Is war the answer? What would you do if you lived in a community when bombs were constantly going off and gunshots kept ringing in your ears? That is not the place you want to live in. Nor do I.

I do not think the troops should be in Iraq. Having them there is hurting too many people, and it has been for too long. Most of the country has been taken over with weapons and fighting and constant killings.

In the U.S., families are mourning their loved ones, and struggling because of a crippled economy due to the billions of dollars going to war. There is not a good point in this.

Part of the reason the U.S. started the war was because it was thought there were weapons of mass destruction that the Iraqis could potentially use against the United States. After going over there, it was discovered there were none, and people ended up getting killed as victims of unnecessary violence.

The U.S. has intruded on people’s homes and land, created misery for families here and in Iraq because of loved ones gone forever. The nation has lost jobs, gone into debt and people are struggling with soaring gas and oil prices.

The war has been going on for eight years, and it is one of the reasons why there is a recession. It has to stop. War is not the answer. Let’s not make it nine years. That’s overdoing it.

Kylie Martin, Poland