Nobody can question the right of Americans to engage in a dialogue on matters concerning foreign policy. However, there are correct and incorrect ways of conducting that discussion.
Madisonians will go to the polls April 4 and face a referendum posing the question of whether to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq immediately.
Certainly, channels such as referendums should be provided to accommodate public discourse on issues as necessary, but the upcoming choice provided to voters does not take into account the complexity of the situation.
The referendum confines the discussion only to the question of whether troops should be brought home now.
We, like a majority of citizens, have our views on the war. Unfortunately, this referendum does not give voters a chance to actually voice their opinions and speak out on the matter. Rather it only offers the black-and-white choice of "yes" or "no."
Although it would be in the spirit of democracy to maintain a constant, open dialogue regarding an issue that affects so many lives at home and abroad, the approaching poll is not sufficiently comprehensive.
This referendum does not ask voters to offer detailed and thoughtful ideas regarding how to best conclude U.S. involvement in Iraq. Instead, it insults voters with an unrealistically simplistic option for solving a problem wrapped in nuance.
A true forum on the conflict — albeit less feasible — would allow voters to propose their own solutions for the increasingly controversial conflict.
This Board opposes the April 4 referendum on the Iraq War, not because its outcome would be merely symbolic, but because it oversimplifies an extremely complicated issue.
There are potential solutions to the situation in Iraq. Sadly, this referendum does not provide voters with one of them.