Goshen High students voice views on war

www.elkharttruth.com Sat, Mar 1, 2003 By Kim Kilbride Truth Staff

GOSHEN -- Jason Shenk, a Goshen High School student, said he puts his faith in God, not weapons.

Friday, he had the opportunity to share his beliefs with other Goshen students on why the United States should not invade Iraq. Six of his classmates also voiced their views on the topic during a student forum modeled after National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation."

Each of the seven panelists was given two minutes to present his or her position. Afterward, they discussed several pre-established questions about the merits of a war with Iraq. At the end, they took questions from their classmates in the audience.

Following is a snippet of what they had to say.

Mike Deranek said he's concerned because Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction that he could be passing on to terrorists.

Jason said he has admiration and concern for U.S. soldiers being sent to the Middle East, but he doesn't agree with the orders they've been given.

"Let's not show the same disregard for human life as terrorists," Jason said.

Chris Null said he's in favor of a U.S. invasion of Iraq.

"For the sake of national security, we can't wait for Saddam's smoking guns," he said.

Michael Albert said he represented the middle-of-the-road view.

"I was previously pro-war," he said. "I would fight my opponent until the end. Then I realized I didn't have enough information to support my pro-war feelings."

Jessica Brubaker described herself as a nonpacifist who is against military intervention in Iraq.

"Many civilians would be killed in Baghdad (if there was a pre-emptive strike)," she said. "I also don't believe war should be started, so that way we could have cheaper gas."

Nick Mellot said if Hussein doesn't destroy all of his missiles, the United States will have to remove him from power.

"He's killed thousands of his own people," Mellot said. "Mr. Saddam Hussein is a threat to the United States and the rest of the world ... He needs to be removed from power quickly, or else we will pay the ultimate cost."

Norbert Bodendorfer is a foreign-exchange student from Germany. He said Iraq has shown no aggression toward the United States and therefore should not be invaded by U.S. forces.

Q: Will a war with Iraq lead to more terrorism?

Michael: "Yes, terrorist activity will increase. They'll use this as another way to hurt America."

Chris: "It will help stop terrorism because we'll be able to catch the terrorists by taking away one of their safe havens -- Iraq."

Norbert: "Terrorists can hide anywhere. I was in the town in Germany where police were all over looking for terrorists."

Q: What legal authority does the United States have to invade Iraq?

Nick: "U.N. Resolution 1441 is basically what we're operating on. Hussein is defying it. If the U.N. doesn't want to support this, it'll fall apart too."

Chris "We're the last superpower and so we must take out people who aren't willing to work for world peace."

Q: Does this whole issue revolve around oil?

Nick: "Iraq is the second largest land-based oil producer in the world ... (If that was all the United States was interested in) we could instead go to Alaska or Venezuela."

Mike: "I don't think so. We don't get all of our oil from the Middle East as news reports would have us believe."

Jessica: "I believe we are going for oil. Iraq switched to Euros. U.S. companies are missing out on a very lucrative oil business."

Q: "Have all possible diplomatic resolutions been exhausted?" Emily Wigley, an audience member, asked.

Jason: "There are nonviolent options that haven't been explored. It's incredible. We spend 200 times more on war efforts and the military than on peace efforts."

Q: "Is President Bush insisting on going to war with Iraq because we didn't win the war on terrorism after 9-11?" asked Justin Dolezal.

Jessica: "Bush knows he can get public support for it by using the guise of 9-11."

Q: "How can Christians say war is OK?" another student asked.

Michael: "God tells us we need to be obedient citizens to government. You're obeying God by following your government," he said.

Chris: "The Bible also tells us we can defend the weak."

With two lines of students still formed to ask questions, Goshen's principal Jim Kirkton, ended the forum by saying how proud he was of Goshen High School students.

"This was a real exercise in academia," he said. "Everyone knows their topic and was well prepared. What you saw today is something you'd normally see on a college campus," he told the audience.

Contact Kim Kilbride at kkilbride@etruth.com.