The writer of “Iraq war part of war on terror” (March 29) stated in a letter supporting the Iraq war that a previous letter writer had replaced fear with denial.
After offering a few weak reasons for starting the war, she listed a number of things that only relate to the clash of cultures in an ever-shrinking world.
The Muslim world that she is so afraid of is not going to go away and her letter only validated the one that she was criticizing. I share her concerns about immigrants not assimilating and accepting the mores of the country. I do not, however, see this problem as an excuse for pre-emptive war.
I reject the phrase “war on terror.” Terror is a state of fear, terrorism is a tactic used by those who would foster fear. You cannot make war on a state of mind. Tactics must be fought by opposing tactics. I resent the use of this catch-all phrase to justify an unnecessary war and to erode our Bill of Rights.
There is no doubt about the fact that we have a long fight ahead of us with an element of radical Islam that seeks to harm us, but in spite of what Ms. Kennedy implies, Al Qaeda was not in Iraq until after our invasion.
The $390 billion spent on this war would have been better used securing our ports and infrastructure. I pray that the next administration, whoever they may be, will do a better job with diplomacy than this one has.
James Crawford
Red Bank