Dear Editor:
I am writing in response to the article in Tuesday’s Helmsman titled “Ring of Peace,” and to the readers I ask: Are these people for real?
Didn’t they watch the TVafter the terrorists flew two airliners into the Twin Towers? Maybe they missed the news footage of the giant hole ripped into the side of the Pentagon. How about last year’s attack on the USS Cole?
And what’s up with Julie Rodgers statement: “Now we know what it feels like to lose innocent people, like we’ve done to others”?
You have to be kidding me! What’s next Julie? “We deserved it”? All Americans already know what it’s like to lose innocent lives. Did you forget about Pearl Harbor and World War II?
I’m sure your grandparents could tell you a lot about Dec. 7 and the horrible images they saw of innocent Americans murdered by foreign aggressors.
Did your grandmother suggest ending Nazism thru silent suffering? I think not.
Something about the “Voices for Peace” movement seems misguided.
Although they do have some valid points, such as ultimately “stopping the cycle of violence,” they must emerge from that cloud of smoke.
Everyone else realizes that the only solution is to route out and utterly destroy active terrorists and the upcoming generation of terrorists they cultivate. Once the radicals are subdued, the open-minded can be educated and enlightened.
That’s it people! It’s the only way.
Also, their position on the Israeli situation is ridiculous. Without American support, the Arab coalition would have leveled Israel years ago.
In addition, the idea of lifting Iraqi sanctions is perfectly fine; that is, if you don’t mind Saddam Hussein breeding anthrax.
The fact is, and I’m sure most Mid-Eastern Americans will agree, that a majority of the Middle East is ruled by oppressive and sexist hate-mongers with no regard for human life. This is our chance to completely rid the world of tyranny and the terrorists that go with it.
It’s not a fun job, and it’s certainly not glamorous, but it’s something that must be done.
Therefore, my “want-to-be-hippie” friends, this is not a time to revive the Sixties or relive the counter-culture. This is a time to be proud, a time to be bold, and a time to be a ticked-off American with an attitude.
Please, join the rest of us in having some backbone.
Buy a flag, go to a baseball game, or protest if you must.
Just remember, the freedoms you enjoy did not come without a price, and someday you could be forced to either defend them or relinquish them.
Which will you choose?
