FEBRUARY 8,1991 — THE DECREE — PAGE 3
U.S. war against Iraq was necessary
By JAMES OAKLEY
There are some who believe
that the United States should not
be fighting the war with Iraq.
There are some who believe that
the U.S. should not have fought
the war with Viemam. And there
are some of who believed that we
should not have fought the war
with Korea, or World War II, or
World War I, or even the Ameri
can Revolution.
Sometimes, and this time in
cluding, war is necessary. Man
has realized that he does not al
ways succeed in attaining his ob
jectives through negotiations or
peaceful resolutions. Sometimes
there are no reasonable alterna
tives to fighting a war. Reasons
have been given by some that try
to invalidate the U.S.’s participa
tion in the war, but none are es
sentially prudent.
Whether it was five months or
five years, sanctions would have
been useless with Saddam
Hussein. He has proven that he
cares little about his own people
and that sanctions would not have
an effect upon him, especially
when countries such as Jordan
continue to supply him. Sanctions
have also opened business for the
black market.
Many are also complaining that
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our female students. The most
drastic complication of this is a
complete hysterectomy, the re
moval of the uterus and tubes
which results in sterility.
Men need to realize they can
develop problems, too, including
complications with their bladder
and the tubes leading to and fi'om
the bladder and kidneys. Men also
have fertility problems and dam
age to their reproductive organs.
Both sexes can suffer from ar
thritis, dermatitis, heart problems,
and complications due to brain
damage, and if these infections
are not treated they can lead to
death.
If you are sexually active, then
you are also at risk for AIDS and
we have no cure and very little
treatment. As most of you are
aware, a victim dies not from the
AIDS but from the diseases that
attack the body because it has no
immunity.
Dying from AIDS is a very
agonizing, painful death. The
Bush is listening to and following
U.N. guidelines now. These are
the same people who were com
plaining a year ago that he wasn’t
following the U.N.’s orders. It
seems that Bush could not have
done right whether he proceeded
with the resolution or not.
The U.S. is in the Persian Gulf
right now to stop the actions of an
By ALAN FELTON
The universe is founded on the
principles of justice, peace, and
love. Violence is an immoral dis
ruption of the natural order in the
universe. The primary force that
opposes violence is the type of
love described by the word agape.
Agape is the central and most
powerful force that exists within
the scope of humanity.
Agape is not a romantic or
personal love, such as one would
feel toward a spouse or a friend.
Agape is a spiritual love that pro
vides compassion and concern for
an enemy while eliminating hale
toward the foe. Ag^ love allows
for no humiliation of an enemy;
humiliation is only an evil force
victim literally watches his or her
body weaken and disintegrate as
the body’s systems begin to shut
down. Knowing the suffering the
victim goes through, we want to
stop this disease, and the only way
we can at this time is through
prevention.
Being sexually active brings
with it tremendous responsibility
to yourself and others. If you are
not being responsible now, then I
suggest you get tested. Contact
your local health department. All
tests or free; call Nashville, 459-
9819, or Rocky Mount, 446-0027,
for the day and times for testing).
When you’ve tested clear, then
practice safe sex every time you
have sex.
Please see the campus nurse,
health department, or contact any
of these numbers if you have
questions or need help: STD Hot
Line, 1-800-227-8922; AIDS
Hotline, 1-800-342-AIDS; Herpes
Hotline, 415-328-7710; U.S.
Public Health Service, 1-800-342-
2437; or the National Gay Task
Force, 1-800-221-7044.
aggressor, a tyrant. Of course,
there have been many like in
stances in history where the U.S.
did not send troops to fight. But it
also wouldn’t make sense to fight
every time a small conflict breaks
out. The U.S. will send military
support when it is in the best in
terest of our country. This war
with Iraq is in the best interests of
and will cause damage to efforts
for peace. Love without humilia
tion and hate wiU cause evil to be
transformed into justice on a per
manent basis while allowing the
just to remain morally strong.
Saddam Hussein is a brother
within humanity. He lias certainly
become evil and therefore outside
the natural order of the universe.
