High cost of war hurting those at home, abroad

As one of the small group of people who held a noontime peace vigil in front of the courthouse recently, I would like to respond to Laura Deland's thoughtful letter in the Daily Bee (Aug. 28).

I felt compelled to take a stand because I believe war is inherently immoral. Furthermore, I believe that the war in Iraq is not only immoral but also illegal. The four judges of the Nuremberg Tribunal, set up to try Nazi war criminals following World War II were unanimous in their declaration that aggressive war was "the supreme international crime." I cannot support my country in this illegal action.

Ms. Deland reminds us that our "freedom wasn't free." I suppose that one could infer that the only way to protect our freedom is through war. I do not agree. I believe that we protect our freedom only by being vigilant toward threats from without and from within. And, when threatened, we must work within existing treaties and international organizations to resolve our differences. This involves cooperation and compromise, traits we try to encourage in our children. Our nation should behave no differently.

I believe that war is very costly. The number of U.S. military dead will soon pass 1,900, with approximately 15,000 wounded. How many more are coming home with broken spirits and souls? Our government continues to refuse to count Iraqi civilian deaths as if they did not matter. The best estimates range from 25,000 to 100,000 men, women and children killed because of our actions.

War is costly in monetary terms. We have been spending $5.6 billion every month in 2005, well over $1 billion each week. Think of what else we could do with this money. For instance, the Army Corps of Engineers has been working since 1995 to shore up levees around New Orleans. As the costs of the Iraqi war mounted, the federal government drastically reduced funding for levee work and they were not completed. They failed during Hurricane Katrina, causing massive flooding, destruction and death. This is just one of the many examples of the indirect costs of the Iraq war.

I believe we must stop the killing and stop the war. I can think of no better way to support our troops.

NANCY F. RENK

Sandpoint