Reply to 'deeply disappointing'

Ms. Burns,

You write, "A single attack on U.S. soil does not constitute one of biggest threats ever." For the sake of argument, I'll give you that. Now, some of the facts.

1. Pearl Harbor was U.S. soil resulting in as many deaths as the World Trade Center on 9/11. It launched us into World War II.

2. From 1970 to 1975 several American diplomats were murdered in Sudan and Lebanon.

3. In April 1983, a suicide bomber exploded his truck in front of the American Embassy in Beirut. Sixty-three were killed, another 120 wounded.

4. In October 1983, a Hezbollah suicide bomber blew up an American barracks in the Beirut airport, killing 241 U.S. Marines in their sleep, wounding 81 more.

5. The American Embassy in Kuwait was bombed in December 1983, resulting in six deaths and 80 wounded.

6. After the Beirut embassy bombing, William Buckley, CIA chief there, was kidnapped and murdered.

7. In September 1984, the U.S. Embassy annex near Beirut was bombed, killing 23.

8. In December 1984, a Kuwait airliner was hijacked and two American passengers were murdered.

9. In June 1985, TWA flight 847 was hijacked and flown to Beirut where it was held for two weeks. During that time, an American naval officer was shot and his body was unceremoniously tossed out the window.

10. In October 1985, a wheelchair-bound passenger on the hijacked "Achille Lauro" was rolled off the deck to his death.

11. In December 1985, the Rome and Vienna airposts were bombed, killing five Americans.

12. In April 1986, a discotheque in West Berlin was bombed, killing three American servicemen and wounding 79 others.

13. In December 1988, Pan Am flight 103 was bombed over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people.

14. A truck bomb blew up in the parking garage of the WTC in February 1993, killing six and wounding 1,000.

15. In April 1993, in Kuwait, an attempt was made to assassinate George H.W. Bush.

16. In March 1995, a van was hit by gunfire in Pakistan, killing two American diplomats and wounding a third.

17. In November 1995, a car bomb exploded in Saudi Arabia, killing five Americans.

18. The Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia hit next, in June 1996, killing 19 airmen and wounding 240 other Americans.

19. In August 1998, two of our embassies were hit on the same day, the one in Kenya and the one in Tanzania, leaving more than 200 dead.

20. The U.S.S. Cole was next, in October 2000, killing 17 servicemen. Bin Laden personally took credit for it. He bragged, "The destroyer represented the West and the small boat represented Muhammad."

You write, "Every death affects someone, but they should affect everyone." So, after having reviewed this list, does any of this deeply disappoint you? When, exactly, may we fight back? Now apparently isn't a good time, so when, in your opinion?

You say that war should not become some kind of game wherein a commander may push a button and wipe out hundreds of thousands halfway across the globe. Yet, this is Ahmadinijad's plan and he has evenly bluntly stated as much, in like manner as Hitler warned a world of deaf ears (although admittedly, he was not invited to speak at Columbia University).

When do we minimize this threat? Should we wait until after he has nuclear weapons, so that he can strike back? Don't forget, "Every death ..."

In your opinion, we went into Iraq to set up our own idea of political governance.

Untrue. We went into Iraq to undo a brutal, barbaric murdering regime and stabilize the country. They thank us for it, they are much better off today and they beg us not to abandon them. Saddam Hussein himself was a weapon of mass destruction. He murdered tens of thousands of people. ("Every death ...") He bankrolled terrorism. He met with Atta before 9/11 and he funded Bin Laden (just two examples).

You accuse me of not knowing the facts, that we don't understand the Mideasterner's traditions, their beliefs or "anything else." Don't accuse others of not understanding or knowing facts just because you may not.

As for declaring war on a specific country, an argument blithely used by many as a valid "constitutional" counterpoint, please tell me how you declare war on people who don't have a country? All they have is a religion and a cause, a death wish for infidels (that's you and me, who don't respect Allah). How do you declare war on that?

How do you declare war on parents who strap bombs to their infants? On moms who teach their kids how to build and strap on bombs and admonish them not to come home? ("Every death ...")

Do we carpet bomb the whole Middle East? I think not. Or send in troops to pick out the evil-doers? Precisely. That's what we are doing.

The truth is there is less of this anarchy now, thanks to the U.S.A. and her allies. I, for one, am grateful the insanity (see list above) has been curtailed. If we are lucky, maybe we can stop it entirely and soon.

linda delamare

Great day fishing

Saturday, April 5, this community once again surprised me.

Upon seeing a recent ad in the PVT calling for organized youth groups or Scout troops to get together for a fishing outing, I thought, why not call?

You see, I am the leader of 8-, 9- and 10-year-old Girl Scouts. We were able to schedule a Saturday almost immediately.

To date, this little trip to Bowman Pond has been one of the best outings the girls have been on.

Sponsored by Focus Property Group, Tim Hafen, Adult and Family Drug Court and catered by Albertson's, the girls had a blast.

Parents were encouraged to attend along with the girls and assist with watching them. But the fishing was done by the girls.

Dan Simmons, our guide and outdoor columnist for the PVT, taught them right away about safety and baiting their own hooks (although who actually did this later, is still being debated between the girls and the parents).

Katie Halley surprised us with the first catch of the day, a largemouth bass. But Dallas Arnett took the prize of the day with the largest fish, a rainbow trout.

All of the girls caught at least one fish and had the experience of casting and "reeling in the big one."

What is nice is that they encourage catch and release, but if for some reason, the fish can't be saved, it isn't wasted and donated to one of the many seniors in the area.

From the moment we arrived it was about the girls, not the parents, not the sponsors etc., it was simply about the girls and their having fun.

Today, we so often forget that and for that I want to thank all of you who came out and joined us.

JULAINE CARLSON