Removing the Troops Resolves the Problem

Re “An Army That Learns From Its Mistakes,” Commentary, May 17: Eric Umansky’s argument seems well-meaning enough -- institute a public service campaign aimed at informing Iraqi civilians how to avoid getting shot at by American GIs at checkpoints -- but I’m afraid he’s lost sight of the forest for the trees. I have a better solution.

To eliminate needless deaths and injuries due to the fact that “humans make mistakes,” get rid of the need for checkpoints altogether by withdrawing the troops occupying Iraq. As Robert Scheer argues in his column on the same page (“U.S. Is Its Own Worst Enemy in Iraq”), the U.S. presence is the fuel feeding the flames of the insurgency. No occupation = no checkpoints = no more senseless “mistakes.”

Ronald M. Asher II

Irvine

*

To me it sounds like Scheer has a soft part in his heart for the insurgents. As for the weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein had them, used them twice (Iran and Iraq Kurds), invaded two countries and did not account for the WMD after the Persian Gulf War.

Scheer’s words on “deposing a defanged dictatorship” do not help me sleep better. Let me remind Mr. Scheer that, yes, Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11, and the war on terror has little to do with Osama bin Laden. The war on terror is to make America and its people and its way of life safe. It’s not about chasing some guy in the mountains, looking in caves. Did Bush take his eye off the ball? No, he saw the bigger picture.

Aiad (AJ) Jurjis

Orange

*

Re “U.S. Is Its Own Worst Enemy in Iraq”: Not while Scheer lives, it isn’t.

Steve Williams

Apple Valley

*

The U.S. Senate votes 100 to 0 for another $82-billion emergency spending bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (May 11). Didn’t there used to be an opposition party in Congress?

Arlen Grossman

Monterey, Calif.