Okay, it's

been over three months since the war in Iraq officially ended. Where are

the weapons of mass destruction? Where are the clear and undeniable links

between Saddam and Osama bin Ladin? I fervently hope that the Bush administration

didn't deliberately deceive us but, well, maybe it's too early to tell.

Several months

ago, when war with Iraq was proposed, I had my serious doubts about the

necessity for this action. I listened to the president explain why force

had to be used and had to be used now. I watched with great intensity

when Colin Powell presented his case to the United Nations. The whole

thing was, to me, a bit like airline food it didn't taste just right and

it wasn't satisfying. Nevertheless, I thought, "Perhaps the administration

knows something that they can't reveal right now. Maybe secrets are being

kept for a reason."

Still, I was

troubled. I have a son in the military and our church family has an additional

six men and women in uniform. Our bishop's oldest son is a Marine and

many of my friends and colleagues have sons and daughters in the military.

Saddam was

a bad man, to be sure. Iraq was an oppressed nation and a terrible place

to live, no one doubted that. But there are plenty of bad men leading

nations and numerous nations that suffer under a despot.

Was there a

clear and present danger to the security of the United States? That was

the overriding question. Was the situation so desperate that it was worth

sending the seven people from our church, including my son, into the heart

of war to save our nation? To me, the evidence wasn't there.

But, believing

the president to be an honest man who was privy to classified information,

I supported him, his decision, and our men and women in uniform. Like

many Americans, I watched and waited for the weapons of mass destruction

to be unleashed on our forces as they encountered the enemy. It didn't

happen. I braced for the loss of life as coalition forces reached the

gates of Baghdad. Surely, this is where Saddam would unleash his terrifying

arsenal of chemical and biological-perhaps even nuclear-weapons. But the

holocaust that had been feared never came. Weapons of mass destruction

were not used. So far, they haven't even been found.

Polls say that

the vast majority of Americans don't care if the United States finds weapons

of mass destruction. Most Americans say that they believe that the war

was worth the effort in freeing the Iraqi people. But this American does

care. And this American isn't even certain that the Iraqi people appreciate

being liberated.

Nearly 50 U.

S. soldiers have been killed since the war has ended by these "liberated"

Iraqis. If no weapons of mass destruction are ever found, here's what

I want to know: Was the president misinformed or mistaken? Or did he deliberately

deceive the American people? If the answer is the latter, then I fear

that the President will find that trust, once betrayed, is nearly impossible

to regain.

John Ashcroft

recently indicated that the so-called Patriot Act needs to be expanded.

He said that the government needs broad new powers to combat terrorism.

Really? Is that truly the case? Or could Mr. Ashcroft be misinformed or

mistaken? Is it even possible that he could only be saying that the government

needs extra powers to combat terrorism and that there is really no need

at all? And that is the dilemma. If the government deceives its people

about one thing (if that truly is the case) can one ever believe them

again on any subject?

Mr. Clinton

"misinformed" the people about his relationship with a White

House intern and I never trusted him again. If his lips were moving, I

suspected that he was lying. If Mr. Bush has "misinformed" the

American people about the reasons for going to war, then his credibility,

as far as I am concerned is seriously compromised.

I sincerely

hope that U. S. forces find massive caches of these horrifying weapons.

I hope that undeniable links between Saddam and terrorism can be proven.

If not, then why, Mr. President, did we go to war? And if not, then why,

Mr. President, should we ever trust you again? If not, Mr. President,

what are we to think when we see your lips moving?

I was in the

Marine Corps during the Vietnam era, Mr. President, when the government

lied to its people on a regular basis. The cause was noble but the politicians

were dishonorable. Do I trust the government? You have to be kidding.

But I did trust

you, sir. I believed you and I supported you. So far, I still do. Please

don't let me down.

[Father David

Epps is rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church, which

meets Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. in new facilities on Ga. Highway 34

between Newnan and Peachtree City. He may be contacted at [email protected].]