Gonzales Promotion and POW Torture

Re “More Heat Over Gonzales and Torture,” Jan. 5: It’s about time for The Times to get off this mount of liberal garbage and start looking at (and showing your readers) the gloomy reality of the Middle East. You have to stop applying our Western standards to those populating that area of the planet; just take the “honor killing” in Pakistan. We have to wholeheartedly support all actions of our military and administration directed against terrorism.

Art Garin

Los Angeles

*

Chief among the Bush administration officials who paved the road to Abu Ghraib was White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales. Not only did he advise his boss on how to gingerly sidestep future war crimes prosecution for submitting POWs to torture, Gonzales, it should also be recalled, aggressively worked to prevent top White House officials from giving testimony before the 9/11 commission.

This man should not be rewarded with a promotion to the office of attorney general for his service in the most vindictive, clandestine and deceptive administration since Richard Nixon’s.

Rob Schweber

Los Angeles

*

Re “A Window on a Man’s Morality,” editorial, Jan. 6: If Gonzales is not defeated, his policies and his tactics will, along with the rest of the Bush administration’s shameful policies and actions, bring down what is left of democracy in this country.

It is a shameful time in our history. I hope you will continue to speak out against what this government is doing to destroy the U.S. as we know it.

Susan Isaacs

West Hollywood