To the editor:

Is it patriotic to protest? I saw some signs at the recent demonstrations to protest a war against Iraq that said “Peace Is Patriotic, Not War.” I listened to the cries for a peaceful solution to our problems with Iraq from the thousands of protesters from all walks of life across America.

Will their earnest appeals for peace be drowned out by those who are beating the drums for war so loudly? Will they have any effect upon an administration which seems to be moving relentlessly toward open warfare?

President Bush and his leaders point out that in America we can protest in comparison to those under Iraq’s dictatorship who cannot. But will the end result be any different if Bush ignores the cries for peace and the warnings of many of our allies and the United Nations that peaceful solutions have not yet been given a fair trial?

Of course we can certainly defeat Iraq, but will it be worth the cost in lives, destruction and money? Is Iraq any more of a threat to world peace than North Korea, which admits to having atomic weapons and has recently kicked out all of our inspectors?

In a democracy like ours, I should hope our leaders might be more responsive to its people than under a dictatorship like Saddam Hussein’s. I can only hope and pray that Bush will listen to the cries for peace and keep his solemn promise not to attack Iraq unless it is necessary and only as a “LAST RESORT.” The fates, the lives of countless thousands, lie in his hands.

Harold Piehler,

Lawrence