Wednesday, January 29, 2003

One last State of the Union note: The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. America will not accept a serious and mounting threat to our country, and our friends, and our allies. The United States will ask the UN Security Council to convene on February 5th to consider the facts of Iraq’s ongoing defiance of the world. Secretary of State Powell will present information and intelligence about Iraq’s illegal weapons programs; its attempts to hide those weapons from inspectors; and its links to terrorist groups. We will consult, but let there be no misunderstanding: If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, for the safety of our people, and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him. I think Mr. Bush made a very clear and compelling case for the fact that Saddam Hussein is one of the most wicked dictators of his age. His brutality against his own people and his neighbors is notorious. He has in the past produced some of the most horrific weapons known to man, and may still be producing them. Unless he is removed from power, his people do not even have a chance of being freed from the yoke of oppression. When I think about whether or not I want Mr. Hussein removed from power in Iraq, I can only respond in one way: I do, with all of my heart. That very heart is broken by the suffering of the people of Iraq, both at the hands of their ruthless dictator, and as a result of the sanctions which have been imposed on their country for twelve years. But I am troubled. If, in the end, war is the only way the Iraqi people may be freed, and that his weapons could be destroyed, could I support that war? Is the evil of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship greater than the evils which would be unleashed in a war, one that could potentially result in chemical weapons attacks on US troops, Israel, and Kuwait, and a potential nuclear response against Baghdad? It's a troubling question. I am even more troubled by the fact that the Bible seems to leave little room for followers of Jesus to respond to violence with further violence. Jesus' messages to "turn the other cheek," and "love your neighbor as yourself" are clear and unequivocal. I still find myself in the pacifist camp, and question, like Martin Luther King, whether any war in the modern era can be considered just. But I am swayed by the arguments of men like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who in the end shed his pacifism to conspire against Adolf Hitler. Had men like Bonhoeffer and nations like the United States and Britain failed to confront Hitler, what kinds of evil could have been unleashed upon the world? These questions trouble me deeply, and I suspect that may be the case for the rest of my life. One day I will know, and until then, I can only pray that I would stay true to the conscience God has placed within me, and be forgiven if I am wrong in the directions I am led by it.   3:48:29 PM

President Bush: All told, more than 3,000 suspected terrorists have been arrested in many countries. And many others have met a different fate. Put it this way... they are no longer a problem for the United States and our friends and allies. I listened to this part of his speech on the radio, and here is how I pictured him delivering it: Mr. Bush: Put it this way... The President pulls out his six-shooter, still smoking from its last round, and blows on the tip. Mr. Bush: they are no longer a problem for the United States and our friends and allies. There's a new sheriff in town, indeed.   3:17:39 PM

African Nations Applaud Bush Plan to Fight AIDS Epidemic. The initiative, which was announced by President Bush on Tuesday, is intended to provide AIDS drugs for two million people, care for 10 million AIDS patients and orphans and provide education to prevent the epidemic. The plan will also cover AIDS projects in Haiti and Guyana. [New York Times] This is more good news from Bush's speech. We can only hope that the Congress will follow through and other nations would follow our lead. The best way to prevent violence in the world is to combat the conditions in which it breeds. Poverty, disease, and hopelessness create a potential powderkeg for future generations. Not only is it morally right for us to help out those in need, but it also creates the conditions for a safer, more secure future for everyone who lives on this planet.   11:11:38 AM

President Bush again: Tonight I am proposing 1.2 billion dollars in research funding so that America can lead the world in developing clean, hydrogen-powered automobiles. A simple chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen generates energy, which can be used to power a car - producing only water, not exhaust fumes. With a new national commitment, our scientists and engineers will overcome obstacles to taking these cars from laboratory to showroom - so that the first car driven by a child born today could be powered by hydrogen, and pollution-free. Join me in this important innovation - to make our air significantly cleaner, and our country much less dependent on foreign sources of energy. Is this a sign that the Bush administration has finally decided that it is in our strategic interest to eliminate our dependency on foreign oil, or merely lipservice to please the environmental lobby? I look at this small piece of his speech as perhaps the most significant. He is calling for a transformation of our current fossil fuel economy into a hydrogen economy in the next eighteen years, at least with regard to automobiles. This is the initiative the President should pursue, rather than opening up new oil drilling off our coasts and in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. I will be watching closely to see if he follows through.   10:52:02 AM

President George W. Bush: "You and I serve our country in a time of great consequence. During this session of Congress, we have the duty to reform domestic programs vital to our country ? we have the opportunity to save millions of lives abroad from a terrible disease. We will work for a prosperity that is broadly shared ? and we will answer every danger and every enemy that threatens the American people. " One thing struck me last night when I was listening to Mr. Bush's speech (which, by the way, I think was very good). During the first half of the speech, where he was laying out his domestic agenda, the speech seemed passionless. It was almost as if he was going through the motions. But the minute he got to international relations, and especially Iraq, it was as if someone had turned on a switch. The same switch which was turned on after September 11th, 2001. The remainder of his speech was both powerful and convincing. This is a dichotomy that I've noticed before. When it has come to the economy, his administration has seemed to flouder, not knowing what it should do next. But when it comes to foreign affairs, his policies are much clearer, and his direction more stable. The case he made for replacing Saddam Hussein was convincing, although the prospect of a war which could potentially bring chemical, biological and nuclear weapons to bear is terrifying and should not be taken lightly. But I still get the feeling that his plan for the economy boils down to this: please my conservative backers so that I get more campaign contributions, and hope that everything works itself out after we defeat Iraq. I hope he's got more than that, because that's all I hear. One more thing about his tax cut: Scott Rosenberg talks about the difference between the average and the median. Mr. Bush isn't being completely honest by using the average, because it inflates the tax cut most Americans would get by averaging in the huge tax cuts the rich would get. When Mr. Bush says that 92 million Americans will get an average tax cut of almost $1,100, it doesn't tell the story for most of those 92 million. The vast majority of those 92 million would get closer to $200, from other analyses of the plan I've seen.   9:04:06 AM