Confusing Iraq situation

Frankly we are at a loss to understand the situation in Iraq. We were under the impression that President Bush had given Iraq up to March 17 to comply with the requirements of the United Nations Security Council concerning the concealment of illegal war weapons. But March 17 is over and nothing has happened. To add to the confusion, now President Bush says that he has given Saddam Husseim a deadline of two days to go into exile. This is a new demand and a new deadline.

Now, to add to what is already a confused situation, Saddam Husseim has come out with a statement saying that if Iraq is attacked, Iraq will extend the war all over the whole world where "there is sky, land and water". This clearly means two things. First, they do have the prohibited arms that the United States claim they have. Second, they will not hesitate to use them once invaded. The worst scenario in Iraq now is if Saddam Hussein pre-empts Bush’s declaration of war. And we mean another September 11 attack on many parts of the United States.

We have always believed in hoping for the best, but always being prepared for the worst. One can never go wrong with that policy. So we still harbor hopes for peace in Iraq, for both the United States and Iraq may be getting more than they bargained for. Nowadays, there is just no telling what type of illegal war weapons a desperate nation will employ. They could resort to gas or germ warfare. It is bad enough if such weapons are unleashed against an armed force. The height of atrocity will be if they are utilized against helpless civilians, specially women and children. That is the very last thing the world needs today.

Surely there must be some solution to the Iraq crisis other than war. In our Christian upbringing, the age of seven was considered to be the age of reason. The 18th century was called the Age of Reason because it was a period of enlightenment brought about because philosophy became the vogue throughout Europe. Now, we seem to have reverted back to the Dark Ages caused by the collapse of classical civilization. The use of force and not reason is the means that world leaders use to solve world problems. All nations and all individuals will have to pay a price if and when the war in Iraq breaks out. The sad part is that there was nothing the great majority of nations and all individuals could do to avoid the disaster. The world is now a global village. The most important thing in any village is peace and order based on justice.

Yes, it’s darkness at noon.