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Letter: Three cheers for dissenting generals

Saturday, April 22, 2006 | 7:27 a.m.

Regarding J.L. Kane's April 19 letter, "Generals out of line to ask Rumsfeld to resign," it will be a sad day in the United States when dissent is viewed with hostility and suspicion. Three cheers for the generals for having the tenacity and courage to speak out against the ongoing conflagration in Iraq. Had more generals done so in Vietnam, perhaps 58,000 U.S. troops and hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese would be alive today.

Has Mr. Kane forgotten, or is he ignoring the fact that Gen. Eric Shinseki was removed from his command when he had the integrity to tell his bosses that a half-million U.S. troops would be required to do the job right in Iraq?

These retired officers receive their paychecks for no other reason than they have earned them, and to suggest that they no longer have the right to express their collective opinions - in an area of their expertise no less - runs contrary to the spirit of democracy our nation stands for.

John H. Esperian, Las Vegas

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