U.S. Policy on Terrorists

Regarding the story (July 4), “Salvador Judge Bars Arrest of Officer in 1981 Slayings,” I think that President Reagan should impose tough political and economic sanctions against El Salvador and keep them in effect until such time as the Salvadoran government arrests and brings to justice wealthy socialite Capt. Eduardo Avila and the other identified terrorists who murdered Mark Pearlman and Michael Hammer, and until such time as the Salvadoran government identifies and brings to justice the terrorists who murdered the missionary women and those who gunned down our four Marines at a sidewalk cafe.

Just as Lebanon is harboring the heinous TWA hijackers and the terrorists holding seven Americans, so is El Salvador harboring the barbaric terrorists who murdered our innocent American citizens there.

It seems to me that President Reagan and we Americans can never become respected in the world as people of credibility and moral integrity, worthy of leading the crusade against world terrorism, until we start speaking out with outrage and condemnation against all individual terrorists and all terrorist-states, and then start imposing evenhanded retribution against all of them regardless of whether they are our political “friends or foes.”

There is no such thing as “good-guy” terrorists wearing white hats. All terrorists and terrorist-states who kidnap and murder innocent people, and illegally hold hostages, are villainous thugs wearing black hats; and they deserve impartial tit-for-tat punishment regardless of their political and religious affiliations.

JUANITA BROWN

Burbank