On May 1, 2003, President Bush, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, said: “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country. In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty and for the peace of the world…Because of [the members of the United States military], our nation is more secure…the tyrant has fallen and Iraq is free.”
One day later, commencement exercises were held for U graduates at the Huntsman Center. Utah native Terry Tempest Williams, a naturalist and writer, was the keynote speaker. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of an arguably successful war, Williams used the graduation ceremony to publicly question the government and protest the war in Iraq.
Her message was no different from that of other liberals who have ignorantly admonished Bush to “give peace a chance.”
The truth is, peace has in fact been given a chance. As announced by Bush, peace had been purchased-the price had been (and will continue to be) paid so that others may likewise enjoy their God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Some things are worth fighting for.
Where was Williams when thousands of Iraqis filled the streets, for the first time in recent history, to express their beliefs and show excitement and jubilation without fear of being tortured, raped or murdered? How did she, and others like her, overlook the significance of the literal destruction of a totalitarian regime as evidenced by the toppling of the giant statue of Hussein in downtown Baghdad? What about the images of Iraqi children embracing American and British soldiers and their parents hoisting photos of Bush in the air, praising his name?
“When democracy disappears, we are asked to accept things the way they are,” Williams said. “I beg you as graduates…do not accept the way things are. Question. Stand. Speak. Act.” Sound advice.
But in order to make a difference, in order to be agents of change, we must first see things as they really are-we must learn to confront reality. The Bush administration had intelligence that revealed the need for decisive military action. Hussein failed to release hidden biological and chemical agents to weapons inspectors and provided no evidence that he had destroyed them. Hence, military action was inevitable.
With that information, Bush and other officials had the understanding to identify the problem, the foresight to devise a plan to correct the problem, and finally the courage to act on that plan. They questioned. They stood. They spoke. They acted. And they succeeded.
Some question Bush’s intentions and justifications for war. Democrats contend that weapons of mass destruction must be found quickly to justify action taken in recent months.
In part, this is a valid concern because it was one of the main reasons for attacking Iraq. But in a country the size of California, and given the amount of time and manpower Hussein had to hide these weapons, it will take time and patience to find them.
In the meantime, there is sufficient evidence to indict Hussein on many other counts and to justify military action in Iraq. Operation Iraqi Freedom was fought not only to protect us and other nations from future threats, but more importantly to free a people from oppression and bondage.
A mass grave discovered earlier this month in the liberated city of Kirkuk stands as a testament to Hussein’s brutality. This grave stands out among countless others in that it contained the remains of 200 Kurdish children-some buried with their dolls. The children were believed to be buried alive with a woman who was likely their caretaker.
Williams questions America’s use of force to procure peace and “the open space of democracy” she espouses for all, but she offers no suggestions for contributing to building peace, other than standing up and raising voices of opposition and protest. “America in the early years of the 21st century has become a force unto itself. The laws it chooses to abide by are its own,” Williams said. “Question. Stand. Speak. Act. Make us uncomfortable.”
Many, like Williams, speak of peace but refuse to act to confront evil. Peace cannot be won alone simply by speaking of peace. If peace really is the absence of evil, then evil must be eradicated in order to procure peace at home and abroad.
George Washington said, “There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well-prepared to meet the enemy.”
Clearly, Iraqi citizens must have a role in defining the laws of their land and in building a new Iraq. But the freedom to do just that could only be won by sweat and dust and blood. Hussein was not going to give in. Mass graves and broken families confirm that notion.
It will take time to find weapons of mass destruction. It will take time to build Iraq. It will take time to learn of Hussein’s and other officials’ whereabouts. But thanks to America and her allies, “the tyrant has fallen and Iraq is free.”
Unlike Williams, Bush has given peace a chance.
Hopefully graduates will look beyond the politics of Williams’ message and use what they have learned at the U to be open, to be a force for good and to look for ways to serve the world so that all may enjoy the open space of democracy we have taken for granted.