Hi all,
Here's a letter I sent to the Mining Journal. We'll see if they publish it. Gail

The Mining Journal
Marquette, Michigan
September 2, 2002

To the Editor:

The drumbeats of war from the administration in Washington are getting
louder, making a U.S. invasion of Iraq seem inevitable. Sadam Hussein is a
despot, and threatens his neighbors and his own people. Is war
inevitable? If so, some things need to be considered before we unleash the
dogs.

A first step is to demand through the U.N. that Iraq allow unfettered
weapons inspections with a time limit for compliance.
Second, Congress should conduct intense and timely debates on the issues
such a war implies.

Who pays? Most importantly, people will pay in loss and disruption of
lives. including those in our military. The dollar cost of a war has been
estimated at $60 billion. Our country has a budget deficit of $165 billion
this year, with projected deficits for several years into the future. And
this is without a war to pay for. The Gulf war ten years ago was financed
largely by our allies; who and where are these allies with deep pockets today?
Invasion of Iraq puts Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other neighbors in
range of present Iraqi weapons. Iraqi attacks on these countries could
plunge the whole region into a conflagration.

Consider the consequences of a U.S. victory in Iraq. Will we be
responsible for the rehabilitation of the country, with its Kurdish,
Shiite, and Sunni factions? Who will govern? What if militant Islamists
take over in a democratic election?

What will happen to oil prices? The Arab world would surely not be pleased
with an attack on their Arab brothers. We are hostage to their oil. Are
we doing anything in this country to wean ourselves from this
dependence? We can and should as a matter of national policy, with needed
incentives, mandate a program to decrease our use of oil and increase use
of renewable resources. Do we need another oil crisis as a wake-up call?
What, if anything, would war with Iraq do for the war on terrorism? Saudi
Arabia, Pakistan, and others presently harbor Al Qaeda and other militant
Islamists, yet they are our supposed allies.

I encourage those in Washington and around the country to think about these
questions before we go to war.

Gail Griffith
806 W. Kaye
Marquette
225-0416