YOUNGER FOLKS IN TUCSON & THE IRAQ WAR

These are from the Tucson Daily Star. The age range is 14-22, 9 against the war, 2 for the war.

QUESTION: Do you think the United States should be in Iraq? Why or why not?

No, the United States should not be in Iraq. The preface for this war was that Iraq might have a stockpile of weapons. So far the only weapons found have been those used by guerrilla fighters.
One of the other excuses for our involvement in Iraq is that Saddamn Hussein was an unruly dictator. Yet we, as a nation, turn our eyes away when faced with dictators like North Korea's Kim Jong II, Cuba's Fidel Castro and the lesser known Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
Even after the couple years we've had troops in Iraq, that nations government is brittle and ready to collapse at any moment. The violence is still just as bad. Also, if Saddam had weapons, we should have waited for the United Nations to react, or at least found them by now. By starting the war we're the ones terrorizing their country.
Thomas Taccone, 15
Presidio High School

Saddam Hussein was an odious dictator. He controlled his country through fear tactics and never hesitated in making a decision to exterminate or torture someone. He destroyed families, tortured innocents and created a reign of terror.
It is for these reasons that I agree the United States should be in Iraq. The U.S. can free the people of Iraq from the miseries they have experienced and show them the beauties of democracy, of freedom. Many innocent people will die in the process. Many innocent families will lose loved ones or even whole generations. Such is the sadness of war. I believe, however, that the end result will justify the means.
Adiv Johnson, 17
Canyon del Oro High School

I don't understand why we are still in Iraq. I don't understand why soldiers are dying in a war declared over. I don't understand what solution we think is coming. I don't understand. We have accomplished much in Iraq, we took down a horrible, oppresive and evil dictator and planted the seeds of democracy and hope for a suffering people. Still, the terror remains and we are in deep without the capacity to control the situation. The United States does not have the funds, nor do we have the right to incur violence with our continued presence. We should leave Iraq now and see how it fares, and in the meantime we should reach out to allies we have alienated. It just seems like we have grabbed the wolf by the tail and there's no easy out.
Claire McNamara, 17
Canyon del Oro High School

I do not think the U.S. should be in Iraq especially because there are not a lot of countries backing us. It seems careless to jump into a war when many countries around the world are against it, leaving us with few allies. Also it seems like the United States jumped into a war when Iraq did not pose a threat to our country. I think sometimes people get confused because Iraq is not connected to the tragic events of September 11th. Many people say our government is liberating a country bogged down by oppression, but there are plenty of other countries whose citizens do not have many freedoms, so why are we so fixated on Iraq?
Erin Gaines, 17
Presidio High School

We have lost at least 1,700 heroes in this war. How many American lives would have been lost if Saddam and his terrorist colleagues continued to run amuch in Iraq and eventually on American soil? If you knew a wolf was outside your door waiting to attack, would you not take the necessary steps to ensure your safety? Are we completely safe? No, but are we not better off with Osama on the run and Saddam in the slammer?
On June 3rd it was reported on Fox News and by the Associated Press that the United Nations, using satellite imagery, has determined that since the invasion in 2003 material that could be used to make biological or chemical weapons and banned long-range missiles has been removed from 109 sites in Iraq. I'm not surprised that more major news channels did not care to mention that U.N. report. After all, we must continue to vilify President Bush.
David Liapis, 22
USAF

I'm not a politician, I'm just a student who cares about her country. But for my short period in school, I've noticed many things happening. For example, art classes are not being funded, clubs are disappearing, educational school field trips don't appear on the schedule as much as they used to and school systems barely have enough money to even buy paper. So instead of spending money on Iraq, we should star spending it more wisely.
Alona Sukhina, 14
University High School

The United States should be in Iraq, but only for humanitarian and educational purposes. Killing so many Iraqis as we are currently doing does nothing to solve any problem. For one thing, innocent people are being killed, which is clearly abominable, and the deaths of terrorist conspirators fuels more hate for the United States. This increased hate can only inspire more terrorist attacks and increase the deaths of our American soldiers, our brothers and fathers, sisters and mothers. In addition, the budget cuts in education that have been necessaryto fund fighting in Iraq are putting higher education out of reach for millions of students just like me and putting the nation further into debt. Violence is not a good answer and is leading us to no-good result. I would hope that at least some people can see the truth in this, and that other, nonviolent solutions could begin to be sought.
Angela Poulson, 21
University of Arizona

In my history class last year, the war in Iraq was the most debated current event. To me, there are three reasons: the safety of oil fields, to liberate the Iraqis from Saddam Hussein, and to find Osama Bin Laden because of September 11.
To go into Iraq to secure our oil supply seems like we are using the Iraqis. I believe that it is good that we defeated Saddam Hussein, and even though some of the Iraqis don't want us there, it will benefit them in the long run. Finding Osama Bin Laden is important. This war is called the war on terrorism, but I though that Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda were in Afghanistan and not Iraq. Because of the selfishness of the need for oil, my feelings about this war have become mixed, but it is not a bad war because we were able to help the Iraqis win their freedom from Saddam Hussein.
Shelby King, 14
St. Cyril School

I don't think I could possibly write all the things wrong with the United States being in Iraq. Honestly, I think that is one of the main reasons we shouldn't be in Iraq, because no one quite knows why we are there. I mean, I guess we were trying to find weapons but does it really take a whole army to do that?
Now I hear we are trying to help build a better government for the Iraqis, but, again, do we need the whole army? And how does killing random citizens help build that better government? Maybe I just don't have enough information, but I can think of no reason that the United States should be so involved in Iraqi affairs.
Paige Salzbrenner, 17
Presidio High School

I do not believe the United States should be in Iraq. I think they have overstayed their welcome and are not making some matters any better. For some of the people in Iraq, the United States has always been a source of hatred. Having troops in Iraq, without a strong decrease in violence, does nothing to calm this hatred. Journalists are not safe in Iraq - for many reasons - but one of them is because the US has been in Iraq for so long. The United States is helping to quell some of the violence and has helped develop Iraq's government. It is time for the United States to move on, however, and stop wasting government money on violence that won't be calmed down.
Courtney C. Johnson, 18
University of Arizona

The United States should not be in Iraq. The United States has spent more time on this issue than it deserves. The Unites States shouldn't have meddled in Iraq's affairs. The United States has spent billions of dollars trying to help this country.
The United States should worry about its own problems that are taking place right now. Why hasn't the United States helped any of the other countries? What about all the people who have lost loved ones because of this war. We haven't seen any benefits from this decision. All the United States has seen is death and financial loss. The United States did not have enough reason to go to war with Iraq, and because of that it has suffered.
Catherine Harris, 16
Presidio High School