Letters to the Editor: June 23, 2006

Daily dose of comment and insight from our readers.

The Naples Daily News welcomes letters of up to 250 words. We reserve the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, brevity, good taste and accuracy, and to prevent libel. No poetry, attacks on private individuals, or letter-writing campaigns, please. Writers should limit submissions to one letter every two weeks. Include a phone number and make certain you have signed your letter.

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What is victory?

Editor, Daily News:

Maybe one of these armchair foreign policy analysts can explain something to me. How will we recognize victory in Iraq?

We’re committed to military occupation in Iraq until we win a clear victory against an insurgent resistance. There’s no timetable or schedule. The ferocity of resistance is the only measure of victory so far. Every time there’s a lull in the resistance, the conservative talking heads claim we’ve turned a corner.

All the resistance has to do is to stop resisting for a while and Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh, et al., will declare that we’ve won.

At that point, if we don’t start pulling out, supporters and opponents will wonder why, and the Islamists will use it as an excuse to again try to drive out the forces of occupation. Kind of like Afghanistan.

Sounds like a very slippery slope to me, so, what, exactly, is to be the measure of victory?

Stan Chrzanowski/Naples

Prisoners of war

Editor, Daily News:

On June 12, I read two articles in the Daily News about prisoners of war. The first article was about two Saudi prisoners and one Yemeni prisoner committing suicide, hanging themselves by nooses made from sheets and other clothing in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The second article was about Bill Hensen, a former corporal in the U.S. Army who spent three years as a prisoner of war in a northern mountainous area in Pyok-Dang, Korea.

Bill said “at the camp we would lay on the floor and use our own body heat to keep warm. In the middle of the night, someone would yell ‘shift’ and everyone would roll from left to right because the floor was stone and you’d get sore. If the guy next to you didn’t move, you knew he was dead.”

Sheets usually cover some kind of mattress and the weather is warm in Cuba, yet there are some who feel the prison is inhumane and want the prison shut down.

Americans must never forget what our soldiers have been put through as POWs during all of the previous wars — Stalag Luft 1, the Bataan Death March and Hanoi Hilton.

Not to mention the atrocities of this war — the dragging of burned, mutilated bodies of four American contractors through the streets, and the beheading of Nick Berg, another American contractor.

Patty Malaspina/Naples

He missed a few

Editor, Daily News:

Will the miracles never cease.

President George W. Bush recently admitted he made some missteps. On May 25, Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair acknowledged mistakes in carrying out their Iraq plan. President Bush cited two mistakes. I would like to remind him of a few more:

-- Using “Shock and Awe” bombing, indiscriminately killing thousands of innocent civilians.

-- Discharging the Iraq Army.

-- Allowing the looting to continue.

-- Not securing the Iraq border.

-- Not securing Iraq ammunition sites.

-- Torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.

-- Abusing prisoners rights at Guantanamo Bay prison.

-- Not adequately supplying our troops with enough body armor or armor for their vehicles.

-- Winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi’s by bombing wedding parties, shooting and killing a pregnant women being rushed to the hospital to deliver her baby, etc.

-- The siege of Fallujah killing more than 4,000 Iraqis using depleted uranium, a radiation weapon, and white phosphorus, a chemical weapon.

-- The latest atrocity of the massacre of 24 unarmed civilians in Haditha, allegedly slaughtered for revenge in retaliation for the death of one Marine.

-- The biggest mistake of all — sending our troops unnecessarily to Iraq based on false premises.

Latest toll 2,503 dead American soldiers with 18,490 wounded, tens of thousands of innocent Iraq civilians killed and wounded.

Heck of a job, Bushie.

John F. Riccio/Naples

Culture of death?

Editor, Daily News:

Has the United States descended into a culture of death?

Like a rogue state, we advocate aggressive, pre-emptive war in violation of the United Nations Charter and use torture in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Why has the United States not signed the Kyoto Protocol, again effectively alone and defying reason, science and world opinion? Why are Americans and their politicians apathetic in the killing of our planet’s biosphere?

Has Karl Rove orchestrated the latest distraction of illegal immigration to divert public attention from the urgent issues facing our times? It works, doesn’t it?

