By Beacon Editorial Board
It was standing room only at Mago Hunt recital hall last night as students came to hear Philip Lynch talk about his experience helping the Iraqis during the trial of Saddam Hussein.
The event, sponsored by the UP Philosophy Club, shows that students - not just professors - care about important issues outside the bubble of life on The Bluff.
As the former head of the U.S. Regime Crimes Liaison Office, Lynch spoke about the Iraqi Special Tribunal and how he organized a team of some of the nation's top lawyers to assist with this process.
Lynch, a registered Democrat who made it clear that he wasn't speaking on behalf of the U.S. government, believes that the U.S. should not have sponsored the tribunal.
According to Lynch, about $135 million was spent to build the court in Baghdad's Green Zone. All of this money came in cold hard cash via an Air Force cargo jet.
This method of money transfer is similar to those used by the organized crime rings that Lynch now prosecutes.
The legitimacy of the trial was not only hampered by money from American taxpayers, Lynch said, but by having the trial during a violent conflict where Iraqi judges and attorneys were killed.
Lynch, a West Point graduate who was a captain during the trial, is also pessimistic about the situation in Iraq. Despite media coverage of the surge of troops being a success, Lynch is extremely concerned that American troops and Iraqi security forces won't be able to control the situation in Iraq after the surge.
Toward the end of the presentation, a student asked Lynch if he thought U.S. soldiers would ever stand up against the war. Lynch responded that he had no doubt active duty troops would follow orders.
But, Lynch asked, is it fair for the government to be asking an all-volunteer force to serve a third or fourth tour of 15, 18 or 24 months? This, he said, was a "backdoor draft."
We ask, what will their sacrifice in Iraq and other wars mean?
As Veterans Day marks the upcoming weekend, it is important for us to answer questions like these, especially on a campus where there are many students in ROTC.
Even more importantly, it should compel us to ask our elected leaders not just about how they spend our money, but about how they would treat the finest and bravest of our country.
