A united nation is best defense for our way of life

Re: Weapons of mass destruction.

In defense of President Bush, whom I believe is the best president among all of the candidates on the scene, I would submit that, as his critics have ridiculed him as not being very intelligent, he did not lie. Rather he was confused as to which country had the WMD; actually it is Saudi Arabia, Iran and North Korea. He knew it was a country over there somewhere.

Now, on the serious side, why don't we as Americans look at the big picture? We were attacked viciously on Sept. 11, and Bush is doing something about it. That is more than the previous administration ever did other than bombing an aspirin factory. The previous president vowed to track the terrorists to the end of the earth but never did anything. There have been no attacks on our soil since then and given the chance, I believe President Bush will root out the evildoers. At least they know he means business.

The detractors are unwittingly playing into the hands of those who hate us. Maybe they will get their wish, but then who is going to be around to protect America when the defenses are down and the dam breaks? This is a war for the survival of the American way of life, and there are no ground rules when fighting people like our enemies. In Korea we were losing over 1,000 men a week, and President Truman would not provide additional material and men to allow us to win. The Democrats took us to the same conclusion in Vietnam and Somalia, and now we are paying for our weak stands.

America is not the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. We aren't anything divided, but we are the greatest country in the world united. The petty politicians would rather win the presidency than provide for the defense of our country.

Let's hear the soldiers' names

I especially appreciated Don Addis' cartoon of July 22, about the Grim Reaper tossing bottles into a trash can, each one representing another soldier killed in Iraq. As a cargo pilot in Vietnam, it was my duty to pick up soldiers killed; we carried the body bags ourselves off the ground into the cargo floor, then flew them back to the morgue. Every one of those body bags had a name tag, and inside were the dead young men, gone forever but always here with those of us who know the truth about war.

It makes me angry to hear the president say, "Bring 'em on!" I say we need to hear the names of the ones who are dying over in Iraq, not just "another soldier was killed today." It makes me angry to hear them say that we are aiding the enemy when, as U.S. veterans, we are asking for the names of those killed in Iraq to be read and accounted for individually. I say, "Bring 'em home!"

I am hopeful that our Sen. Graham will continue asking for a reckoning for our distorted and unwise use of our military, without the sanction of the United Nations, as we are in a quagmire and will have to pay the price in blood and tax dollars and debt. The real "tax and spenders" are the Republicans, and their spending priorities are skewed. We need defense for homeland security and rebuilding our national infrastructure, which means stopping the tax-and-spend pork that Congressman Bill Young has built his career on. He says that he is sensitive to the families of those killed in Iraq, but he has not changed his tune about where our monies are spent and where our soldiers are sent.

Bring all our troops home

I'm a Korean War veteran, and your recent articles made me reflect on my experiences there. Trust me, none of them were good.

During the past 50 years the Koreans have built a strong and viable economy with our assistance. Are they grateful? Not particularly. One has to ask why are we maintaining a military presence there when it's increasingly obvious we're not wanted. It's their country, their culture and their value system. Either they have the resources and the will to stand up to their fellow Koreans in the North, or they don't. We've been there for 50 years and our relationship with Korea, both North and South, has not improved one bit.

It's time to reallocate resources and bring our troops home. Bring them back from Korea, from Bosnia, from Okinawa, from England, from Germany, from Afghanistan, from Iraq and countless other places.

Call me an old-fashioned isolationist, but beyond directly defending our national interests, we have no business being policeman to the world.

Spinning perception of the media

I keep hearing the spin about the "liberal media." I suppose the press was a "conservative media" when President Clinton got his clock cleaned? Do the media change their colors, or do they just do their job?

Over the years, I have learned that if there is something of interest, the media will report on it (no matter who or what it is). And the more the politicians evade the issue, the harder the media will work. So when you hear someone mention the "liberal media," you will know they are "spinning." This is why it is best to come clean immediately. This administration didn't and is paying for it.

Are we supposed to be happy?

Re: Fierce gunfight kills Hussein's two sons, July 23.

The heads of both Uday and Qusay Hussein are only two of the perks that the United States is entitled to, since the war in Iraq has not yet been declared over. Are we supposed to be happy because Saddam Hussein's sons are dead?

