Sunday, March 02, 2003

CONSERVATIVE, CHRISTIAN AND ANTI-WAR:

Read John Whitehead's essay, "On the Highway of Death." John Whitehead is the president and founder of The Rutherford Institute, a civil rights and civil liberties interest group that is like a combination of the ACLU with the Moral Majority. They're anti-abortion, pro-free speech (especially when the speech is religious or anti-abortion), pro-religious freedom (especially if the issue is prayer), but also anti-death penalty. And they're also very skeptical about a war in Iraq. Whitehead is also a Vietnam vet, and he bases his anti-war arguments on the brutal nature of the warfare that he experienced firsthand, as well as the stories of the "highway of death" after the first Gulf War.

Read also Rutherford's essay on WBAL radio host Ron Smith, a self-described conservative who has alienated his core listening audience by questioning the wisdom of an attack on Iraq. Smith argues that the mainstream media has irresponsibly drummed up support for an attack, leaving few voices to take Bush to task for the ad hoc nature of his arguments for war.