DEAR EDITOR:
Mr. Allen, since I already am afforded a piece of the Dispatch
to blather each week, I’ll try to keep this short.
DEAR EDITOR:
Mr. Allen, since I already am afforded a piece of the Dispatch to blather each week, I’ll try to keep this short.
On property taxes and schools: I don’t know who’s out to take your property. Or your money. Or your children. Certainly not me. My point is that if everyone thinks their kids are important to our country’s future, it seems sensible for them to spend a few bucks to improve education. No, I didn’t advocate doing so without decent oversight.
On nerve gas: You’re right. A whole lot of it is gone. But a whole lot remains. You mention that we agreed not to use it as a first-strike weapon. We also said we wouldn’t use nukes as first-strike weapons. The current administration booted that constraint, so why wouldn’t nerve gas or bio agents be put back into play? Even after the current inventory is finally incinerated, our country will still retain the know-how to ramp up production in a hot hurry as policy dictates. Ditto making any kind of bio weapon: We we have the fixin’s for creating loads of anthrax, bubonic plague, and other nasty diseases.
Regarding our WMDs: Our government is constantly working to grant your wish for more bombs. We have recently seen a new generation of cruise missiles, the destructive force of the JDAM, the unveiling of the MOAB and Predator, and after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, President Bush allocated $30 billion for new weapons such as a guided cluster bomb that scatters 4,000 titanium rods on impact. Meanwhile, quantity may not be as important as quality. Secretary Rumsfeld advocates smarter, not bigger, when it comes to military might, and as a result we may find ourselves with more bang for our buck than ever before.
Finally, I don’t want anyone to shut up. Speaking one’s mind is the whole point of discourse, and the foundation of this country’s greatness and resilience. And just because two people don’t share the same viewpoint doesn’t automatically make them mortal enemies.
Tom Mulhern, Gilroy
Submitted Tuesday, April 22, to ed****@ga****.com
