I'm afraid that most Americans underestimate the damage that has been caused by the photographs of naked Iraqi soldiers being humiliated by U.S. soldiers.
Like many Americans who have lived abroad, I always am curious to know what people in other cultures think of the United States. That is one reason I watch the BBC World News. One question posed by a reporter on that program recently was: Why hasn't there been more coverage of this story in the United States?
Maybe we don't want to face the fact of our own potential for evil, or maybe it is out of deference to the countless U.S. soldiers who are patient and friendly under the incredible strain of knowing they could be killed at any moment.
What the reporter was suggesting, I think, is serious dialogue as opposed to tabloid coverage or more displaying of the humiliating pictures.
Instead of so many polls concerning the race for the presidency, perhaps what we need is some accurate polls quantifying our country's approval rating.
No matter what we think, the fact is that those photos are being played over and over again in the Middle East, and in the Muslim mind this is proof that the United States does not have moral authority to liberate anyone. Our country desperately needs a decent public relations campaign.
-- Sarah Ream, St. Petersburg
Americans will not condone torture
The Abu Ghraib prison was pretty well stripped by the coalition last year where it had served as a torture chamber for Saddam Hussein. Now startling revelations have come forth of more torture of Iraqis at the hands of American and British soldiers. There are pictures of the defiling and humiliation of Iraqis. What else can go wrong with this Bush misadventure in Iraq?
The big question is: How far up the chain of command did the condoning take place? A female general in charge of the prison has been reassigned. One soldier said he wasn't aware of what was in the Geneva Conventions. Do you really need that knowledge to know that Americans don't torture people? It has never been accepted by the American people and hopefully never will.
-- Larry Dunn, Orange Park
Objectionable images
Re: May 2 photos of Iraqi prisoners.
Once again we are confronted with objectionable photographs in all their glory. Why does your editorial staff think that such images belong in a family newspaper? After all, every time one turns on the TV, the same pictures are displayed time and time again, so it is now old news. We have had pictures of people falling from the World Trade Center, bodies being hung in Iraq, etc. Surely your staff knows that these images will bring a firestorm of comment.
Who clears these images? Are the people in question ever called to account, or do you think that people enjoy looking at such things? I suppose it comes under the old excuse of "the people's right to know."
I suspect that instead of increasing sales it may do the opposite.
-- D. Thackray, St. Petersburg
A breakdown in morality
How sad and embarrassing it is to learn of the misuse of power of our American troops in the treatment of Iraqi prisoners. My understanding is that these people were being held without trial and had been found guilty of nothing. Even if they had been convicted, there is no excuse for that kind of abuse. If it had been Americans treated that way, a protest would have been heard around the world. But they are only foreigners, so what does it matter?
It matters a lot. We claim to hold the high moral ground. We don't. The message is clear to me. Some people have value, some don't. If they do not have value, then it is okay to treat people as if they had no value. President Bush can rave all he wants to about how shocked he is at the mistreatment of prisoners, but it is his administration that set the wheels in motion causing a breakdown in morality, and the Bush administration must bear a level of responsibility for the shame it has brought on all Americans.
-- Nancy Teunis, Weeki Wachee
Johnnie Byrd far from the worst
I am a lifelong Republican. I have voted in every general election for 65 years. I have not always agreed with every Republican politician on every issue. Frankly, I see Johnnie Byrd as an embarrassment to the Republican Party. But historically in the misuse of political power the Republicans are pikers when compared to the Democrats.
Look back to the Tammany Hall crowd in New York City, followed by Mayor Jimmie Walker. Consider Mayor Curley of Boston, who was John F. Kennedy's maternal grandfather, who ran Boston as his own personal fiefdom. Then there was the Kelly-Nash machine in Chicago, followed later by Richard Daley. One does not want to forget Jim Pendergast, the political boss of Kansas City, who hand-picked Harry Truman for the U.S. Senate.
Do you think that Albert Gore Sr. could haver ever reached the Senate without the support of Boss Hague of Memphis? I suppose most people have forgotten George B. Parr, of Duval County, Texas. He destroyed people who disagreed with him, and he put Lyndon Johnson in the Senate. (Remember "Landslide Lyndon"?)
