are you for or against the war?

Question

i'm writing an editorial for a class about wether we should or shouldn't be having a war right now. i would like some opinions to help or contradict mine. please tell me what you think. all answers are greatly appreciated. and please give detail with your answer. thank you

Answer 1

Actually, it's not a war anymore--it's an OCCUPATION. In Vietnam, at least, there was an army we could see coming from the North and the mission was to try to keep it from taking over the South. In Iraq, the enemies are scattered all around, in plainclothes, often invisible because they just left their bombs behind. We have no clearly-defined targets to destroy (planes, tanks, ships, bases, etc.). And what exactly is our mission? To micromanage the internal affairs of a supposedly sovereign nation?

Bush says, if we were to leave now, the terrorists would move in and take over. WTF? It seems to me that there already there and are doing a great job of draining our resources--both human and financial. They are also facilitating division amongst the American people.

I can't help or contradict your position because you never stated it.

Answer 2

Well I personaly I am against the war. The war has been tried to be justified under many diffrent reasons such as trying to reform their government to a democracy, need of oil and terrorism. However many people fail to see that in all reality these are not real reasons. How come does Bush need to change his reason each t ime something diffrent comes up? Now I'm not trying to bash Bush but I'm trying to set a point. Oil really isn't all that neccessary as it once was. If America's industrie took the time to change the need of oil instead of making bombs I'm sure this whole thing could be settled or be avoid it. A major example is Brazil, for many years the vehicle in this country have been running on ethanol their need of gasoline is almost none at all so why can't we do the same? Also when it comes to reforming the government we are pushing our boundries big time. Okay we want to help by setting a democracy but all we are doing is shoving it down their throat and it only going to cause more uprises. As well since the terrorism propaganda started the United States have done a great deal of racial injustice and used it as a cover up for all the things the military has done. Instead of us figthing the terrorist, we are being the terrorist. We are the ones invading their land, we are the ones trying to take everything away from them so in other words we are no diffrent from what we are fighting against. All in all this war is pointless and uncessesary.

Answer 3

I am against war.
War is violent armed combat between political communities. When and how war originated is a highly controversial topic. Some believe war has always existed. Others, however, believe it began only about 5000 years ago, with the rise of the first states; afterwards war "spread to peaceful hunter-gatherers and agriculturalists.
It is terrible to have war it destroys the beauty of the nature, the flora an fauna of the earth will be also lost. Innocent people dies, and after war land will lose its fertility and that land will be useless now for example the second world war in Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
So according to me we dont need war but we can solve problems thru mutual co operation and have peace.

Answer 4

I am vehemently against the war, but one thing people must understand, I am NOT against our troops. I have friends who have served in Iraq 3 times now and they don't deserve that. I'm not saying that we should ask retired military personnel to come back and fight either. We have a moral obligation to get our troops out ASAP and not send any others over there at all. War solves nothing, and we aren't accomplishing anything other than causing our country more isolation. The current administration has singlehandedly tarnished our once positive reputation as a world power. We have lost many allies that would be by our side should another 9/11 like attack should occur.
We shouldn't be killing innocent people or sending more troops of ours over there to be killed. It's not healthy for our psyches. We should be moving toward peace, not destruction.

Answer 5

Laura ... Here's an issue that will get you at least a couple of extra points. I also think my suggestion will help to frame the issue more clearly and accurately.

The issue is not the war, per se. We are not deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations around the world simply to have a war. NO ONE, especially not the soldiers in the services, wants war.

But they DO apparently believe in their mission and THIS is the way the question should be framed. The key is the mission.

If you simply ask, "Are you for the war," that overly simplifies the entire matter and gives people the impression you're only asking whether we should fight or not. Frame everything around our MISSION in these places and you'll see it's not such a simple matter and the ensuing discussion can more accurately and meaningfully address the reasons for our involvement.

When someone asks me if I'm in favor of the war, I tell them I'm never in favor of war. The question should be, "Do you support the mission AND would you go to war, if necessary, to accomplish that mission?" If you ask THAT way, my answer is "Yes."

Simply asking "Are you for the war" is like asking a policeman "Are you in favor of risking a fight or possibly being killed by a violent criminal?" He/she doesn't serve because he likes the possibility of being shot; he serves to accomplish the mission of his department: to serve his community, keep the peace, and protect his neighbors and loved ones from those who might do them harm.

See my point? Good luck with your paper, Laura. I admit I may not have provided the answer you expected/wanted, but I think I may have introduced you to another perspective that can lead to a better quality report.

A good starting point for official information regarding the war on terror is at my first link, below. As you'll quickly see, there's a wealth of information there.

Additionally, I find that many young people (not necessarily yourself) are a bit uninformed about our military's involvement around the world. For instance, when I recently had a chance to chat with a young woman who's a security guard at my Defense Department facility, the topic of overseas deployments came up. She said, "What deployments?"