As Professor Robert Jensen pointedly asks (www.alternet.org/story/36892): What are “whites” afraid of? (Jensen is white.)

Al Gore documents in his book, “An Inconvenient Truth,” that South Florida will be under water if sea levels worldwide increase 18 feet (not inches) due to the accelerated melting of Greenland and Antarctica.

Gore even acknowledged on “Larry King Live” (June 13) that “we are at or near what they call Peak Oil.”

Global warming and Peak Oil are objective realities. Even the Bush White House admits them. Maryland Republican Rep. Roscoe Bartlett is regularly updating Bush personally on Peak Oil.

Will our culture of death continue to pursue aggression against nations and the environment? Will we continue to massacre our brothers and sisters in other nations — and destroy life globally through ecocide? Or will we Americans wake up and embrace nonviolence and sustainable living?

It’s not too late to save life on Earth.

Noelia Rodriguez/Naples

Another visit

Editor, Daily News:

President Bush’s surprise visit to Baghdad last week reminded me of another trip to a disaster area. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit, the president flew to New Orleans where it took him no time to size up Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown as he proclaimed on national TV: “You’re doing a heckavu job, Brownie.”

Bush is well known for making snap decisions and his fondness for bestowing nicknames. In his whirlwind visit to Baghdad where he went to “size up the situation and the new prime minister” he undoubtedly said, “You’re doing a great job, Liki.”

Anderson Kelley/Naples

Mayoral proclamation

Editor, Daily News:

Regarding the letter to the editor from Mr. James Forrester concerning the Naples’ new certification program for lawn- and landscape-maintenance professionals, I need to clarify a few confusing points.

First, the state of Florida does not require a landscape-maintenance license. The state requires a license for the application of pesticides and does not permit local governments to exercise that licensing power.

We are not regulating pesticide application, although hopefully we will be able to do so in the future. Our new program is aimed at fertilizer application, water use and the harm to the environment that can occur with their improper usage.

Second, we are working with the state regarding the educational requirement for the application, and the state has already expressed an interest in funding our efforts. In addition, we have been contacted by a private company also interested in helping fund the educational aspect of our program.

Third, decreasing fertilizer use and overwatering are just pieces of a bigger puzzle we have to resolve as we move to restore Naples Bay. We are constantly looking for more ways to clean the bay while continuing to consider the tremendous costs involved in such an effort. There is no easy fix to this problem, but we will strive to keep this as a No. 1 priority, and won’t quit until we have achieved our goal.

Bill Barnett/Mayor, Naples

Lack of courtesy cited

Editor, Daily News:

The lack of common courtesy in Naples is astonishing. Recently while I was at work a gentleman dropped a very large PVC pipe on my car and proceeded to wipe down my car to remove the surface scratches and was about to leave the parking lot when another employee informed me of what happened and suggested that I get his tag number before he left.

The gentleman was dismayed because I was upset that he didn’t have the courtesy to inform me of what happened and give me a chance to inspect it myself.

He even had the gall to ask to speak with my boss as he couldn’t understand what the problem was as he felt, since (in his opinion) there was no permanent damage, he had no responsibility to inform me of his actions.

Come on, Naples residents, common decency and respect for others should still be valuable traits.

Kristie Gordy/Naples

Home, safe home

Editor, Daily News:

Hooray for John Blaine.

The only fault I can find is that his letter wasn’t made the letter of the day.

The bean counters generalize and don’t take this area’s unique population into consideration.

House hunters have screwy priorities, in my opinion. If I were looking for a home here I’d be interested in ones that stood up to the 100-year rains we had a few years ago and the storms from Charlie to Wilma, not if they have tile floors and granite counters.

Those things are cosmetic. You can upgrade floors and countertops for a lot less money than it costs to repair structural damage from a storm or water damage because it flooded.

Give me a house that has proven itself, staying high and dry and a safe shelter through the storms.

Karen M. Acquard/Golden Gate Estates

Fire away

Editor, Daily News:

Concerning the potential North Korean intercontinental missile launch, President Bush needs to call whoever is in charge over there and let him know that if the missile is launched it will be shot down.

