No, it's not about oil

I am a soldier in the U.S. Army, stationed overseas. I watch the news and read in the newspapers daily that my fellow citizens are against going to war with Iraq.

"No blood for oil" or "Let the U.N. inspectors do their job first" is the chant of the protesters.

If there is a war, it will not be about oil. It will be about removing a tyrant from power over a helpless nation.

Saddam Hussein has killed thousands of Iranians and Kurds, a minority group in the northern region of his own country, using chemical and biological weapons.

He is no different from Adolf Hitler, who also killed thousands and then millions with the same tactics.

Saddam has defied the United Nations numerous times. How many chances does he get?

The United Nations is only delaying the inevitable war; the longer it waits, the more Americans and soldiers of coalition countries will die when the war to remove Saddam does happen. This back-and-forth negotiating that the United Nations is conducting with Iraq is the sign of a weak organization that no longer works.

More people need to understand that America's decisiveness in dealing with problems like Saddam's regime is what makes our country strong. If we do not deal swiftly with evil, it will only grow and become more harmful to the world.

A good example, again, is Hitler. He conquered most of Europe before the United States even joined the war. Everyone, including America, sat on their hands while he took over country after country.

If Japan had not attacked, forcing the United States into the war, I am sure Europe would be speaking German, East Asia would be speaking Japanese, Africa would be speaking Italian, and there would be no Israel -- or Jews.

Saddam has already tried to take over one country, and it is only a matter of time before he will try something equally insane.

Rumors are running through the military community to the effect that some Hollywood types do not feel that soldiers deserve the pay we receive, or further pay increases.

This floors me. My supervisor has been in the military for 12 years and is a noncommissioned officer, yet his income is so low that he is still eligible for earned income credits on his taxes.

The military works hard. I wake up at 4:30 a.m. every weekday and work past sundown most days. Many of my weekends are taken away because I am training, pulling guard duty or fulfilling various duties that must be done within the unit.

I spend weeks and months away from my home post because I am training to be more effective in combat. I have not seen my family in more than a year. I work hard to be ready in case there is a war.

I am not complaining -- I volunteered to serve my country. Everything I do is for one purpose: to preserve the freedoms that you and I enjoy as Americans.

I leave in a few days to stand guard in the desert, on the edge of an insane dictator's playground.

My own blood may be spilled so Iraq's citizens can enjoy the freedom that we have and that everyone deserves.

A war with Iraq is not about oil. It is about freedom, and I am willing to die for it.

Actually I think it's about oil. I think it's about controlling oil to deny oil revenues to terrorists. Terrorists without funds to travel, without funds to bribe officials, without funds to purchase WMD on the black market are simply less dangerous.

I'm beginning to think there might be more to the story about Carl Rove telling Bruce Boxleitner that both he and the president liked Babylon 5 If you've seen it, consider what kind of role models the characters in that show make and how they deal with problems. I'm starting to wonder if Bush is going to go for Pax Americana.

I also think it is about oil...which is why france continues to stick its' head in the sand and have no desire for change in Iraq as they control almost 25% of the oil business coming from Iraq and have a monopoly on the food for oil business...did you really think france has human concerns in this??

It's about gaining a foothold in a part of the world where we have none. We have to "borrow" our old ally Turkey for deployment in the region.

I've also heard rumors since the early late 70's or early 80's that US oil interests have a pipline they would like to run out of the old Soviet repulics to the Gulf. It can't be run to the east or west, but must go straight through Iraq.

Who knows?...

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