Sacrificing Americans in Iraq War for Oil

Mark Collins (letter, Nov. 6) asks: “Whoever thinks that about 350 lives lost over a seven-month war campaign represents a quagmire, a setback or a time to rethink our strategy?” He then indicates the number of lives lost in various past conflicts, stating, “Our bad memories of Vietnam ... have turned us into a country of wimps....” Perhaps Collins can tell us what the magic number of dead has to be before we (liberals?) have his permission to be outraged by the insane loss of American lives (for oil). What’s the number: 400? 1,000? 5,000? 50,000? 100,000?

And this “wimp” thing I really don’t understand. They kill us, so we kill them (for oil). I guess that means that people who are outraged and want the killing to stop are wimps ... I guess that means that Jesus was a wimp when he let himself be crucified. There are millions of people in this world living in and dying from poverty and disease, and we’re sacrificing American lives for oil? This is how a “superpower” is supposed to act?

Gerald A. Redondo

Canoga Park

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Never did I think I’d see another generation of young Americans being killed and maimed. Just as with the Vietnam generation, in 20 years there will be more people to line the streets as beggars and homeless, ignored by their country and maimed, psychologically or physically, with lost limbs. And all these 18- or 19-year-olds wanted was a subsidized college education. Joining the military in a time of peace with the Cold War over was easy. Most of them did not imagine that political hawks would create a new war in a peaceful world.

President Bush and his Halliburton cronies should be prosecuted for war crimes ... oh yes, Americans are exempt from World Court war crime prosecutions -- how convenient.

William Noack

Santa Barbara