Letter -- Maude Ham

Needless to say, I was shocked by the tone (as well as the content) of

Mr. Starr’s letter in your Wednesday edition.

Vitriol such as this is the same kind that gets spewed all over the

Muslim world, which brands America and all Americans as the agents of

Satan, evil incarnate, to be wiped off the face of the earth. Tuesday,

Sept. 11 was the first blow in this jihad justified by this same

rhetoric.

None of this is conducive to the rational discourse we now need. If

our sons must march off to war, I want it based on intelligent, calm

appraisal, not on the rantings of armchair tank commanders or barstool

fighter pilots.

... What we have here is a deadly, high-stakes chess game, played by

an enemy who has shown he has patience, fortitude, strategic insight and

long-term dedication to the end game. As the saying goes, you “fight fire

with fire.” Our response should be to demonstrate even more patience,

fortitude, strategic insight, and long-term dedication to the end game.

And we should do so with allies who share our common values, and not

based on “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” dictum.

MAUDE HAM

Burbank