Has History Taught Us Nothing?

Discuss this on our boards!

Has History Taught Us Nothing?
by Dave Gibson, Columnist

September 4, 2002

Dave Gibson The time has come to destroy the war-making ability of Iraq and with it... Saddam Hussein. While the politicians and policy makers in Washington debate the need for an invasion of Iraq... the evil Saddam grows ever closer to gaining nuclear capability. Yes, the time has come to act with extreme prejudice.

Hussein has proven time and time again his ability to wreak havoc and destruction. He annexed Kuwait a dozen years ago, in an absolute orgy of rape and murder (one that made Sherman's 'March to the Sea' look like a nature hike!). He set the oil fields ablaze and even opened the pipelines in his own country into the sea, these horrendous acts brought about the worst ecological disaster in the history of this planet. He has even used chemical weapons on his own people.

There is no doubt that Saddam is evil incarnate and that the Iraqi military are the 'foot-soldiers of evil'. The government of Iraq is an evil empire in still in the early stages. If we do not act swiftly and in such a manner that destroys that nation's ability to make war for generations... we can expect the eventual destruction of Israel as well as the bloodiest confrontation in which this nation has ever been involved.

Hussein is simply another Hitler. We should know that it is impossible to negotiate a peace with this man... just as it was with Hitler. The similarities between these two thugs are remarkable. Both view their enemies as sub-human beings (something that makes them very easy to kill). Both also see themselves as a kind of 'messiah' to their people (Hitler saw himself as the savior of the Aryan world; Hussein sees himself as the champion of the Arab world). Both also seem to take great pleasure in killing the defenseless.

Hitler possessed mad officers and troops willing to carry out his savage orders. Hussein also has whipped his nation into a frenzy ready to strike at the west. In the Arab world of today, that kind of evil furor backed up with weapons of mass destruction... if left unchecked, will lead to cataclysmic results.

In 1939, Neville Chamberlain after attending a conference in Munich aimed at appeasing Hitler declared... "I believe it is peace for our time". We now all have the benefit of hindsight to understand how utterly senseless that statement was and how the policy of containment and appeasement in the face of true evil is useless. We are once again faced with another embodiment of evil who is hell-bent on destroying as much of the world as he can. History is as it always does, repeating itself.

We must learn from the mistakes of the past. We must not allow Saddam Hussein wreak the havoc which his predecessor did over half a century ago. We have to realize that evil must be met with overwhelming force and destroyed.

I believe that Hussein has the potential for being even more destructive than Hitler. The Iraqi people have been deprived of information, save that for which Hussein and his henchmen want them to hear. He also has a weapons of mass destruction program which has been allowed to flourish over the last several years. Lastly, the Arab world is a powder keg at the moment. Is it so hard to fathom that this man who rewards the families of suicide bombers will one day lead the Muslim-Arab world into a confrontation with the west?

The Iraqi leader has proven that he cannot be trusted, he has violated every term of the cease-fire agreement reached with the U.N. Coalition Forces in 1991. In the absence of weapons inspections, it is now unclear just what type of weapons he possesses. Does he already have nuclear weapons? It is certainly possible. What is clear is that he will eventually use them, undoubtedly upon Israel.

Saddam is more dangerous now than he was a dozen years ago, and as that region grows more extreme... he will become more powerful. We must urge our congress to act swiftly and call for an all out invasion. We must destroy Saddam Hussein and render his 'war machine' useless, and it must stay that way.

History is the best teacher of all... let us be wise enough to listen. ***

Photo of Dave Gibson courtesy of staff files