Lone Rangers

ARTHUR NERSESIAN

Age 43

Resides Manhattan

Occupation Writer

Should the U.S. go it alone against Saddam Hussein? I was just thinking about this. My knee-jerk reaction is no. I marched against Vietnam and against the Gulf War. I can’t stand Bush, who I think stole the election. Donald Rumsfeld is a nut and Saddam Hussein isn’t Hitler. At the same time I can’t help thinking that with an all-volunteer army comprised of a bunch of people willing to fight, rather than being forced to fight as they were in Vietnam, it would be for a good cause. Only 41 American soldiers died to liberate Afghanistan.

Does it bother you that Osama bin Laden’s still at large? I don’t think people really care. My brother, who is very left-leaning, says that if we go in and force a regime change in Iraq, that’s a good thing, and if we go in and lose, then Bush won’t be re-elected and that, too, is a good thing.

What conflict poses the biggest threat to world peace? Class warfare. The rich versus the poor. What the rich in any country are doing to their poor is the unseen war.

ARTHUR STANLEY

Age 22

Resides Brooklyn

Occupation Student

Should the U.S. go it alone against Saddam Hussein? No. Let the Iraqis solve their own problems. Bush Sr. had the perfect opportunity to grab Hussein in the Gulf War. I don’t know why he didn’t. We should have learned from Vietnam about meddling in other countries’ business. I also don’t think that going to war will boost the economy. The only time a war helped the U.S. economy was WW II, and we didn’t get involved until we were attacked by the Japanese. I’m from Texas and I lived in Austin when Bush was governor. When he was elected president, I thought, “Good, he’s gone,” but he kept coming back. I kept saying, “GO AWAY!” Thank God for Colin Powell. I hope he doesn’t resign.

Does it bother you that Osama bin Laden’s still at large? Yes, we should get him. They say he has a kidney problem. They’re always looking for his dialysis machine.

What conflict poses the biggest threat to world peace? India and Pakistan, Israel and the Palestinians. There are so many civil conflicts in Africa but there are also bigger things there like AIDS.

LILIAN SARFATI

Age 18

Resides Manhattan

Occupation Student

Should the U.S. go it alone against Saddam Hussein? Violence is bad, and I think George W. Bush is just trying to finish the job his father started. I’m not sure about preemptive strikes. We need to take precautions, but we shouldn’t start a war.

Does it bother you that Osama bin Laden’s still at large? Yes. Saddam Hussein isn’t who the U.S. should be following. He’s old news.

What conflict poses the biggest threat to world peace? For a long time, the conflict in Israel has been the trigger for a lot of violence elsewhere. Nothing was ever done about it until the attacks of September 11. There are a lot of different conflicts throughout the world but we don’t get involved unless there’s money to be made.

PAT ZOLLO

Age 41

Resides Long Island

Occupation Photographer

Should the U.S. go it alone against Saddam Hussein? We probably should go into Iraq. I think it’s partly right to claim that it’s part of the war on terrorism, but I’m also confused by it. I have a son who just joined the armed forces a month ago. I don’t fully agree with his having gone in. I think it’s great to be patriotic, but you also have to question your government. He became a lot more patriotic after September 11.

Does it bother you that Osama bin Laden’s still at large? I really don’t think they’re looking for him. He may be more effective as a symbol.

What conflict poses the biggest threat to world peace? The Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After all these years, I don’t think a resolution is possible. It’s been centuries.

JOHN DECICCO

Age 26

Resides Manhattan

Occupation Booker

Should the U.S. go it alone against Saddam Hussein? I’m still undecided. I’m leaning toward no. I think Bush is using it as a way to make Americans feel safer, but I don’t feel that confident about Bush being commander in chief. I’d prefer that this be resolved diplomatically.

Does it bother you that Osama bin Laden’s still at large? Yes. If we’re talking about going after Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein, I’d prefer that they get Osama bin Laden.

What conflict poses the biggest threat to world peace? The Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I think it’s good that Bush spoke about a Palestinian state, because Americans avoided the issue for so long. I don’t know what my opinion on statehood is, but the U.S. can’t stand on the sidelines of the confict and watch.

DANIELLE TINSLEY

Age 26

Resides Manhattan

Occupation Dancer

Should the U.S. go it alone against Saddam Hussein? No. I think part of what Bush is trying to do in going into Iraq is get re-elected. It’s politically motivated. And it’s about oil. It’s scary. I don’t know why people aren’t marching about it. I myself feel like I’m just one person and how can I stand up to the government? I do know that we’re not being given all the information.

Does it bother you that Osama bin Laden’s still at large? I’m not a revenge type of person. I haven’t really thought, “Oh, I wish he were dead.” If he were dead, he might become a martyr to his followers and cause them to attack again.

What conflict poses the biggest threat to world peace? Power and money are the greatest impediments to world peace. And the actual business of war. Selling weapons around the world is big business. When we ourselves go to war, it helps our economy. It’s perverse.

KEVIN EDWARDS

Age 45

Resides Manhattan

Occupation Music stylist

Should the U.S. go it alone against Saddam Hussein? I have mixed feelings, because Saddam is crazy. On the other hand, I’m afraid of retaliation if we did go after him. There are so many domestic issues that we should be focused on. Last September 11 killed our economy. We lost whole businesses and neighborhoods. I’ve restructured my whol life. The fashion industry is only at 60 percent of where it was prior to 9-11. I also think this Iraq issue is designed to distract us from the fact that we failed to recognize pre–9-11 warnings.

Does it bother you that Osama bin Laden’s still at large? Yes. With all that military power, you still haven’t caught him? Is he that much of a genius? They let his relatives fly out of the country right after the attacks. We made a lot of mistakes and now we’re paying for them.

What conflict poses the biggest threat to world peace? The Middle East. We’re allies with Israel and we’re caught in the middle. September 11 was part retaliation for our loyalty to Israel. I can’t see it ending.