As an added bonus, the 20 square miles surrounding the launch site will be uninhabitable for a long, long time.

Take your best shot.

Larry Brennan/Naples

Much ado about “Much Ado”

Editor, Daily News:

As a senior citizen here in “paradise” I am delighted to have had such a marvelous evening of entertainment watching “Much Ado About Naples.”

This year’s Compton and Bennett production was rich in its use of Shakespeare quotes and kept one’s attention to spot the next twisted “quote.”

It is so nice to find such a fine piece of theater in the summer. The originality of new music well-sung and excellent use of the Norris Center stage, all at a reasonable price, made the evening perfect. May there be many more productions, especially in the summer, with sold-out attendance.

Don’t miss it.

R.D. Trites/Naples

Monsters vs. animals

Editor, Daily News:

The recent event of yet another kitten being the victim of a human’s rage has reached me all the way up in North Carolina.

I am sickened to hear that this has happened once again to a helpless, defenseless animal in Collier County.

Wake up, Collier County officials, and this time do something about this trend. It is time for serious action to be instituted against these monsters who think they can get away with such heinous actions.

Years ago a tiny gray-and-white kitten named Boots was treated to similar abuse and that man received nothing more than probation with no jail time. Luckily Boots survived his trauma but, unfortunately, this kitten did not.

What kind of message has that sent to the sick, sorry souls who think they can also get away with such behavior?

I deplore the lack of progress in Collier to stop such abuse of poor defenseless animals who have done nothing to warrant such treatment.

Marilou H. Corrigan/Waxhaw, N.C.

Right’s tactics predictable

Editor, Daily News:

The gay marriage issue is suddenly back on the front page. The Senate has voted down an amendment to the constitution to effectively ban same-sex marriage.

I think it interesting that the timing of these headlines coincides with the coming congressional elections of 2006.

I am in a state of constant bewilderment that we, as a nation, do not have more important things to worry about. Our nation’s schools are a joke, we still rely on foreign energy to survive, we are in what could arguably be called a failed war effort in Iraq and it looks like Iran will soon have nuclear capabilities, yet the most pressing issue the Republican Party can bring up is gay marriage? Wow.

I can’t blame the right for bringing this, along with immigration, to the forefront at this time. I guess if I was of the same persuasion I would do the same. It is just as imperative now as it was in 2004 to the conservative movement to bring out the vote. The religious right has lived off the gay-rights issue for the last few elections and for the right wing to bring the issue up at election time only helps mobilize the troops and those who would not normally vote in off-year elections.

I really don’t want to hear any argument based on religious beliefs. It’s meaningless on so many levels, not the least of which is the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Kevin Mittleman/Naples

Garland on Garland

Editor, Daily News:

A friend of mine asked me (with tongue in cheek), if I was “that” old? She then produced Tuesday’s letter to the editor section and presented me with the letter of the day selection offered by longtime letter-writer Buddy Eubank.

No, I replied. Although I am old, I am not that old. Mr. Eubank and his Garland predate me by more than 35 years. Sorry, Buddy!

By the way, I, too, enjoy Boston baked beans. Drop these little delights into a bottle of Coca-Cola and slurp up the frosty volcanic foam. Great!

Oh, and your Garland, Mr. Eubank, I bet he was a stand-up guy.

Garland Edmonson/Naples

Ave Maria non-news

Editor, Daily News:

After returning from a three-week trip to Chicago, we return to the Daily News and two non-news articles on Ave Maria University.

I am sure we were all dying to hear about the difference between a regular Catholic school and the “other Catholic schools.”

Why didn’t the writer simply come out and say that these schools (like Ave Maria itself) are started by dissident Catholics who feel the present school system of Catholic schools is too liberal.

Somehow the writer wants the reader to believe that the “other” schools are mainstream and that the present diocesan Catholic schools do not reflect Catholic principles.

This is another example of the Daily News slanting the news. We are still waiting for an article on our new bishop for the Diocese of Venice who will replace Bishop John J. Nevins. And we are still waiting for Editor Phil Lewis to give us a full explanation of your relationship with Ave Maria.

Jeanine Healey/Naples