No intervention in Liberia

Let me preface what I am about to say by explaining that I wholeheartedly supported America’s intervention in Iraq.

I believe it was important to liberate Iraq from the clutches of a barbaric dictator for several reasons:

• Iraq was a threat to the United States because of its consistent support of international Islamic terrorists, some of whom are believed to have been involved in the first attack on the World Trade Center, while others may have been linked to the attack on the Oklahoma City federal building.

• Iraq had a long history of developing weapons of mass destruction. Those weapons were not only destabilizing in the Middle East, but could be used against U.S. targets if they found their way into the hands of terrorists.

• While soundly defeated in the first Persian Gulf War, Iraq did not abide by the terms of its surrender and continued to ignore sanctions against rearming.

In other words, I supported the liberation of Iraq because Saddam Hussein’s regime continued to be a major threat to the security of the United States.

Now U.S. officials are considering intervening in Liberia. Liberia is not a threat to the security of the United States. I oppose deploying troops to Liberia.

Unless administration officials can show the America people that Liberia poses a threat to the U.S., there is no justification for deploying troops. Period. End of story.

The United States of America is not the policeman of the world.

Nor is our country the doctor to the rest of the world. And that’s why I oppose President Bush’s AIDS initiative to the continent of Africa.

While I’m sure every American shares my concern and compassion for suffering in Africa and elsewhere around the globe, the U.S. government does not have an obligation – nor does it have the ability – to relieve it.

Read the Africa-AIDS legislation approved by Congress and you will see it is a boondoggle.

We are about to spend $15 billion fighting AIDS in Africa. There is simply no justification under the U.S. Constitution for such a massive wealth transfer.

It would indeed be wonderful if we in the United States could stop the spread of AIDS in Africa. But throwing money at the problem will never accomplish that goal. Most of the money will be spent on education programs designed to change lifestyle habits that result from long-held cultural traditions. It is unlikely to have much impact.

It may seem compassionate to make such an effort. But it is phony compassion. If Americans want to send $15 billion or more to Africa to fight AIDS, individual Americans have the right and ability to organize such an effort. And they would have my blessing. I might even contribute to the cause if the plan made sense. But, let’s face it. Americans have no choice. This money is being confiscated from them by the U.S. government. That is not compassion, it is coercion.

There are many needs in the world. The U.S. cannot begin to meet them all. In fact, government has shown itself unable to meet even the many needs of Americans.

That’s why our new interest in Africa – both military and humanitarian – is misguided.

The U.S. government is charged under the Constitution with the responsibility of defending the civilian population. It is not charged with playing Santa Claus to Americans in need or Africans in need.

It’s a huge mistake to believe we can do it and do it effectively. It’s a huge mistake to believe this is the proper role of government. It’s a huge mistake to overextend ourselves and commit our country to attacking problems we cannot resolve.

President Bush’s trip to Africa is a mistake. It is designed to score political points rather than to serve the interests of the American people.

No intervention in Liberia. No welfare programs for Africa – or anywhere else.

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Editor’s note: The upcoming August issue of WND’s acclaimed Whistleblower magazine will be on America’s out-of-control judicial system, focusing in particular on the United States Supreme Court, whose recent rulings have validated reverse discrimination, opened the door for legalized polygamy, incest and bestiality, and freed hundreds of sex abusers. The current issue (July), titled “THE CONSTITUTION: America’s ultimate battleground,” explores whether the Constitution is still America’s “supreme law of the land.”

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