Letter: Rattling of war sabers is growing

Thursday, Aug. 29, 2002 | 9:06 a.m.

In Sunday's paper, the get-Saddam hawks are bringing up the old appeasing Hitler line. Hitler was master of one of the most sophisticated war machines of his time.

Saddam has little left from the Gulf War. That war and the sanctions are hardly "appeasement." The only argument the hawks have is that Saddam was a bad guy back when he had our support for being bad.

The hawks argue he might get an atom bomb. Anything might happen. He might even get a "laser beam." Condoleezza Rice says Saddam may "wreak havoc on his own people."

Saddam could hardly do worse than our own sanctions have done to the Iraqis. The oil for food program provides about 33 cents per day for all of a person's needs. Most of the casualties of our sanctions have been the 500,000 children who have died there in the last 12 years.

I suppose the media will whip up war fever on Sept. 11 by showing those buildings falling. But before I'd approve of another "regime change" by this administration, I want to see AWOL Bush and Rice up on big white horses with sabers pointed to Baghdad, leading the charge. Immediately following them must be the Congressional Cavalry. Then I'd believe the threat might be serious.

JERRY BITTS