Those who wage war in pursuit of the name of peace themselves cause the failure of their professed goal.

After listening to Mr. Bush rightly claim that the Iraqi placement of human sheilds in military installations is an atrocity, then assert that we will spare no agression, I can but wonder how one can justify the slaughter of innocent lives as “peacemaking”.

One wonders about the Iraqis, too. If Hussein truly cared about the well-being of his country, he did have ample opportunity to leave the country and at least hinder American plans to attack.

We must also remember that many people in the Iraqi military do not want to be there (just like many people in the American military in VietNam did not want to be there), and would rather not kill. Military casualties are innocent too.

My final thought for tonight: several countries proposed a compromise resolution in the UN spelling out specific conditions the Iraqis must meet in 30 days. Why was 30 days too long for Bush?

My thoughts and prayers extend to all victims of the aggression in the Middle East — Americans, Iraqis, Saudis, Israelites, Arabs; men, women, and children; those in uniform and those merely trying to survive this chaos; those with whom I agree and those with whom I disagree.

In the end, we are all human, and our compassion should not be limited to our friends and peers. Until we can learn from our mistakes and value the lives and rights of everyone, we will not achieve real progress.