I want world peace

I want world peace.

I want children to use duct tape to construct playground baseball bats, not protect their homes from biological attack.

I want to ride BART without always thinking that someone will release toxic chemicals into the confined underground stations, and always looking over my shoulder to spot who is going to do it.

I want these color coded alert systems to be a thing of the past. Only the Dodgers should be on an Orange alert.

I want Iraqi children to grow up with the same goals and dreams as American children, instead of growing up with fear of random executions, an evil regime, and no hope.

I want weapons of mass destruction to be discarded into the same evil pile of history as slavery, communism, and fascism.

I want world peace. But you didn't see me marching with 100,000 people in San Francisco on Sunday.

I want to give peace a chance. And we have.

When the United States pulled out of Iraq in 1991, after playing the role of liberator once again, we gave peace a chance.

We allowed Saddam Hussein to remain in power, even as he continued to oppress his people in the worst of ways. With the United Nations, we initiated weapons inspections to ensure Iraq would continue to disarm, and that it would remain in compliance with the treaty it signed.

Even as the United Nations withdrew these same inspectors from Iraq, in 1998, due to non-cooperation from the Saddam regime, and after a few impeachment-fueled missiles lobbed by Clinton, we gave peace a chance.

Look at what giving peace a chance has accomplished.

Iraqi defectors report that Saddam is well on his way to developing a nuclear weapon. The bomb in the hands of Saddam must be avoided at all costs.

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis go to bed each night hungry and torn apart from their families. Sitting upon one of the largest oil reserves in the world, one would think Iraq would be a prosperous nation with a high standard of living. Yet, Saddam takes all the revenue from his resources to build more and more lavish palaces, while leaving his own people barely enough for a nightly meal of hummus.

After a four year absence, the inspectors returned to Iraq late last year. Four years is a long time in order to hide evidence, subvert the system, and prepare for the ultimate manipulation of Hans Blix. While the inspections are a complete charade and farce, they have shown that Saddam has at his disposal many weapons, including biological and chemical agents.

When it comes to nukes, nothing has been found. But it reminds me of the time my apartment was inspected by the landlord to make sure everything was in order. A few months earlier, I had lost my temper, and ended up with a hole in the wall (Giants-Mets, Playoffs, 2000). When the landlord came, I just put a poster over it. Everything was fine.

Beyond just Iraq, what could really be dangerous is if Hussein's arsenal somehow found its way into the hands of Al Qaeda, or other terrorist organizations. The administration is publicly and covertly building a case that links Osama's crew to Baghdad.

Since we've given peace a chance, three thousand Americans forever lay dead on the southern tip of Manhattan. Who knows how many more there are to come if Iraq and Al Qaeda continue not only to exchange ideas and support, but weapons.

And beyond Islamic fundamentalists, giving peace a chance has failed us in other parts of the world. A non nuclear proliferation agreement that we signed with North Korea was never followed by Kim Jong Il. Pyongnang went ahead in developing nuclear weapons and in doing so deliberately deceived the United States. Recently, North Korea has revived a nuclear reactor, and could be months away from adding a few more nukes to their arsenal, or even worse, the black market.

So we've given peace a chance. And it has failed us.

I want world peace.

So, in order to move closer to a global community of mutual trust, understanding, freedom, and democracy that lives at peace, war is the answer now.

It's hard for some to understand that in order to establish peace, we must, paradoxically, go to war. This is a concept lost on the millions throughout the world that marched against the Bush administration's policies this past weekend.

If we ever want to live in that world we all dream about, it's necessary to remove the menacing figure in Baghdad, so that not only we can sleep a little safer, but so can the Iraqis. And that will be the first step.

Ultimately, we should pressure the Islamic world to appreciate our cherished values of democracy and freedom. Last weekend's mass protests were held in many countries where their leaders solidly support President Bush. When was the last time one saw hundreds of thousands of Iranians, Saudi Arabians, or Iraqis in the streets protesting their leadership? Never, because of the repressive control their governments hold over them.

The path to peace is a long one. It won't be smooth or easy. But we're the freest, most special place on earth for a reason- because of the values this country holds. If we want to be the safest, most peaceful place on earth, we must go to any length to make sure those who hate us can't hit us.

If that means war, we must go.

I want world peace. That's how we must get there.