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On January 18, 2007 the Saint Cloud Visitor, a Minnesota Roman Catholic Diocesan newspaper, published the following letter.
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U.S. not following God's commandment

by Thomas Ivan Dahlheimer
Wahkon, MN

Our so-called leaders are the real terrorists, responsible for more deaths than Osama bin Laden. When I hear about our military men and women who are sent off to war in the name of God and Country, and who give up their lives for no rational cause at all, my heart is troubled .

What has happened to our country? We have become worse than the imagined enemy - killing civilians and calling it "collateral damage", torturing and trampling human rights, violating our Constitution, lying about why we went to war, more concerned with sports on television and cell-phones than the future of the world. half the population is drinking alcohol and/or using drugs because they cannot face the daily stress of living in the richest nation in the world.

We attacked an Arab nation under the deception of "Weapons of Mass Destruction". Our invasion and occupation has destroyed Iraq, and destabilized the entire region. Everyone who pays taxes has blood on their hands.

The violent turmoil initiated by the our nation's military invasion of Iraq will beget future wars of slaughter and mayhem. First we insult the United Nations, then we expect them to clean up our mess. Our elected representatives are supposed to find diplomatic solutions to these situations. Anyone can lash out and retaliate, that is not leadership or vision. Where is the wisdom and honor of the people that we have elected to lead us?

To the rest of the world we are cowards - demanding Iraq to disarm, and after they comply, we attack with remote-control high-tech weapons. And then lie about our reasons for invading.

This slaughter and mayhem is instigated by people who claim to believe in God. Many people turn away from religion, faced with the insanity of the "true believers". God does not endorse military actions by the self-righteous. "Who would Jesus bomb?" God's message is tolerance and love, not self-righteousness and hatred. God says: "Thou shalt not kill", however, "We the people of the United States of America", disobey and kill.

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