I imagine many share my sense of unease as the political situation in the Mideast becomes more and more volatile. Our hearts go out to those hurt in the conflict, and we feel angst about the future directions new leadership might take. Now, with talk of military intervention in Libya, I begin to worry that we might be pulled into yet another difficult, expensive, civil war that will guarantee the ugliness of many dead people at our hands, and a further deterioration of our nation’s status in the world community.

Worry hardly seems an adequate response, so yesterday I sent messages to our elected representatives stating my strong opposition to the use of military force. Although I passionately stated my belief, I had precious little “meat” to support my argument. I was pleased to read George Will’s March 8th article, On Libya, too many questions, and sent another round of messages today referencing it.

I encourage everyone to consider these issues carefully, and to make your voice heard. Our elected leaders need our input so that they can make good decisions on our behalf. Easy to use forms are available, so it takes just a couple of minutes to send a note.

• Those of us in Ohio can write to Senator Brown and write to Senator Portman.
• Others can search for a Senator’s website and find his/her “Contact” link.
• All of us can write to our Representative.
• All of us can write to President Obama.

Although I would hope that each person sends their own words, I want to make my feelings clear, so here is the text that I sent to my elected officials:

Dear ___________,

I strongly believe that we should avoid military action in Libya. Please carefully consider the questions posed by George Will in his March 8th article, On Libya, too many questions.

We must avoid engaging in yet another ugly, costly civil war that will result in many dead people at our hands, and a further deterioration of our standing in the world community.

Thank you,

Dave Bezaire