‘Dead or Alive,’ Kill Them With Kindness

Congress should offer a billion-dollar reward for the capture of the Sept. 11 perpetrators. It’s a lot cheaper than invading Afghanistan. In the meanwhile, the president must lead the country in solidarity through sacrifice.

A small beginning is repeal of the bankrupting tax-reduction act and assigning the moneys to medical treatment for injured victims, compensation of surviving spouses and children and combating terrorism. The latter goal includes accelerated research and vaccines against biological and chemical attack--which may be the second wave of this terrorist war.

Jay R. Mayhall

Oakland

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Afghanistan’s Taliban clerical leaders are meeting to discuss the fate of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden (Sept. 19). If they decide not to turn him over to the U.S., our country likely would retaliate against them, which would put a whole new meaning to the term “clerical error.”

Kenneth L. Zimmerman

Huntington Beach

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Since President Bush has proclaimed that we want Bin Laden “dead or alive,” perhaps the U.S. government should include the requisite “reward.”

A bounty of, say, $500 million for the head of Bin Laden sounds like a bargain considering the projected cost of this posse.

Don Danielson

Huntington Beach

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I would hope, as many Americans make financial donations to various legitimate relief organizations, that we consider not claiming these donations for tax-deduction purposes. Our government will need all the funds it can get to fight terrorism and provide assistance to all of those affected by this tragedy. Let’s give freely without regard to getting anything in return.

Patrick Mickle

San Juan Capistrano

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The last words heard by the GTE Airfone operator speaking to the men on board the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania before they tried to take down the hijackers were “Let’s roll!”

This is America’s battle cry.

Alan J. Zemek

Laguna Niguel

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We’ve all heard the plea to let the market’s wisdom rule, that the market will best guide us to what is in society’s interest. The Sept. 17 stock market plunge showed that the market has no loyalty, no collective aim and is totally amoral in its movements; the only value being pursued is shareholder value.

We have seen the American people come together in many ways in the wake of this tragedy but, though undoubtedly proclaiming their patriotism, those investors who voted with their dollars to gut the economy displayed more self-interest than national interest.

Ken Edwards

Santa Barbara

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If we can defeat German Nazism, Italian fascism, Japanese imperialism and Soviet communism, then we sure as hell can defeat Middle Eastern terrorism.

James Tuchscher

Seal Beach

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The new victims of terrorism. Innocent Americans of Middle Eastern descent. Guilty survivors of the World Trade Center’s destruction. Frustrated politicians. Anxiety-ridden soccer moms. Laid-off airline workers. Laid-off airport workers. Children of parents who have been watching 24 hours of TV news. All Americans.

Joseph Chu

Newhall

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In one of the anti-American rallies in Pakistan, there was a banner asking Americans to think why they are hated all over the world. The answer is simple. America is much more than a territorial boundary. America is an idea. America represents individual freedom and enlightenment. It is not America, the geography, that is hated by the ignorant and intolerant; it is America’s proposition, the freedom of thought, that scares them so much. All the freedom-loving people of the world, regardless of their nationalities and ethnicities, are “Americans.”

The fight against America, the idea, has been going on throughout history, even before there was a geographic place called America. Only now it has moved within our borders. In defining our enemies and allies in our new war, let’s not forget this historic perspective.

Hamid Bahadori

Mission Viejo

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I suggest we carpet-bomb terrorist strongholds with Barbie dolls, cartoon videos and music CDs--the very cultural products our enemies are fighting tooth and nail against. After listening to the Barney song and “It’s a Small World (After All)” a few dozen times, the terrorists will give up and beg us for mercy.

Rob Schmidt

Culver City