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not. As a proud American citizen, I am not proud of the war, which our country pre-emptively initiated. I am sick of the death and destruction which this war has caused. I cringe at the news of another dead U.S. soldier, who never would have been in Iraq if the Bush administration hadn't exaggerated and misled our country. Innocent Iraqi citizens have been killed in the cross-fire of bullets. Let us not forget those who were killed with bombs that were intended for Saddam Hussein.

As cunning and brutal as Uday and Qusay were, I do not think that it was necessary to slaughter them. They were never a direct threat to our country. With the house (which they were hiding in) surrounded by soldiers, in time, they would have most likely surrendered, or committed suicide. Does no one have any remorse for Qusay's 14-year-old son, who was also killed? Innocent citizens were also injured in the raid. Some may even die as a result. Was it so important to spill the blood of many just to claim these two big trophies?

What happens next will be interesting. If Saddam Hussein decides upon revenge, just remember where to place all of the blame.

Look beyond high-profile killings

Re: Fierce gunfight kills Hussein's two sons, July 23.

So, les enfantes terrible Hussein have been rubbed out. Wonderful. I guess that means al-Qaida will be less of a threat now. Taking six hours to wipe out "them pesky Hussein boys," as well as a 14-year-old kid, with enough munitions and military resources to knock over Fort Knox should make us all sleep a wee bit safer now.

I guess the issue as to why we are in Iraq in the first place can just go away now. Uranium lies, unfounded al-Qaida connections and missing WMDs are irrelevant. If you are forgetting, this was "Operation Iraqi Freedom." Unlike some whiny liberals and the United Nations, America recognized the humanitarian reason to liberate the Iraqi people. We are a fair and just government that believes in the higher law of helping mankind. Just look at our recent compassionate consideration of helping in Liberia. Whilst dithering on deciding how much benevolence to offer we are sitting back and allowing the Liberian rebels and the government to slaughter thousands of civilians.

Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein is in hiding with Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar. The fervor of religious clerics in Iraq who are trying to construct an Islamic state is at a high pitch, particularly as they need not fear the Hussein lads anymore. And the very next day after killing the Hussein siblings, two more American soldiers were killed and nine others were injured in Iraq. This just happens to be a tidbit that is failing to make it's way onto the headlines for fear of upsetting Bush's little "victory" dance.

Stop spending money we don't have

Re: Our growing deficit, editorial, July 21.

One thing your editorial failed to mention is the easiest way to stop the deficit is to stop spending. I would be overjoyed if Congress did not pass any more laws that require money being spent. If the money is not coming in, then you stop buying things. That is what the vast majority of Americans do. It is a shame that once you become elected to public office, you become a dullard.

Unnerved by coyotes

Re: Howl about that, July 11.

Once again, Jeff Klinkenberg has written a wonderful story. I trust that readers have seen beyond the beautiful imagery of his prose to look at the underlying issues.

I am one of the many visitors to Hammock Park who has seen, and been followed by, the coyotes. It is quite unnerving to be followed in the middle of the day by a wild animal as you walk through a park in the middle of a city. So unnerving that I called the police. Later, I was told that one woman, while walking her dogs in Hammock Park, was encircled by three coyotes. Fortunately, her larger dog ran the coyotes off.

While walking our dogs in the park one day, my friend's dog fetched up a "treasure": He brought his master what he found under a scrub palm - the lower jaw of a cat, the white fur still present on what was previously a chin. It saddens me when I see the "lost dog" or "lost cat" signs posted in the neighborhood, as I know there is a very good chance that these missing animals were taken by the coyotes.

Beyond the adults who ride bikes, walk dogs, jog or just stroll through Hammock Park, there are a number of camp activities and events at this park. Children play in the park. Children walk to and from school through the park. There is an elementary school just south of the park. I have personally met up with groups of children on field trips with teachers, deep in the woods, collecting leaves and other bits of nature. I doubt that any of these adults, and certainly none of the children, knew of the coyotes.

A coyote following a human at any time of day is exhibiting abnormal behavior.Coyotes circling a woman while she walks her dogs are exhibiting a hunting pattern. In spite of the fact that this is a natural hammock and these are animals that are a part of nature, there is cause for concern. These wild animals have lost their fear of humans.

The coyotes already have proven to be a threat to the safety and lives of neighborhood pets. The rabbit population and the raccoon population in the park are both down considerably. Coyotes have to eat. What's next? I can only hope that the city officials work proactively on this problem, before someone gets hurt.

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