Support troops, but weed out bad apples

My God, I almost spit up my coffee as I was sitting reading my Sunday paper. Is the writer of the letter “Stop lunacy, support troops, president” for real? Granted, we should back our troops. However, if any soldier is guilty of premeditated murder or raping and killing innocent people, they should be tried and punished.

If we are there to liberate the Iraqi people as we are told, are we not supposed to listen to them when something terrible happens? During Vietnam, a massacre happened in a little hamlet called My Lai. These people were innocent civilians. Those troops were tried and convicted. Not all of the Iraqi people are the enemy. They want to live their lives like any other human being. I am not passing judgment on any troops. Yes, they are putting their lives on the line for me and my family. But they are strained to their limit. However, there can be bad apples in the military as there is in our society.

For the writer to suggest that President Bush and Vice President Cheney should be given Medals of Honor is sheer lunacy. They are the ones who have strained our troops, and are partially to blame for atrocities, by sending them unprepared to battle.

Why is it whenever someone questions the president, which is part of a democracy, they are considered left-wing liberals? Does that mean that those who do not question anything and go along with whatever they are told are right-wing lunatics? (Oops, did I say that out loud?)

Steve Londino

Lynnwood

Talk to us

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Monday, Sept. 25

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Randall Tharp’s month recovery coins after battling a fentanyl addiction.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Editorial: Fentanyl crisis should force rethinking of approach

A continuum of care, that includes treatment in jails, is imperative, says a journalist and author.

Comment: Carrying Narcan requires having compassion for addicts

The stigma around fentanyl addiction remains a barrier to its availability to treat those overdosing.

Comment: If AI ‘writers’ were human, they would have been fired

A series of stories, written by AI, have embarrassed news sites and raised questions about their use.

Comment: Murdoch’s out; not his legacy of ‘alternative facts’

The Fox News creator’s formula for laundering right-wing narratives as news lives on without him at the helm.

Fact check: No, migrants aren’t getting $2,200 a month from U.S.

A viral tweet by Rep. Lauren Boebert is a zombie claim that started in 2006 in Canada.

Flowers bloom on the end of a dead tree on Spencer Island on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Restore salmon habitat but provide view of its work

Comments are sought on a plan to restore fish habitat to the island east of Everett with popular trails.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Sunday, Sept. 24

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2015, file photo, pumpjacks are seen operating in Bakersfield, Calif. On Friday, April 23, 2021, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he would halt all new fracking permits in the state by January 2024. He also ordered state regulators to plan for halting all oil extraction in the state by 2045. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Comment: If ‘peak oil’ is ahead why is oil industry doubling down?

Fossil fuel use could peak by 2030, but Big Oil may be putting profit ahead of prudent transition.

Most Read