Keep an Eye on Operation TIPS

Re “Senators Press Ashcroft to Justify Tactics in Terror War,” July 26:

Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft wants us to stand united at our windows, spying on our neighbors. He claims to be a good Christian, but somehow I can’t buy it.

What happened to love thy neighbor as thyself and the commandment that thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor?

You know that 90% of the spy calls will be hate-related and the other 10% will be stupid. What Ashcroft really wants is for us to spy on our Muslim neighbors. Don’t forget that Hitler wanted everybody to spy on their Jewish neighbors as well. What this country needs is love and understanding, not spying on each other.

Ted Pearson

Valencia

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While I don’t know any chief executives I suspect of terrorist attacks on the economy, I feel it is my duty to report my neighbor to the Operation TIPS hotline. Not only does he speak with a strange accent, but he recently purchased a huge sport utility vehicle. Perhaps he plans on terrorizing other drivers or sickening our children with his exhaust. Could he be planning on weakening our economy by increasing the trade deficit or making us more dependent on foreign sources of oil? Even more sinister, might he be hoping that global warming and the resulting economic chaos will bring us to our knees? Perhaps, or this could be an attempt at living the typical American lifestyle while planning a more spectacular but less harmful bombing or anthrax attack.

Greg Gilmore

Santa Ana