Amos,

" In essence, you are advocating the curtailment of free and open communication of opinions of any ideas not held to be poltiically correct."

No. But you have not addressed the point that NO-ONE who was telling the US not to take action bothered to suggest that Saddam could avoid the threatened action by complying- ALL the protesters said was that the US should not do anything. THAT is where I see the blame belongs. Had Saddam complied, there would have been no invasion- Thus, to avoid the threatened invasion, why not ask him to comply? Unless the point is that he should not have to comply- in which case the UN should have never even kicked him out of Kuwait.