Opinion
 

Letters to the Editor

Let him have it

To the editor:

I've seen it all now, but I have come to expect it from The Daily Cougar. I find it very hard to believe that any publication would take a concerted effort to defend the human rights of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed "Hypocrisy hurts," staff editorial, Opinion, Monday). My question is where was his concern for human rights when he developed plans to crash commercial airliners into the World Trade Center?

Personally, I am all for using whatever means necessary to get any information to the location of bin Laden or possible future terror attacks. The less he talks, the more he should be "interrogated." Regardless of what is being done to this loser, it's still less than what he truly deserves.

Mark Ridgely
graduate student, 
business administration 

Be patient

To the editor:

I am no pacifist. The United Nationas must disarm Saddam Hussein, by force if necessary, or suffer a catastrophic blow to its prestige and effectiveness. 

But it is cynical, destructive and manipulative for the United States to get the United Nations to confront that challenge and then declare that it has failed after less than half the time the worldis best disarmament experts have said would be needed. It is evil.

The United States still has a chance to lead an almost completely united world that knows as well as we do what is at stake, and is obviously prepared to do what is necessary. The alternative is to continue bullying the world, try to whip it into line behind a precipitous and unnecessary war that will undermine every one of our international alliances and leave us hated by huge numbers of people and governments around the globe ­ no matter how the war turns out.

Further, for our government to risk its citizensi lives in war before it is absolutely clear that war is necessary would be for it to treat with utter contempt the very people it is solemnly sworn to serve. It would be evil. 

If the United States does this, many Americans will be forced either to engage in mass self-deception or to realize that their loved ones died so George W. Bush wouldnit have to wait a few months to see whether we could disarm Saddam without war. No higher crime could be committed against the people who serve in our armed forces than to squander their very lives.

Bredo C. Johnsen
associate professor of philosophy
 

Letters to the editor are welcome from all members of the UH community and should focus on issues, not personalities. Letters must be typed and must include the author's name, telephone number and affiliation with the University. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters are subject to editing for clarity, language and space. Letters may be delivered in person to Room 151, Communication; e-mailed to dclettrs@mail.uh.edu ; or faxed to (713) 743-5384.Send comments to dccampus@mail.uh.edu