U.S. Claims Moral Authority in Iraq War

Re “ ‘Terror’ as the Ultimate Excuse,” Commentary, April 1: Robert Scheer’s attempt to draw a comparison between American patriots who fought in the Revolutionary War and modern-day terrorists is asinine. We fought the American Revolution because we dared to believe that a human being has a fundamental right to rule his own life according to the dictates of his own conscience and to think and act for himself without violating the rights of others to do the same. That’s a far cry from the wholesale slaughter of innocents because they do not worship Allah.

Phillip Nash

South Pasadena

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Scheer hit the nail right on the head. For acts of terror, the U.S. clearly holds the record. About 75,000 men, women and children died when we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. We killed off an additional 40,000-plus three days later in Nagasaki. And, we justified this slaughter by saying it would save innocent lives.

I’m not here to second-guess our leaders 50 years ago. But until we invest a fraction of what we invest in killing machines and systems into creative and innovative peaceful resolutions, do we really have any right to claim moral authority for a war? Saddam Hussein is perfectly evil. Unfortunately, so-called collateral damage is likely to include the death, maiming and trauma of thousands of innocents.

Bill Palace

El Segundo

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President Bush better hope someone finds those weapons of mass destruction soon. When I read that U.S. troops had killed seven Iraqi women and children (April 1), I realized the only weapons of mass destruction in Iraq are the coalition forces.

Mark Steensland

Orange

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I hope Bush and the military do not succumb to public sympathy for civilian casualties in Iraq. Our soldiers deserve to be safe while working for us in Iraq. As seen in Israel, there are suicide missions being carried out by teenage girls and boys. Our troops are using reasonable protocols to protect themselves in an environment where suicide missions, human shields and chicanery (fake surrenders and civilian disguise by Iraqi soldiers) are part of the battle. How many in the U.S. would think otherwise if they had friends or loved ones serving in Iraq?

Diana Jue

Rolling Hills Estates

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Re “Prayers Are Answered in W. Virginia Hometown,” April 2: In my opinion, the rescue of Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi hospital was one of the finest and most inspiring episodes in the history of the U.S. armed forces. This event reflects the highest values of the United States. Our love and respect for the life of every soldier highlight the contrast with the view of our opponents, who look upon their soldiers as mere cannon fodder for Saddam Hussein. In this operation, several very smart, highly skilled and brave soldiers performed a daring and brilliant act; the closest parallel in modern times must be Israel’s Operation Entebbe. This is the physical manifestation of our values.

Jeffrey A. Rabin

Los Angeles

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American foreign policy is often criticized, rightly if unrealistically, for not making everybody in the world like us. On the other hand, if our foreign policy is rated by the enemies it has generated for us -- during my lifetime, Adolf Hitler, Hideki Tojo, Benito Mussolini, Josef Stalin, Kim Il Sung, Mao Tse-tung, Manuel Noriega, Slobodan Milosevic, Mullah Mohammed Omar, Saddam Hussein -- it justly deserves very high marks.

Of course, we’ve avoided some real villains, like Idi Amin and Pol Pot, but this list of enemies should make anyone proud to be an American.

Chris Shaw

Hermosa Beach