One nation fears the power of another, and therefore decides to use military force to eradicate those fears. Sound familiar? It is 146 BC, the Third Punic War. Twice before the fledgling Roman Republic has beaten back threats of the Carthaginian Empire, and now they've had enough. Roman troops sack Carthage, and when the city falls they ensure it will never rise again. All buildings are destroyed. Romans plow the earth where the city stood, then salt it so nothing will grow there again. The threat of Carthage is forever gone.

Now, two millennia later, we face Iraq. Despite our opinions on the war, we must realize that our military is not going to brutalize the population of Saddam's nation or totally destroy its cities. We have the most advanced and the most humane military on this Earth, and we will use it to ensure our military goals are met with as little civilian loss as possible. Though diplomacy has failed, please realize that the coming of war does not mean the doom of the Iraqi innocent. Our troops have a job to do; they are not Roman legions out for innocent blood.