Dear Editor:

The 2003 American invasion of Iraq is a footnote in the stirring history of the Middle East. The decisive event in its creation being the rise of Islam and the conquests of Muhammad's followers, beginning in 634 with the conquest of Medina, Turks, Crusaders and Mongols ruled from the mid 11th Century until the 1400s. Prior to 1918 the Arabs lived under Ottoman rule for 400 years. Modern boundaries were drawn at the culmination of World War I and are still being drawn today.

Now I don't dispute that one of the reasons behind the invasion of Iraq was to protect the oil interests of the United States, nevertheless, it was not the only reason. Saddam Hussein was a dictator who ruled his people through sanctioned acts of military violence, mass murder and rape; monetarily rewarding the families of Palestinian suicide bombers that targeted Israeli civilians. His government, and the culture it spawned, turned women into subjugated citizens that could be in effect "legally" murdered for so called "honor crimes." True, he did not posses WMDs, but does it really matter? Saddam Hussein kept the Sunni and Shi'a population controlled through his monopoly on murder. Under his regime the only three people permitted to kill were Udai, Qusai and Saddam. What we are not witnessing is similar to the genocide in Rwanda (which was under Belgian control until 1961), involving the majority Hutu and the minority Tutsi "monarchy;" a vacuum in power appears and years of repressed animosity boil over into violence.

The United States of America has a moral obligation to protect those that cannot protect themselves. History dictates time and time again the flaw in the righteousness of the majority; African slavery, German concentration camps, the internment of Japanese Americans. True morality is a constant; it is not swayed by public opinion. History will judge whether the American response to the attacks of September 11th made the world a better place. I pray our actions will be judged a necessary evil, but my fear is that the citizens of this nation will lose site of the big picture.

The United States did not want this fight, or need this fight. It was brought to us, and for our enemies not to expect a response indicates just how much they have underestimated our resolve. We are being asked to demonstrate the one attribute we do not posses - patience. Our enemies are counting on the "fast food nation" to get bored and move on. However, if this generation does not fight, the responsibility will be passed on to the next. Let me be perfectly clear - this fight, this war on terror is not going away - no matter what channel you turn to or what rock you hide under.

Richard P. Skalski, Jr.