Americans Killed, Mutilated in Iraq

Re “Iraqi Mob Kills 4 Americans,” April 1: How sad, sad, sad to be losing so many American lives to the angry, ungrateful Iraqi people. How sad we didn’t stay home and mind our own business; how sad we arrogantly thought democracy could be imposed; how sad we ignore domestic crises in favor of truly lost causes abroad. Let’s bring our people home. This foolish enterprise in Iraq has been too costly, financially and emotionally. How horrible and ghastly to lose more of our beloved Americans.

Carla Johnson

Claremont

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We have forgotten how to fight wars. In WWII we incinerated Japanese and German cities, killing millions of civilians -- and we won. In Vietnam we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by taking half-measures. Now we allow Iraqi mobs to parade through the streets firing their weapons in the air, when they are not shooting at us.

After the butchery in Fallouja, we should turn that city into a parking lot and execute every Iraqi we find on the streets carrying a weapon. Forget about winning the enemy’s hearts and minds. Most have neither.

Arthur Hansl

Santa Monica

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The envisaged celebratory parade of liberating U.S. soldiers entering an exuberant Baghdad and other Iraqi cities has come to this! In the horrifying contrast to all the rosy promises of yesteryear, we got Wednesday’s raw display of mutilated bodies in the streets of Fallouja, prompting one to ask the poignant question taken from another era: “Where have all the flowers gone?” Where, Mr. President?

Denis Hickey

Mission Viejo

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It has become obvious that the Iraqi people are not worth our time, money or, especially, our lives. Again, soldiers and private American citizens are being murdered in Iraq and the everyday Iraqi does nothing to stop it. Our dead are mutilated, spat upon and hanged. Iraqi citizens by the hundreds participate in the subhuman behavior. They celebrate. They proudly show themselves for the television news cameras. There is no show of Iraqi citizenry even attempting to stop the sickening display.

While it may not be politically correct to say so, the Iraqi people are not worth it. Let them be abused by a crazy leader. Let us keep that crazy leader in line (like we did before) from afar. Let us not spend one more dollar on feeding, housing or rescuing them. They don’t deserve it.

Ron Trimble

Lakewood

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It seems like every day we hear from the Bush administration that the terrorists in Iraq are just a small cadre of religious extremists or ex-Baath Party members who will soon be eradicated by American force of arms. However, it appears that this small group of rebellious Iraqis has had unusual success against the greatest war machine on the planet.

I wonder how much longer the American “sheeple” will buy this administration’s line of thinking. Sheep are pretty docile creatures, but even they can be stampeded by scary things.

Dolan Williams

Torrance

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The Iraqi mob killing the four Americans, dragging their bodies and hanging the remains on the Fallouja bridge, and the Saudi Arabian oil ministry decision to cut back crude oil supply, which will raise the price of fuel, are both horrible mockeries of the benevolent efforts of America and our allies, “the coalition.”

Both actions blatantly dishonor our brave soldiers, who gave their lives so Iraqis can live without the fear of Saddam Hussein. Lessons of Vietnam, Beirut and Somalia have not yet been learned about wasting our most precious resource, the lives of our sons and daughters, to such ingrates.

Bruce Masai

El Segundo

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Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children died during years of American-led sanctions. A year ago, tens of thousands of Iraqi young men were blown to pieces in that laughably one-sided “war” over Iraqi oil. Wednesday, four American security “contractors” were killed by a mob in Fallouja, Iraq. Oh, the outrage.

Eric Parish

Vista

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Remember when Vice President Dick Cheney said, on national television, that Iraqis will welcome us as liberators? Now the Iraqis are dancing in the streets, all right, but over the bodies of U.S. personnel. They love us, all right. They love us to death.

Roger Angle

Culver City