Letters

Iranian mujahideen: reformers or terrorists?

Responding to John Hughes's July 20 column, "Iran's mujahideen: a role?": Maryam Rajavi, head of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, offered a sensible option in dealing with the threat of the mullahs' regime, the most active state sponsor of Islamic terrorism, according to the most recent data available.

As a concerned Iranian-American, I think it is about time for Western countries to stop their appeasement policies towards the mullahs in Tehran: The terrorist label which was put on Iranian resistanceshould be removed.

Iranians themselves will be able to put an end to the mullahs' regime and its support of terrorism. The mullahs' threat to world peace is real and is growing. If they get their hands on weapons of mass destruction, it will be a disaster.
Massoud Taheri
San Diego

Mrs. Rajavi and her mujahideen think they're fighting for the freedom of Iranians? They're not. They just want power.

We, as Iranians, never forget how they helped Saddam Hussein to fight against Iran. And after the first Gulf War, they helped Hussein quell internal uprisings in the south of Iraq and the northern Kurdish area.

This terrorist group should be prosecuted with Hussein for war crimes.
Sean Niktabe
Naperville, Ill.

Iraq war TV series could boost support

In response to the July 22 article, "War series 'Over There' dramatizes Iraq conflict": Steven Bochco, creator of the TV series, could provide an urgent service to the troops.

When my son called from Iraq in early July, he said: "Tell everyone to stick with us. We are building this country; the people appreciate us." My heart sank when I sensed his morale was damaged by his concern that people don't appreciate the troops' extreme effort.

We must immediately affirm for our troops that they have our respect, and that our support for their individual efforts remains constant while the political discourse proceeds. Debate at home should not be construed - by the troops, first and foremost, or by the American people - as a lack of respect for the troops.

Mr. Bochco, please work this theme into your show. The families of the roughly 140,000 soldiers in Iraq, veterans, and much of the country will applaud you.
Christine Truhe
Executive Director, Summit Supports Our Troops
Summit, N.J.

I've been in the Army National Guard for 20 years, am a Desert Storm veteran, and am currently deployed in Afghanistan. I don't like the idea of this new show running while the conflict is still going on.

I am concerned about those watching the show who are family members of soldiers who were wounded or killed. Do you think it will help their situation?

I think this series is just another ploy by Hollywood to make money at the expense of the true patriots of this country.
William Burdett
Lexington, Ky.

Use corn as food, not for making ethanol

The July 20 article, "New study: Ethanol is not worth the energy," is very informative, but I do miss any reference to what ought to be the most obvious objection to the use of corn as alternative fuel: Corn is food!

Corn should be fed to the millions of hungry people in our world, not to our automobiles.

As the article says, the use of corn as fuel will give farmers another market to sell to. But children die every day of starvation. Let's feed these children first, before we even consider feeding our insatiable automobiles.
Margret Hofmann
Austin, Texas

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