Well, the point is that she had no idea at all that America has kept a considerable presence in many far-away places such as Japan, Korea, and even in Europe for the past 50 years or more. That is part of what it takes to help keep the peace.

My second link is also a Defense Department web page that details these overseas commitments on a country-by-country basis. Note that the figures for deployed forces to Iraq are not listed in the row entry for that country; they appear later in that report in the section labeled "Operation Iraqi Freedom."

Good luck with your paper, Laura.

Answer 6

I am not in favor of any act that takes a human life of any kind. Wars change the lives of those fighting...not the men in Washington but the young men and women's lives that go, fight, see their friends killed and worse...take another person's life.

I lived through Vietnam and knew the men coming home. None that fought were ever the same. None. When a young man or young woman is taught to kill another human being - or be killed - it changes them...and not for the better.

While I don't have the answer to how...with all the great minds in the most powerful country on earth - they should know how to solve the situation without killing a single human being.

War isn't about principle - its about killing. Kill or be killed. How can any country ever agree this is right - ever.

Answer 7

I am against the war, our reasoning for the beginning of the war was based off of fallacies. Not to mention, the war is turning into a civil war amongst the groups of people in Iraq. Anyone who says they are for the war, doesnt really understand the details. They fear hezbollah or some terrorist organization will bomb us. But the only thing the war has done, is draw terrorist to Iraq, and pit them against us even more. Bush propaganda would have you think they were a serious threat before the war, but it is ten times worse now. It is likely that Iraq will end up in three sections, one for each group of people there. But whats even more impressive, is that Bush is blaming Iran for supplying the Sunnis with weapons, for killing american soldiers, when Iran is a shia country, and would supply the shia in Iraq, who are fighting the Sunnis. The people most likely supplying the Sunnis would be Saudi Arabia, but the President of Iran is to good of a scapegoat not to use.

Answer 8

Here is the main reason why we should have never gone into Iraq and it is a point Pres. Bush missed completely. While it is true that Saddam Hussein was hardly a benevolent dictator, he actually was a political/religious "safety valve" in that area. Please follow this logic. Islam has two main factions, Sunni (minority) and Shiite. They are killing off each other right now, and while there was tension under Saddam, there never was an uprising until we kicked him out of Kuwait. The Shiites revolted in the south, and we did nothing to stop the slaughter. Then Bush, under the guise of Weapons of Mass Destruction decided to eliminate a perceived threat in the middle east by finishing off the threat his father did not do. So we went in. Saddam is dead and a majority Shiite government is now in place. The minority is fighting back, thus the "insurgent movement". Problem is, now Iran is in the picture. That country is pinned down on the east by our troops in Afghanistan and our presence in Iraq to the west. And guess what? Iran is majority Shiite also! Here is my prediction. The Iraq government is already opening talks with the Iranian government much to Bush's chagrin. Eventually a Sunni alliance will form between Iraq and Iran with Iraq effectively becoming a puppet not of the U.S. but Iran. The leader of Iran, call him Mr. "A" because I forget how to spell his name, already has vowed to wipe out not only the Jews but the Hindus, Christians or anyone else who he considers an "Infidel" in other words, anyone who does not believe in Islam, never mind the sect. With Saddam out of the way, Iran will be the most powerful nation in the middle east and dictate what happens there for many years to come. If we had left Saddam alone, Iraq would have been a buffer between Iran and Israel. We have removed that buffer. Mr. A wants to establish the capitol of the new "Islamic Nation" in Babylon of all places, which of course is in Iraq. Ironically enough, this was predicted in the Bible in Revelations when reference is made to the "Whore of Babylon" and Armegeddon. Again, ironically enough Mr. A has declaired that he wants to start WW3 so the 12th. Imam can rise from a well to save the world. That well is in Babylon. There is an ancient Chinese curse that goes, "May you live in interesting times". Good luck with your project.

Answer 9

Everyone must keep peace as much as possible. Even when you are threatened you must find another way that there is as much peace as possible. I think noone and no government has the right to kill people when they have not committed a crime that deserve death unless they invade you and you must place at the position of defence.
In a lot of religions and believes you learn that what you do will have a direct reaction to you sooner or later (Karma) and this is inevitable coz it's a rule of creation like burning of the fire.
No one has the right to illegally kill a person. So in my opinion war is forbidden unless you're invaded or really about to be invaded.

Answer 10

I probably have a differant take on this question than anyone who has previously answered it as my husband, and best friend is currently serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. I am for the war, and very proud of his service. American's need to remember that all of our soldiers are fighting for their freedom. To not support the war our loved ones are fighting for, and our families at home are daily sacrificing for is to do a great disservice to those heroes. Whether we should have started this war or not is no longer an issue worth discussing. We are there, lets give our armed forces the resources and support they need to come home safe, and pray for them and their loved ones daily. Then we can finish what we started. My husband and his fellow soldiers are proud of what they do, and so am I.