Berkeley Council’s Vote Against Bombing

For the Berkeley City Council to issue a statement of support for the Sept. 11 attack victims is commendable (Oct. 18). However, for anyone on this side of the U.S. who has not been to ground zero and seen what’s left of Liberty Plaza to sit in judgment of the military action [bombing Afghanistan] designed to stop the furtherance of this type of crime against humanity is beyond comprehension.

Perhaps those of you who felt this was a necessary and right statement to issue at a time when New Yorkers have their hands full removing the dust and debris from Wall Street might take the opportunity to test your bravery. Get on a plane and go see ground zero for yourselves, and then take a stroll past the firehouses and precincts where they display pictures of their fallen brothers. Maybe volunteering at one of the relief stations for the people who are down there working around the clock in that hellish environment would give you a bit more insight. Talk to the woman who only just returned to work at the coffee shop on Sunday because she had been literally scared sick. Then maybe you could offer an alternative solution.

Diplomacy doesn’t and hasn’t worked with people who only exist to hate. If you have any doubts about that, then perhaps you might wander over to the UC Berkeley history department and brush up on the results of Chamberlain’s “solution” to the Hitler matter.

Glenda Tamblyn

Los Angeles

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I haven’t been to many foreign cities, but I have been to the Taliban stronghold of Berkeley, Calif.

Tom Schiff

Woodland Hills