Faculty members speak against war in Iraq
By MATT BRAMANTI
News Writer
As thousands of U.S. troops amass in the Middle East poised to invade Iraq, Notre Dame faculty members circulated a petition calling for a diplomatic solution to the international crisis.
Kristin Shrader-Frechette, a professor of biology and philosophy, wrote the petition in support of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' open letter to President Bush last fall. That document called on the Bush administration to "step back from the brink of war" and urged "moral limits on the use of military force."
The faculty petition also calls for the use of diplomatic channels, broad international support, convincing evidence and the implementation of Catholic just-war doctrine.
"Being a Catholic university, we wanted to make it clear that the Church is on the side of peace," Shrader-Frechette said.
The number of full-time faculty who have signed the petition is "in the hundreds," she said, without specifying how many of the 760 full-time faculty members at Notre Dame signed the petition. "We've had good responses from people all over campus," Shrader-Frechette said, emphasizing the document's popularity in the English, theology, sociology, and philosophy departments.
Shrader-Frechette said the solution to the brewing conflict lies in strengthened inspections by U.N. personnel. "There should be a multilateral agreement with multinational forces," she said. "We should make sure that Iraqi scientists can speak to the U.N. alone."
While calling for more inspectors, Shrader-Frechette cast doubts on the president's claims that Iraq retains weapons of mass destruction.
"Saddam Hussein doesn't have nuclear weapons, and he couldn't have them for a long, long time," she said.
She also criticized U.S. policy on weapons of mass destruction as hypocritical, claiming the Pentagon unleashed biochemical agents on unsuspecting Americans. "The U.S. government continues to experiment with chemical and biological warheads on its own citizens without their knowledge," Shrader-Frechette said.
Shrader-Frechette also called for campaign finance reform, characterizing the Bush administration as beholden to political donors.
"It's not national security that runs this country, it's vested interests," she said. "Thomas Jefferson would say that we've become like the worst part of corrupt Europe."
The Bush administration's war plans hit speed bumps recently, as France, Belgium and Germany blocked NATO plans for the defense of Turkey in the event of an Iraqi reprisal against that country.
According to U.S. defense officials, some 150,000 troops will be in position in the Persian Gulf region by week's end. They will join four Navy battle groups, each with a complement of 5,000 personnel and 75 warplanes.
All News Stories for Wednesday, February 12, 2003
