of his own people,” which is true. However, there are many tyrants out there who could have been considered for regime change if this is truly about deposing tyrants and liberating countries from their rule. However, these other countries ruled by tyrants are not sitting on top of the second largest oil field in the world. Asking if we remember 9/11 is a diversionary tactic since Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with that event.
Liberals, along with a growing number of conservatives, are well aware that this war is no joke and you won’t find us laughing about the thousands of innocent lives lost in this war, including nearly 1,000 of our U.S. soldiers. Never were we in danger of Iraqis attacking and fighting our citizenry in our streets, and invading Iraq has promoted the recruitment of terrorists in the Middle East with a brand new ax to grind. Our nation is in grave danger as a result of this administration’s reckless invasion, lack of planning, and lack of understanding of the Middle East culture. I have so much more I would like to say, but I will conclude by saying two things. First, I gladly accept the label of liberal. Finally, true patriotism is wanting what is best for our country, not blindly following a misguided leader.
Phyllis Minchew
Everett
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