To the Editor: I am writing in response to the article that ran in the March 3 issue of The New Hampshire that ran under the headline "Students brave the snow to promote peace." I completely support their right to promote peace and voice their displeasure with the war; that's their right as Americans, after all. But I do feel the need to voice some of my disapproval with the Peace and Justice League and also offer a rebuttal to their basic argument for withdrawal. I have been aware of the protests the Peace and Justice League has staged for several months now. And although I disagree with their stance on the Iraq War, I respect their right to voice their opinion in the middle of town, as previously stated. What I do have a problem with, however, is their complete lack of respect for the space they choose to protest on, the Durham War Memorial. After one of their protests a few months ago, I noticed that they had left this space a complete mess and decided not to pick up after themselves. I would think that proper etiquette around memorials would fall under the notion of common sense, but maybe I'm wrong. My roommate served in Fallujah for eight months during 2006 and while he, too, had no problem with the protests, I can't tell you how pissed off it made him to see that the Peace and Justice League showed an utter lack of respect for a space that is, ironically, meant to honor those who fought for the Peace and Justice League's very right to stage these very protests. Furthermore, there was an instance in the article where they told a Vietnam Vet with a son in Iraq that they wanted to bring his son home. That's quite thoughtful of them, however, did they ever consider that the Vet's son might actually want to be in Iraq and serve his country? The draft was done away with a long time ago. This is not Vietnam where the government is plucking kids from society and tossing them into war. Those who are going away to serve in Iraq, as well as Afghanistan and other parts of the world, chose to sign up for the military during a time of war. No one was forcing them to sign up. Give those who have opted to sign up for the military some credit. They were fully aware of the risks, and yet they still opted to enter the armed forces and serve their country, which is to be admired. Along with my roommate, I have met a handful of people who served in Fallujah as well, and I can tell you that none of their interests are represented in your protests. I realize there are those in the military who do agree with your stance, but if you ask those who have served or are currently serving, the general consensus amongst them is that they want to succeed and want to be given the opportunity to succeed, which they have been over the past year. Just because you never hear this side of the story and only seek out those servicemen who agree with your point of view does not make this the minority opinion. Which brings me to my chance to voice my opinion on the Iraq War. I am, by no means, a huge supporter of George W. Bush; for the most part I disapprove of the job he has done as president. However, I think you have to look realistically at the situation at hand and realize that pulling the troops out, at this juncture, would be a tremendous mistake.
It is undeniable that last year's increase in troops has helped to stabilize the region and reduce violence. Just look at the nightly news broadcasts now compared to this time last year. Last year, Iraq lead off every newscast, night after night, and the news reported was always bad. All reports were describing Iraq as having deteriorated into a civil war.
Nowadays, seeing Iraq come up at any point during the news isn't even a guarantee. Certainly this isn't because the issue has lost its significance; anytime our country is at war it is a major issue. Rather, it is a matter of there not being a tremendous amount to report on - as the old saying goes, "if it bleeds, it leads." Many of the stories that are aired nowadays are more along the lines of how certain ways of life in Iraq have improved since last year. My aforementioned roommate's brother is serving his second tour of duty in Anbar and has said that things are "dead" over there. Even Rep. John Murtha, arguably the most prominent voice for withdrawal in congress, said after a recent visit to Iraq that the situation on the ground had improved.
Now granted, there is still some hostility that exists in Iraq. However, the violence is not near the levels that it was at over the past few years and it certainly is nowhere near the levels it would be at if we were to leave the region. As General Petraeus said of withdrawal "If you didn't like Darfur, you're going to hate Baghdad." Gradually reducing the number of troops only puts our forces back into the same unstable situation that we found ourselves in for the first four years of the war.
Moreover, what people fail to recognize is that the insurgency in Iraq follows the news here in the United States. The insurgency in Iraq is not a group of simple morons who live in caves. They are advanced and calculated, and if we were to set a timetable or withdrawal date, all they would do is wait and hold off on any sort of attacks until we left the region, and then run amok once we were out of the region.
Lastly, the whole argument that we should withdraw because we never should have been in Iraq in the first place lacks any sort of logic whatsoever. Whether or not we should have gone into Iraq is completely irrelevant at this point because the situation over there has changed and what we need to address is the circumstances we find ourselves in today, not the circumstances of five years ago. We cannot change history; all we can do is face the task at hand and ensure that the area is safe.
I'm all for debate on this issue and I completely recognize that the Peace and Justice League, as well as anyone else in this great nation, has the right to protest the Iraq War. However, I do hope that before people choose to protest, that they educate themselves on the situation and not immediately dismiss facts that rebut their argument. And I also hope the Peace and Justice League will be a little more considerate in the future and pick up after themselves when protesting on the war memorial. After all, no one is against peace, but one has to mix a dose of reality in with that desire in order to come out with a tempered argument. Geoffrey Parr New Hampshire Class of 2007 Former Managing Editor, The New Hampshire
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