Letter: Iraq didn’t pose threat to U.S.

Thursday, April 17, 2003 | 8:45 a.m.

Saddam was absolutely no threat to our freedoms. He is a bad man, but he was a local warlord, just like the thousand warlords before him that ruled that Third World nation and all of the others like it.

He was bad for his people and maybe his neighbors, so they should have handled it.

The people of this country, led by our current president, have voluntarily given up many freedoms since the World Trade Center attack.

We now have to practically strip search everyone who gets on an airplane. A huge, gestapo-like government entity called Homeland Security is beginning to monitor the comings and going of all citizens. It will not get better, only worse, and many more of our freedoms will be lost in the name of "security" and "safety."

Our Constitution and Bill of Rights outline the freedoms we so cherish, but it does require a price.

The price is risk. There will always be bad people in the world who take advantage of this freedom, creating disruption for the rest of us.

To keep our freedoms, we must be willing to accept the occasional disaster and strike back at the correct target. Saddam was not the reason for 9-11 and was not the correct target.

FREDERICK FARRIS