Reader: We're Right to Be in Iraq

A reader writes:

"The War in Iraq - Support our Troops, but question how we got there"

For me I think the question is not how or necessarily why we got started, but is it the right answer? How and why are questions that need to be answered by people who, when they see injustice, they consider it someone else's problem. For example, I am not that child's father and do not need to instruct him that what he is doing is wrong. I see someone breaking into a house and do not need to act to correct it because it is not my house. For the past 20 years we have allowed terrorists to pick at us because they perpetrated acts in other people's homes, other countries. We felt as a nation the expense of correcting the child was too high. Is what we are doing in Iraq the right thing?

I think doing the right thing and correcting injustice, protecting the children of the world and teaching them how to coexist is our duty as the most privileged nation in the world. In the case of Iraq they have lied to the International community, their own citizens, and broken international laws since well before the first gulf war. Whether the answer is WMD, Human Rights Violations, extreme embezzlement (Oil for Food), or simple deceit (Ministry of Information) the only response is to correct the wrong regardless of the price.

I have had a chance to travel and see not the worst the world has to offer, but I have seen some poor situations. I hope that when I see someone doing something wrong I have the conviction to act to correct it. I think as a nation we have finally taken that step. I am proud that we have. We are building schools and creating stability in a region where there was no hope for anything before we acted.

I would also add that while terrorists have picked at the US for the past 20 years on foreign soil, they recently brought it into our house. It is the saddest thing that it took that escalation to compel us to act and do what has always been the right answer. We ask our police, fire, and teachers to correct the wrongs of children of all ages on our soil everyday, why shouldn't our elected officials do the same? As the world continues to get smaller and the human race grows its homes closer and closer together we will need to continue to help protect our neighbor's interests even if they can not chase the crook themselves.