Myra Beckers
The Netherlands
President G.W.Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC 20500
USA
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Dear mister president,
Before I tell you the reason I’m writing this letter I will introduce myself, I am Myra Beckers, I am 17 years old and I live in the Netherlands.
I am writing this letter because I am really against the war you are planning in Iraq. You probably heard this from so many people before, but at least I could try to change your mind, although I know that’s not going to happen. Still I want you to know my reasons why I am against this war.
First of all because it seems to me you want this war pure for revenge and to finish some work your father hasn’t finished. That’s not a good motivation to start a war, mister president! There’s never a good reason to start a war anyway…
Second I think it is really sad to start a war because of all the innocent people who will get hurt, not only in Iraq, but also in America, and as a president it is also your job to protect your people. A good friend of mine is coming to America in August, but I am already scared something might happen to her. Of course that is not a great concern to you, but those are also little things that count.
My own opinion is that war is something very childish, I do not think you have a right to decide what is best for Iraq. If Iraq feels bad about Sadam Hussein they will fight him their self. I know it’s hard to stand up in Iraq and say you hate Sadam Hussein, but if you give those people some time they will. It is also their country, how would you feel if someone would come to America and say: ‘well, I hate the president here, I think we should start a war to get rid of him’. And believe me, there are enough people in the world who really feel like doing that on the moment. Sometimes I start wondering and I try to understand why you would want this war, but I can not, and I make up all these reasons in my head like, ‘maybe he is afraid of Sadam Hussein, maybe he thinks Sadam will attack him and he wants to be the first one to attack because maybe he thinks he will otherwise be seen as a stupid president’. And I think you really are afraid of Sadam Hussein.
I am afraid this war will get out of control and become a great war against the Islam. May I remind you of the second world war? Which was a great war against Jewish people. You really have got a image which can be resembled with Hitler’s image, if I may say so. That is not a good thing mister president!
I will get an end to this letter now, I am becoming to angry with you and I might start saying stupid things if I have not already done that. I hope I have made my opinion clear in this letter, and I hope you get to read this letter personally and it is not your secretary who reads it. If your secretary does read this before you do, please nice secretary, would you give this letter to mister president himself? Thank you.
I really hope you reconsider your decision of you get this letter in time. Thank you for your time. If there is anything you have to tell me, feel free to write me a letter back.
Yours sincerely,
Myra Beckers