Hardly anyone has forgotten Huey Long and his kingdom of Louisiana. Surely, you folks remember the Pork Chop gang of Florida?
Even though I do not care for Johnnie Byrd, he was truly a piker when compared to any of those folks.
-- F. Darrell Thomas, Trinity
Show us their voting records
Your May 2 headline, Legislative session succeeds at being low key, could not be any more on target . . . if you are talking about your own reporting of our Legislature and our local representatives.
Unfortunately, unless coverage of our delegation is increased, it will be difficult for us to be "informed voters." As voters, we depend on our newspapers - along with other local media - to provide us with unbiased news coverage of what our representatives and senators are doing in Tallahassee so we can determine if we want them to continue representing us or not.
As a cover-to-cover reader of the Times, I've found few specifics about our representatives' voting records or other activities this session, which will make it difficult for me to make the necessary choices in November. Please consider increasing your coverage so voters can make more informed decisions.
-- Lawrence Silver, Oldsmar
Fun with the Florida Legislature
Ho, ho, ho, it's just another fun-filled ending to the Florida Legislative session.
Let's see: Senators holding their noses while voting; hundreds of sheep masks; the Senate press gallery gets the toilet paper treatment. I was tempted to write that the inmates are running the asylum. However, I feel inmates would have done a much better job of managing the affairs of our state than this sorry crew of senators and representatives.
-- Jim Lyman, Lutz
A horrible parade
Re: As sorry session dies, Byrd's fingerprints are on the murder weapon, May 1.
Thanks to Lucy Morgan for being blunt about the ugly truth of this past legislative session. I am a lobbyist who feels like I just came from a very long funeral. With disgust I repeat her words, this was a "parade of horribles."
Also, thank you for mentioning our dear departed friend Marvin Arrington. I too wore my pink jacket and always will.
-- Gloria Johnson, Havana
A vendetta against Realtors?
Re: Many condo owners are over a barrel.
In the April 27 Seniority section, columnist Sheila Stoll outlines her personal plight with her condominium board members. Unfortunately, it reads like her personal vendetta against all Realtors. She complains that the homeowners association is filled with Realtors who are owners and board members. I wonder who voted these Realtors in? Could it be the majority of the homeowner association? They can also be voted out if needed.
She indicates that over spring break her condominium is overrun with young people. Did she not read the CC&Rs (covenants, conditions, and restrictions) before she bought into the complex? Had she, it would have come to her attention that the association allowed for short-term rentals (and the implications therein).
To put down the Realtors that rent their units for enough money to cover their expenses and make a profit is ludicrous. That's what investors do! I have to wonder how this column would have read had some of the targeted homeowners been doctors, lawyers, or teachers.
-- Dan Charette, St. Petersburg
Firearms ignorance is rampant
Re: Columbine's lessons being left behind, April 26.
Again, the Times has published liberal, antigun propaganda that is inaccurate.
In her column, Margaret McKenna writes about how "automatic weapons fire echoed through the halls of Columbine High School".
I hope she was referring to the police department, because the firearms carried by the two students were not automatic weapons.
Fully automatic firearms (assault weapons) have been heavily regulated and taxed since 1934. The firearms used by the Columbine killers are semiautomatic. There is a big difference between the two terms.
Liberals and antigunners need to stop confusing fully automatic "assault weapons" with semiautomatic firearms that are similar in appearance but worlds different in operation.
Every time there is a claim about taking "automatic" firearms off the street (they have been for 70 years), I have serious concerns about the intelligence of the antigun crowd.
-- Michael Perry, Tampa
Let kids visit work in the summer
Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work day was last month, and once again I have a hard time understanding the value of it. To me, it doesn't make much sense to remove children from school so they can spend the day at work with a parent or other adult.
Wouldn't this day be more valuable if it was held in the summer when children are not in school? But I imagine if it was, not as many would want to attend "work."
-- John Marretta, Port Richey
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