(quote)
"Even an attack of the scale of 9/11 can't justify the murder of thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of civilians, whether in the name of security, of freedom, or anything else. "

The flippant answer would be as opposed to the Taliban's or Saddam's excuses for visiting premeditated murder with extreme predjudice on their own people. Are you saying that it is more morally justifiable for the politically helpless Iraqi citizens to die of privation whilst Saddam continues to finance his self-important megalomanical visions with evermore bunkered-palaces.

I'm not , in any way , justifying the decision for a *pre-emptive* military police action that I suppose it will be reffered to next.
But since Bush,Sr. *blew it* big time by not finishing the job then when we had the military advantage and the international support that we do *not* have now ( think of all of the lives *that* might've spared , starting with the Kurds , years under Saddam's heal ), I continue to be for this policy of *containment*
as in the Cuban Missle Crisis blockade.

However you can't just armchair moralize and be silent on what
course you *would* support .

BTW: If you really are serious about registering your opposition
you should take it to the source that *really* feels imminently threatened by Iraq and is at the forefront of this *first strike* policy ; namely Areil Sharon's Right Wing Isreal. Failing to direct your *moral* judgement at this source of proven war-mongering is serving up a half-baked protest at best.

It's so easy to *just*criticize the U.S. and remain silent on this other key instigator through fierce lobbying . Please address your protest to there as well as AIPAC has been extremely busy of late.