Why are US troops involved in a Civil War in Iraq? We are told that we must stay the course to win. But, what can be won if the blodletting results in the slaughter of innocent Iraqi lives as well as our military. Independent investigations by researchers at Johns Hopkins estimated that at least 600,000 Iraqi men, women and children have been killed as a direct result of the war. Well over a million have been injured or disabled and at least 2,000,000 are refugees in their own country and have been forced to flee. How can we win when we destroy a country and create a climate of hate and distrust of Americans. The sluaghter at Virginia Tech is a microcosm of what is occuring daily in Iraq. Both must be condemmed. We cannot preach democaracy and justice by using deadly force against civilain populations whether or not it is deliberate or accidental. Death and maiming is the same wheter caused by "collateral damage" or deliberate action. Neither can be tolerated. We must begin a new path of understanding and reconcilliation. The twisted mind of the killer at Virginia Tech shattered a community that was unable to deal with the tormented suicidal killer who vented his anger. Perhaps nothing could have prevnted his violent outburst. Our government, on the other hand can prevent more innocent killing of Iraqi civilians by stopping our involvent in everything but humanitarian and reconcillition efforts. Perhaps by so doing we can show the world that there are peaceful sollutions to unimaginably complex individual and global problems.