Letter: Pretending ‘war is peace’

Thursday, Dec. 13, 2001 | 8:42 a.m.

In "Terrorism: The Soviet Connection," Dr. Ray S. Cline, former deputy director of intelligence for the Central Intelligence Agency, and Dr. Yonah Alexander, director of the Institute for Studies in International Terrorism, reported the "grim facts of life about the prevalence of terrorism today and its use as an expedient tactical and strategic tool in the political struggle for power within and among nations."

They warned that the terrorism offensive "points up the increasing lack of distinction between peace and war. As we begin the year 1984, Orwell's famous Newspeak dictum that 'peace is war' assumes greater reality. It is essential for Americans to understand that this is the kind of world we are living in, and why."

Unfortunately, Americans still do not understand the nature of this war, and, as a result, our world is becoming ever more Orwellian. While Russia and China continue to build weapons of mass destruction for Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Libya, and to fund, train, arm, and supply "Islamist" terrorist armies worldwide, our elected officials and media mavens embrace Vladimir Putin and Jiang Zemin with smiles and open arms and pretend that "war is peace."

FRANK PELTESON