Letter: Not fighting terrorism with all resources

Friday, Nov. 14, 2003 | 5:45 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION Nov. 15 - 16, 2003

I am disgusted with the way the military is treating Lt. Col. Allen B. West, the soldier who fired his gun to scare an Iraqi he was interrogating, to get him to reveal information that saved soldiers' lives.

We are told that if we don't follow the rule of law we are on a slippery slope. That's great, if our opponents are living by the same rule of law as we are. But trying to deal fairly with an enemy who follows no rules and hasn't heard of the Geneva Convention is as stupid and archaic as the 18th-century British lining up in formation in their red coats, while our frontiersmen in their deerskin shirts picked them off from the forests.

High school biology class taught us that self-preservation is a primary instinct. Anyone who doubts that we are fighting for our lives should take another look at the tapes of the crumbling towers of the World Trade Center. This was the work of terrorists, and terrorists are responsible for the flag-draped coffins coming home from Iraq.

I thought we had learned our lesson in Vietnam, that we could not fight a war with one arm tied behind our backs. Remember the slogan, "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?" Well, it's going to be, "Hey, hey, GWB, how many coffins will we see?"

NADIA ROMEO