1. Dear Mr. President,
I am ethically and morally against war, because there is no real winner to the conflict
which inevitably becomes a burden on the heart, families, countries and economies of all those
involved. I think is wrong to take a human life. However, I am also against countries taking
advantage of and bullying other countries for reasons they feel are valid. Therefore, I can support
America going to the military aid of many nations. In certain situations, I think it is warranted to
intervene in the fight with other countries, i.e. smaller, no real means of defense, non-threat, etc.
It appears some countries wage war have a nonconsequentialistic view of the matter.
They are not concerned about what happens in the midst of battle, how many lives are lost or
who is affected. I believe they are just seeking the ultimate outcome of more power, land, or in
the name of a religion. America has mostly taken the utilitarian consequentialistic approach in
this area even at the expense of losing Americans in battle. It is in the best interest of many
countries, including our own, to participate in these wars in that they keep a certain amount of
peace in that region and at home. Even though participating in a war can also save the lives of
many innocent victims, it carries an array of emotions to families; it sometimes leaves America
divided and puts a strain on our economy as well. While we sometimes disagree with what goes
on in other countries, and the atrocities that too often takes place, we are still hesitate to interfere,
but the morals, ethics and values America possess will not allow us sit ideally by and do nothing.
The war on terror is a necessary evil in today’s world. If this cancer type action is not
dealt with, it will spread into many more countries and eventually send many areas into chaos.
Terrorist who kill innocent civilians, have to be confronted, sought out and dealt with. Where we
were once exempt from such terror, this is no longer the case. There is no other alternative when
dealing with terrorists. Rational and reasoning is something that does not appear to have any
affect. Mr. President, as you stated in your Nobel Peace Prize speech, “To say that force is

2. sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism – it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of
man and the limits of reason…”
There is no easy fix to the United States participating in wars or combating terror, but
each situation and circumstance should be carefully discussed and weighed in great detail.
Immense strides should always be made to avoid war at all cost. The United States should
always consider every other available option when at all possible.
Thank you Mr. President for taking the difficult, and sometimes unpopular, stance to
defend the innocent or those who are too weak to defend themselves.
V/r
Helen Parmer