I have just read "Resisting the Call to War," an opinion piece by Walter Simpson in Friday's Spectrum and have decided to speak out about the anti-war sentiment gripping many people in our area. Admittedly, I fear a long-term war anywhere in the world, and not just because I am a member of the United States Naval Reserve. There are many reasons why war is not always the best answer, and Simpson points to just a few.
However, without being overly dramatic, I would like to remind all of you what happened on Sept. 11. A cowardly man, a leader of a group of idealistic radicals, essentially looked us in the eye and tried to kill us, all of us. Now, there have been many reasons given as to why he did this, which unless you're trying to get elected to public office, should be wholly insignificant. I don't see the point in blaming our foreign policy, our intelligence capabilities, or our "failure" to promote the Middle East peace process when there is right now, a price on the head of every American.
I mean no disrespect to Simpson or anyone else on campus, but I am not afraid to say what no one has the stomach to hear. When your enemy looks you in the eye, and you look back, the tension gets so thick you need a chainsaw to cut it, I promise you I won't be the one discussing foreign policy, or going home in a body bag. This "war" is not difficult to grasp when you realize that if we don't eliminate these radicals, they will eliminate all of us.
Kenneth Coppings
UB Student
