Wednesday, March 29, 2006

No Offense Mr. President, But...

No offense meant Mr. President, but what exactly do you mean when you say that "terrorists like to kill?"

"Terrorists haven't given up; they're tough-minded, they like to kill "

I'm just wondering which kind of killing is okay and which kind is bad. What separates terrorists from the "good people" if you know what I mean? Because maybe I should be arming myself and all. Vigilant for terrorists in my own neighborhood. Do you have a manual that you recommend I peruse? "Terrorists and Not Terrorists, How To Tell the Difference" perhaps?

I'm just sort of confused because it seems our country is doing an awful lot of killing, by your count perhaps 30,000 and by other accounts upwards of 100,000 (possibly 298,000 when Fallujah is factored in, according to the 2004 Lancet study) and I'm trying to understand which kind of killing is okay. (Not to mention all the "coalition" lives that have been sacrificed in the process.)

I have a couple of kids I'm trying to raise and want to do right by them. It seems, by my accounting and yours, that we've killed a whole bunch, thousands at least, of Iraqis because you thought (or were told), erroneously it seems, they had weapons of mass destruction that could harm us.

Since you're the Commander in Chief (is that the proper way to address you?) I just figure you're the guy I should be asking these questions.

Respectfully awaiting your reply,
Debi Smith
Ashland, Oregon