We’re a nation that possesses a nuclear weapons stockpile of 10,700. A nation that has a history of using atomic weapons; and has enough nuclear material to produce another 150,000 nuclear weapons. The nation is not just the government; it is you and I, and we are all responsible for what transpires in the coming weeks and months. The United States recent nuclear weapon posture review has called for a confrontational nuclear weapons program.

The case for war against Iraq being made by the Bush administration is pandering to our most base emotion: fear! The administration is skillfully using the American people’s ignorance of Middle Eastern history; understanding of the balance of power in the Mid-East; coupled with our lack of knowledge of current affairs in the Middle East. Without realizing that the UN sanctions and U.S.-led containment has left Saddam Hussein in a straight jacket. The Bush administration’s stance to eliminate the Iraqi threat now is perplexing.

The present strategy of containment that has deterred Hussein will evaporate as he comes to terms with the improbability of his surviving a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The question must be asked: What will Hussein be willing to do to our troops and the people and land of his country if he feels his fate is sealed? Whatever may happen, an invasion followed by the occupation of Iraq will impact an already weak U.S. economy, may embolden extremists around the world causing the need to beef up Homeland Security funding and mark the official start of the U.S.-Bush foreign policy: preemption.

The coming weeks will include more rhetoric on all sides, more peace rallies, and hopefully discussions between all Americans about what legacy we want to pass forward to future generations.