Treatment of Detainees at Guantanamo Bay

Re “Detention of Al Qaeda Suspects Challenged,” Jan. 21: Ramsey Clark, Stephen Yagman and Erwin Chemerinsky (a failed attorney general, a publicity hound and a befuddled college professor), who presumably weren’t bothered by the slaughter of terrorists in Tora Bora, are now worried because the Pentagon doesn’t house the Al Qaeda captives at the Hilton.

Where does it say we have to provide deluxe accommodations to people who are out to kill us? Ultimately, the military may have to execute some of these same prisoners. Talk about wailing from the far left. You ain’t heard nothin’ yet.

Jack Bailey

Studio City

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The picture “Kneeling Prisoners” (Jan. 21) should shock the civilized world at the inhumane treatment of these prisoners. Even the Nazi prisoners of war received better treatment. “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely” has become President Bush’s and Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft’s new world order.

Remo G. Tabello

Los Angeles

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Why not finish obtaining the information the U.S. needs, then send the prisoners back to Afghanistan to be tried by the Afghanistan government as mercenaries? With the justice they hand out (cut off the hand of a thief, stone some others to death), I can imagine what the punishment for some mercenary who came from another country and murdered, raped and looted Afghanistan would be. I don’t think many lawyers would be in any hurry to go there and defend them.

G.T. Solis

Anaheim

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It is not to the benefit of the Al Qaeda “detainees” at Guantanamo Bay prison that we should treat them with human dignity but rather to the benefit of ourselves as a nation. In failing to treat our enemies within the international standard of human rights, we may find that our own humanity does not come through unscathed.

Ann Lau

Torrance

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The Marines had better start packing their footlockers. In 1944, at Ft. Bliss, we were moved out of our barracks into tar-paper shacks so that German POWs could be more comfortable.

W.L. Sibley

Northridge

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The Red Cross and United Nations leaders call for Guantanamo Bay detainees to be treated as prisoners of war (“Fairness Urged for Detainees in Cuba,” Jan. 18). I have to assume this means a roof over their heads, three meals a day, a hot shower every morning, medical attention and daily exercise.

How terribly inappropriate! These individuals are directly or indirectly responsible for the pain and suffering of the Afghan population, including women and children. A better idea might be to return the prisoners to Afghanistan, house them in a bombed-out cave while “detaining” the suffering Afghan children at Guantanamo Bay.

Robert Mozejewski

Hollywood

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Perhaps there is some extra room at the Guantanamo facility for all the culpable Enron and Andersen executives. Those who seek to destroy our country, whether for misplaced ideals or profit, deserve the same cell. Terrorists can wear $2,000 suits as well as turbans.

Tom Hammond

San Juan Capistrano