People are polarizing over the war issue. The anti-war protests have also been contributing to the polarization. The media feeds the polarization. Polarization erases the common ground that really exists. There is not a single anti-war protester who supports Saddam Hussein or who doesn't support our troops, but pro-war supporters assume the opposite. Anti-war protesters spout rhetoric which doesn't make any sense, and only give reason for pro-war supporters to remain staunchly in support of the war. I still have not come across a pro-war argument that is unrebuttable except by rhetoric.

* Weapons of Mass Destruction: the Bush administration has not provided an iota of concrete proof that Hussein has sustained a WMD program. To go to an extreme measure as war, to violate the sovereignty of another nation, the burden of proof must be very high.
* Violations of U.N. resolutions support military action: The U.S. cannot point to U.N. resolutions to justify unilateral military action, and at the same time disregard U.N. processes to establish an internationally agreed upon course of action.
* We have an international coalition supporting military action: Three nations do not consist a "coalition" when there is a tide of international disapproval. The White House states that 40 other nations have voiced support for U.S. military action, yet few of them have voiced it publicly, and none, aside from England and Australia, are offering military support.
* We must liberate the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein: If this is allowed as a justification for war, it allows the U.S., or any other country for that matter, to declare war and invade another country where widespread human rights violations are committed by the government. And believe me or do the research yourselves, there are quite a few of them. If you say we must get rid of Saddam Hussein, I say we must get rid of the inhuman military junta in Burma. I can certainly get behind that. Anyone else? What's your human rights violation hotspot?
* Saddam Hussein is a threat to neighboring countries: The U.S. has not provided one iota of proof that Hussein intends to launch a military attack on any of its neighboring countries. Israel is threatened, but Israel is threatened by every nation surrounding it. Iraq fought a war against Iran through the 1980's, but the U.S. supported Iraq through it. Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, but there is no indication that it was going to try again.

So why war? Why innocent Iraqi civilians? Why U.S. soldiers' lives? Why condemn Iraq to the scourge of war? Why when the U.N. unanimously supported a renewed resolve to investigate and to rid Iraq of WMD's? Why contribute to the collapse of the airline industry? Why when so many Americans don't have jobs in a slumping economy? Why when education funding is at a crisis level? Why now? There is an answer to why, and I don't believe the White House will ever willingly admit it. Not exactly the essence of democracy.