America Must Stop

Saddam Now

To the Editor:

I was stunned to read a letter to you in the March 7 issue of The Bee comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler. The very fact that one could write such a letter without fear of some form of government reprisal speaks volumes for the freedoms we as Americans enjoy.

Now to the matter at hand, i.e., the development, use, and sale of weapons of mass destruction by the country of Iraq. Combined with their support of terrorist groups. As a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, I saw first hand the methods employed by Saddam Hussein and his cronies. Let me give you a few examples.

Animals in the Kuwait City Zoo used for target practice. Civilian airliners blown to bits while parked at the Kuwait City International Airport. More oil spilled into the environment (on purpose) than the Exxon Valdez accident.

Those are mild examples. Now to the good stuff, nerve gas used against war protesters. Something that CNN or MSNBC will never broadcast since the Iraq military manages the press and controlled where they go and what they report. Remember the use of human shields in the Gulf War? Who can forget the boy from Great Britain who was held by Saddam in a military installation to ward off attacks by allied air forces?

It is commonplace for the Kurds to be killed, raped, or tortured in the name of national (Iraq) security. Entire villages have been wiped out so that opposition to Saddam can be squelched. The most common tactic employed was mustard gas. A horrible way to die. Remember the Kurds actually founded Iraq!

I know first hand of a woman who protested Saddam’s agenda. She was beaten, raped, and then thrown in a prison cell. When her baby was born she was denied food and water. The baby died in a few days, then the mother was subjected to another round of rape and beating by Iraq soldiers before being put to death.

My unit captured several Iraq soldiers. When questioned they all told the same story. If they deserted their officers told them “we know where your parents live, where your wife and children live…we will kill them if you desert your post.”

No one wants war. After 28 years in the Army and as the father of an Army officer I want a peaceful resolution more than anyone can imagine. Given Saddam Hussein’s history of deception, lies, and use of weapons of mass destruction I do not believe he will surrender to world opinion.

UN Resolution 1441 and a vote by Congress both call for the use of force to disarm Iraq. We can wait for more time to pass but in the way of an innocent child on a long trip how do we know when “we are there”? Germany and France have expressed opposition to a second UN resolution. Their foot dragging is the result of a politician’s ego in Germany and a school of thought out of touch with a minor role in global economy on the part of France.

Hitler would have welcomed Saddam Hussein into his inner circle. Those in the country who speak and write against the efforts of the current administration to fix a mess left over by Bill Clinton and his cronies need not fear a nerve gas attack. Service men and women I served with fought for your right to free speech. America must stop Saddam now or face another North Korea.

Yours truly,

RP Gottmeier

Colonel, USAR (Retired)

13 Antler Pine Road, Sandy Hook                               March 8, 2003