Cluster Bombs and Cached Money in Iraq

Re “Bombing Ends but Not Danger,” April 22: The Bush administration never ceases to amaze me with its ability to shock and awe. Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, claimed that he had “not heard of injuries” from the cluster bombs dropped by U.S. planes. Further, he could not say whether these bombs had landed in residential areas.

The American press has documented hundreds of cases of injuries from these bombs in residential areas. This article contains gut-wrenching photos and stories of children maimed by these horrible weapons. There has been no attempt by the U.S. military at a systematic cleanup of this unexploded ordinance.

Two things must be done: First, Myers had better find out quickly what is going on and do something before too many more innocent lives are lost. Next, the Bush administration should do what is right and ban the use of these barbaric instruments of mutilation and death.

Jon Reisdorf

Yucaipa

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Re “Religious Rite,” photo, April 23: It’s all starting to make sense. We liberated the Iraqis partly because Saddam Hussein was torturing people. Now the Shiites are finally free to whip (torture) themselves, which was banned under Hussein. It’s gratifying to see they are using such good judgment in their newly found freedom.

Barbara Shapiro

Huntington Beach

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The discovery of millions of dollars left behind in Iraq points out just how much money a leader can acquire while leaving the population struggling in poverty, with loss of employment, degraded schools and other services and minimal or no health care. Imagine if that were to happen in this country -- our leaders using public funds to award big deals to friends and others in high places, while those less fortunate lose everything.

I guess when you are a dictator you can easily conceal money by keeping it within a small, elite group, probably by awarding contracts without much open bidding. The leaders in Iraq must have had this down to a science. How lucky we are that this could never happen here. Or could it?

Oliver Kennedy

Huntington Beach

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Well, we finally found the weapons of mass destruction.

It was the money.

Ed Shoop

Somis

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Here is yet another troubling question readers should ask themselves: If you invade a country, don’t kill too many of the people and are pretty nice to the rest, are you still an invader?

Joshua Mertz

Los Angeles