We are now at war with Libya, sound promising? The recent bombings have been defended by the White House claiming they are doing so in order to protect the citizens of Libya.

Likewise the Pentagon has assured us that no citizens were being killed by the bombings. Please don’t be so easily convinced. Anytime bombs are falling out of the sky no matter how “smart” they are there will be innocent deaths.

It doesn’t matter how horrible the acts of Gaddafi are (and I would never stand and say they were anything but atrocious), but we cannot continue to vindicate the murder of innocents by claiming to be “not as bad” as the alternative.

That is an argument as old as the world itself that leads only to imperialism and resentment, and recruits terrorists to attack our people.

When we drop bombs and kill innocent people, no matter our motive, we have become just as evil as the alternative. We wonder, “why do they hate us?” This is why.

I apologize for the frankness of this letter, but when will we as a people decide no more dumb wars? We are on the bottom as an educational power so we make it our goal to impose our military prowess, which will not last forever.

Since the feudal ages those in charge have ordered young men (and now women) to war to be slaughtered at their command claiming to be doing so “for the good of the people.”

How concerned do you think the politicians or the UN for that matter are for the freedom of Libyans? Just as concerned as Bush and Cheney were for the Iraqis. The interest of the people has never been so disconnected to the interest of the politicians.

There are alternatives. Violence does not make peace. It makes more violence. We cannot continue on the path of the Romans, creating a desert and calling it peace.

Hopefully the American people will muster up the courage to break this addiction to war and free the next generation from more senseless bloodshed.

Tony Burge, Jr

Pedro