However, the methods used by
George Bush in dealing with
Saddam cause Bush to be evil
and unnatural also. The
President’s violent response to
Hussein’s aggression will only
serve to make the consequences
worse for humanity. The use of
war may end Iraqi aggression, but
the result will be both temporary
and immoral.
The war seeks to eliminate the
humanity of Saddam Hussein and
the Iraqi people rather than pro
vide for its expansion. Our hate
for Saddam will only allow his
hate to grow stronger. If the ag
gression of Iraq is curtailed by
violence and war, all that wiU re
main is hate. Love, the natural
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Iraqis have died. American sol
diers on television talk about
“scoring points” and the exhilara
tion of “successful runs.”
People on both sides of this
issue say that we haven’t learned
anything from history — either
that we must strike hard and strike
fast so we can win; or that death
and desolation and disability are
the only winners.
The United States government
lies about why we are there and is
thus unworthy of leadership;
Hussein is a ruthless warrior and
is thus unworthy of leadership.
The Iraqi people deserve to live
their lives; so do the Palestinians
the U.S. and, for the first time, the
entire world is behind the U.N.’s
resolution.
Although it may be hard for
some people to believe, the United
Nation’s troops have been sent to
Iraq to secure and restore peace.
They are there to stop a crazed
dictator who will not stop at any
cost. The longer we allow this
power of human existence, will
be unused in the process of war
and therefore the recovery from
this conflict is doomed to failure.
Agape love, if used to resist
against evil, will remain after the
This year’s North Carolina
Wesleyan College Choral Invita
tional, sponsored by the Perform
ing and Visual Arts Department,
wiU be held Friday, Feb. 15, with
the theme of “Love, Peace, and
Brotherhood.”
More than400area high school
students from 11 different choirs
will perform during the day-long
festival, culminating in a mass
choir performance open to the
public at 7:30 p.m. in Everett
Gymnasium. Tickets to the per
formance are $2 for adults and $ 1
for students.
Coinciding with Black History
Week, the 1991 Choral Invita
tional is co-sponsored by the
and Israelis. No one in my gov-
. emment or military seems to un
derstand the Middle East beyond
its military targets; Hussein seri
ously underestimates the United
States’ capacity for destruction.
The United States can make a
bomb that can take a picture of
itself as it enters the doorway of
its target, but cannot find a way to
avoid using that bomb. But it also
made those Patriot missiles which
knock out those Scuds.
I am not an expert on war, and
I do not have a coherent message,
la a citizen, voter, and tax-
payu. And I am afimd of my own
failure to resolve these contradic
tions. But I do reject one contra-
man to recklessly run Iraq, the
more chances of nuclear capabili
ties, the more oil spills, and the
more deaths will have to be faced.
The only logical move the U.S.
and the rest of the world could do
is forcefully remove this lunatic.
And if you can’t support
President Bush’s policy, then
please support our troops.
victory and the new world order
that will emerge will be natural
and permanent. Agape will allow
all people to harmoniously par
ticipate in the progress of human
ity.
college’s Black Student Associa
tion and Religious Life Council.
Appropriately, the music selec
tions for the festival reflect the
influence of the African-Ameri-
can heritage in both contemporary
gospel and “legitimate” chor^
styles.
Guest director and adjudicator
for the day is Dr. Kirby Shaw,
internationally known composer,
arranger, and clinician. In the
music world, Shaw is best known
for his pop, jazz, and gospel ar
rangements, although his exper
tise of all vocal styles and ability
to communicate with young adults
makes him a leading force in cho
ral music education.
diction which both the Reagan
and Bush administrations have
presented us: War is not peace
and I will never believe that it is.
War is madness, and we cannot
“win” this war because our mili
tary might cc^ers our inability to
find alternatives and to spend our
best minds and money and time
and energy on life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness.
Even as we win the prime-time
television war, we lose. Even as
we defeat this enemy, we are less
than we were and so much less
tha" we might be. Even as we
recognize the enemy as Saddam
Hussein, the enemy is also our
selves.
Beware of STDs
Universe based on love, not war
Gulf War has no real winners
Choral Invitational
focuses on black music