The cival war which began in 1990 in Rwanda has since claimed the life of over 500,000 Tutsi men, women, and children at the hands of the Hutu zealots who have vowed an ethnic cleansing of that country. No one supporting the current deployment of U.S. forces to Kosovo has claimed a body count even remotely close to this. While the travesty of Milosovich should not be allowed to fester, how can we possibly tolerate the justification of this action being the body count in Kosovo while ignoring expotentially higher body counts in other areas (much blacker areas) of the world. Are we racist in our defense of the downtrodden? It would appear, at a glance, that we are indeed racist to allow pictures of white people in trouble to effect our support while pictures of black suffering leave us unmotivated. But the American people did not start this war. They were only asked for their opinions after the shooting started. While the American people can generally be relied upon to support their fighting men and women, this action (and any American blood) has to be laid soley at the feet of our pathetically reprobate president - Bill Clinton. My problem with this is that I have no idea what his motivations are regarding this matter. I must question his motivations after all the other very questionable deployments of U.S. forces in terms of levels of committment and timing of deployment.
It is a hell of a thing to have to question such a humanitarian effort, but I must. There was no imperative to act on the part of Tutsi families when the Hutu's had their way with them. The magnitude of the suffering was far, far greater in Rwanda than in Kosovo. We had the same president then as we have now. What has changed? Ask Bill Clinton. As for America, may we choose more wisely next time around and find a man who, because of his demonstrated personal integrity and consistent application of principles, makes decisions that can't be so easily questioned. Only then we will have a leader.
Stuart Gort
None.
