ANDY ROONEY - 60 MINUTES - Sunday, March 31, 2003

We all find war more interesting than peace. Any time death is imminent, life is exciting and we're watching this war as though it was a video game.

On television, it's hard to know where to look to find what you want to know. There are pictures on top of pictures, moving print on top of those. There's more than the eye can see or the brain comprehend.

The generals are giving us the play-by-play action from their Hollywood studio in Qatar. They're telling us everything, but we don't feel we know anything.

Some reporters are attached to military units and we're getting stunning coverage from them. We're seeing war first hand.

We're all asking each other what we think, too. Strangers ask me what I think as if I was smart because I'm on television. I have opinions - no information.

Experts talk about precision bombing but on the ground, where bombs hit, it is not precise. People are killed, history destroyed. We didn't shock them and we didn't awe them in Baghdad. The phrase makes us look like foolish braggarts. The president ought to fire whoever wrote that for him. Just an opinion.

We haven't caught bin Laden so we're transferring the blame for 9/11 to Saddam Hussein. There are soldiers who think that's why they're fighting. Hussein is a bad man who didn't have anything to do with 9/11. Just an opinion.

When I see President Bush with soldiers, I wish he had been one at war himself. He'd know more about where he was sending those soldiers. Just an opinion.

It bothers me that America is hated. I don't like to be hated personally - which happens - and I don't like my country to be hated - which has happened.

I have one opinion I don't like having. We have stores of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in this country. If we were losing this war, would we, as a last resort, use them? I'm afraid we might.

Hussein has chemical and biological weapons. If he is about to lose this war, will he use them? I'm afraid he might.

I wish my America had never gotten into this war, but now that we're in it, I want us to win it.

Written By Andy Rooney © MMIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.


(Edited to attribute properly)

<center><FONT COLOR="#000080">--- Edited 1 times, lastly by Wyldflower on Mar 31, 2003 ---</FONT></center>

For the most part, Andy Rooney's opinions are similar to mine...

However, when it comes down to it, I have very mixed feelings about "now that we're in it, we have to win it"

The longer we are there, the more lives will be lost, the more anguish the people of Iraq will have to suffer through, the more the rest of the world will villify Americans (not necessarily differentiating between the We the People and our unelected leaders), the more expense to all for war materiel where it should be used for aid and assistance.

My brain hurts... so does my heart.

I want it to STOP - but I don't know how, except by talking with people, writing letters, supporting those who are truly trying their best in a hard situation (including the troops), participating in peace rallies, praying, and praying some more.

I love you all. Thank you for being there and listening to me, and to Nathen and to Riot Act, and to everyone else... we all matter... Thank you for giving me a shoulder to cry on. I offer mine to you as well.

Amen Andy. It's a smart man that thinks like me. <img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/wink.gif" width=15 height=15>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Larry:

Amen Andy. It's a smart man that thinks like me. <img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/wink.gif" width=15 height=15><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

just think Larry, Andy and me in agreement, this is just too much for me to deal with.

Wyldflower, we love you as well and thank you for caring so much and being the kind of person I can be proud to call friend.

I agree, too, and I also thank each and every one of you for being here and being who you are. This is a difficult time for Americans, parents, children, spouses, siblings and soldiers.

Go Andy!