As a Maine resident, I am proud to know that my elected officials have the courage to stand up to the shortsighted push toward war being pursued by the federal government.

Our state’s Democratic leaders are working to declare Maine as a state that believes in the possibility of a peaceful solution to the Iraqi conflict.

The United States government, especially the president and those closest to him, are abandoning the inspections long before they have run their proper course.

It may be true that Iraqi possession of catastrophic weapons can be a threat to us, but presently the bigger threat comes from the rash and inconsiderate decisions that the Bush administration is attempting to force on many of the world’s people. All of the signs are there to show us that the president is brushing aside humanitarian ethics in order to pursue aggressive militarism.

Again, I am proud that Maine officials can see through this and declare their own righteous humanitarianism. I only hope that others will follow and we can prevent a terrible and needless count of wartime casualties.

Jeremy Fischer, Mechanic Falls