Troops Face Dangers While Bush Blusters

“Iraqi Assaults Claim Lives of 3 GIs” (July 7) is not just another headline to read and forget in our daily ritual in the secure atmosphere of our homes. In a distant, foreign, arid, sun-parched locale, Americans are dying. Perhaps not young men or women we know. Maybe they don’t live in our neighborhoods. But they are Americans like us, who have similar hopes and dreams.

Don’t we owe them our attention to good and just government and government decisions? Look at the Bush administration and look at Congress. Determine if their exercise of leadership in Iraq is what we want. In response to one of the latest guerrilla attacks, President Bush’s pronouncement was, “Bring them on.” Is this cowboy rhetoric what we want, what the families of our troops want and what those serving in Iraq need to sustain them? Does our silence encourage this barroom-like banter from Bush?

Jim Hoover

Huntington Beach

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During the last six months, I assisted in transporting our military troops from Europe to Kuwait. I was given the chance to speak and interact with the bravest men and women I have ever known. These fine individuals brought with them to Kuwait, and eventually to our war with Iraq, their best dreams, hopes and aspirations that their young lives could give them.

Recently, I attended a homecoming for my future son-in-law at Camp Pendleton. I was elated to see him and his fellow comrades back home safely. I saw a lot of sighs of relief from the families, and I continued to see that same look of hope and determination in their young spirits. God bless each and every one of them. Finally, it is my hope that the Bush administration will allow the United Nations to install peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Let’s bring our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq back to their loved ones now.

Joe Martinez

El Segundo

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Re “U.S. Offers $25 Million for Hussein,” July 4: Whatever one may think about the regime of Bush versus that of Saddam Hussein, or about religious versus military fundamentalists, there is something refreshing about the failure abroad of our all-too-true-at-home cliches that “money talks,” “money buys elections,” “everyone has his or her price” and “money corrupts.”

In his two wars since 9/11, Bush has tried to buy or bribe: the followers of Osama bin Laden ($25 million), the votes of United Nations Security Council members, the withholding of Security Council vetoes by Russia and France (on threat of canceling Iraqi oil and other contracts), the use of military invasion routes and staging areas in Turkey, the support of “coalition” occupying troops and, now, the betrayal of Hussein ($55 million for the family package).

Although I bear Hussein no goodwill, I do take comfort in the fact that the Iraqi people, like those of Afghanistan, Russia, France, Mexico, Pakistan, Angola, Chile and Turkey, are not yet for sale. It will be useful for Bush to learn that he can’t yet buy everyone and everything.

Don Parris

Los Angeles

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One Iraqi stated that he would never turn over Hussein to the Americans because Hussein is an Iraqi, he is Muslim and he is Arab. I believe that even though many Iraqis hate Hussein, this fundamental position, along with the dislike of Americans, will undermine the capture request no matter what the size of the reward. I can tell you one reward request that would work: The U.S. will pull out of Iraq upon the capture of Hussein and his entourage.

Jill Ause

Northridge

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The unemployment rate is at a nine-year high (July 4), and Bring-’em-on Bush, the terror of West Texas, is spending billions of dollars and the lives of American fighting forces over that ragtag outfit called Iraq. We must be crazy.

John Forsmark

Santa Maria

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A suggested title for future historians about the U.S. invasion of Iraq: “Br’er George and the Tar Baby.”

Henry Ostermiller

Costa Mesa

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The former head of the Iraq rebuilding effort, retired Army Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, is quoted as saying he believes Hussein killed up to a million people during his reign (July 3).

Even if the number Hussein killed was only half a million, and if he only used poison gas and automatic weapons, I think we can say that he indeed had weapons of mass destruction.

Larry Briggs

Twentynine Palms