Cooper R. Massachusetts

Letter to President: America vs.ISIS

We think that the president and the US government should do anything they can to destroy ISIS.

Dear Future President,

We are writing this letter to inform you about the intolerable terrorism going around in the world caused by ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria). As future president, we strongly believe that this issue should be one of your highest priorities. The United States cannot let ISIS and other terrorist groups continue with these attacks. We need you and the US should do whatever it takes to destroy ISIS. When ISIS is eliminated, many people will have better lives and the world will become a safer place.

ISIS is a huge danger to the United States. ISIS has proved to us that they are a powerful force from what they have done to other countries. According to CNN, “Since declaring its caliphate in June 2014, the self-proclaimed Islamic State has conducted or inspired more than 140 terrorist attacks in 29 countries other than Iraq and Syria, where it's carnage has taken a much deadlier toll. Those attacks have killed at least 2,043 people and injured thousands more”. The Orlando Nightclub shooting was not conducted by ISIS but rather by someone who pledged allegiance to ISIS. On June 12, 2016, 29 year old Omar Mateen entered a nightclub in Orlando armed. He killed 49 people and wounded 53 others. This was declared the deadliest mass shooting in US history almost immediately. The Paris attacks were also one of the most tragic terrorist attacks conducted by ISIS. On November 13, 2015, at least 128 people were killed and 328 other got wounded according to a CNN article. There were attacks in 6 locations through Paris. That is just a glimpse of how dangerous ISIS can be.

ISIS is hurting many people and needs to be stopped. Many other people agree with us in knowing that ISIS needs to be stopped. In the article America Must Destroy ISIS, Robert W. Merry said: “The United States must move not just to thwart the ISIS menace, but to destroy it”. Also, in that article they mention that Obama feels the same way. “That's why he has commenced his aerial warfare against ISIS positions in Iraq.” ISIS has been in charge of a lot terrorist attacks, many of them being suicide related (suicide bombing). The amount of deaths and injuries is very high, and it keeps increasing. Also, Donald Trump knows that ISIS needs to be destroyed. Trump said: “I believe that ISIS is not just a terrorist group, but that it is a major threat to countries around the world”. We hope that you can put an end to ISIS and an end to the terrible things happening because of it.

Although ISIS is doing terrible things, some people still think that we should not try to stop ISIS. For example, in the article The United States Should Not Intervene in Iraq it states that "Ivan Eland is a senior fellow and director of the Center on Peace and Liberty. In the following viewpoint, he argues that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is focused on sectarian battles in the region and is no real threat to the United States.” He thinks that “It's time for Obama, who has such innate tendencies, to again have a [Dwight] Eisenhower moment, conclude that no crisis exists, and minimize U.S. involvement in this burgeoning mess”. People who agree with Eland believe that getting involved with ISIS will just create “more strife and radicalization rather than less”. Another reason why people think that we should not get involved with ISIS is because, the Middle East (where most of ISIS is located) supplies a lot of the US oil. They think that if we (the US) are fighting ISIS, then the people in the Middle East could not export oil to us, therefore we would lose a large amount of oil. Losing oil would be bad, but hundreds of people dying because of ISIS is worse, and this is one of the reasons why ISIS needs to be stopped.

To wrap it it all up, we believe that you and the United States needs to stop ISIS as soon as possible. This is one of the most deadliest terrorist groups ever and they have conducted some of the most tragic attacks in history If you do not do anything about this matter then people’s safety in this country may be harmed as well as in other places around the world. However, if you do take action into this issue, then you will help make this country a safer place, as well as help other countries from being attacked by this deadly terrorist group.

To conclude, we would like to give you a huge thanks for taking valuable time out of your busy lives to read our letter. As future president, we understand that you have so many responsibilities and things to take care of so you may not have realized some of the problems this country has such as ours. I hope you will enjoy being president of our country and good luck!

With much admiration and respect,

Alan Z. and Cooper R.

Glenbrook Middle School

Grade 7 English Language Arts

The seventh grade students have researched, discussed, and thought carefully about a variety of issues that challenge our nation and the next president. Here are their thoughts about what the next president must do to improve our country and all of our lives.

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