             In my memory, the United States of America has never mistreated any nation with which it has engaged in war. History indicates that we do not conquer and take the spoils of war as powerful nations have in the past.

             We do not make war upon a people, only upon ruthless administrations. Think of World War II, Japan and Germany. Look what we did for South Korea. We, as a nation, only strived to make things better for those less fortunate than we were. Even in Viet Nam, we did not seek to take over North Viet Nam. We had the weapons and know-how to win the war in a short period of time, we just didn't want to unjustly kill thousands of innocent civilians.

             Forget the song and dance about our not knowing what Russia or China might have done. Our military effort was restricted to only allowing South Viet Nam the right of self-determination. We sacrificed many a good soldier to save our national character and honor. The same is true of the Gulf War. We stopped when the enemy was in retreat and no longer appeared to be a threat. The television broadcast of the carnage of war on the road from Kuwait to Baghdad was all it took to end our advance. The citizens of the United States could not stomach any more. Our enemy was clearly defeated. Again, our national character was at stake.

             The world is changing with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). We are faced with far too many nations seeking these weapons, nations with little control from the general population. If this trend continues, we may soon face the day of the end to freedom. The day will come when someone, with complete malice, will have the hammer to destroy any free society of his choosing with the push of a button. Just having a country use the threat of these weapons as blackmail could result in the slow disintegration of these same freedoms. I am hoping that we have not already deferred action too long to stop this proliferation.

             Unfortunately, the United States is deemed the world's leading military might. With this designation, we are forced to be the responsible party for the world's protection from WMD. These weapoms do not provide time for building up defenses or even using the possibility of counter-attack. Once unleashed, these weapons may not leave anything worth saving.

              Therefore, we must act like an adult and discipline bad behavior. Many nations have not the ability, the maturity or willingness to do it for themselves. Of course, we will receive tremendous resistance from a good portion of the world community. Some will say we are barbaric and controlling for our own benefit. It will take strong leadership to overcome these objections. We must think like adults and consider the far future and realize we may never be thanked for being firm. An adult does this realizing the rewards may never be recognized, but realizing he or she must step up and do the responsible thing.

              This is about balance and responsibility. We must make good decisions now and not put them off hoping someone else will carry our load. Yes, we should have acted long before now. We waited, hoping reason would prevail, because this nation believes in good over evil. We hoped that the world would be as caring of others as we are.

             As a nation, we have the best safeguards there are to keep our actions in check : a free society and the best free press in the history of the world.