The war

· I do not understand all the clamor and "hand-wringing" in regards to the "American" captured while fighting for the Taliban.

This person is a traitor to our country. Put him on trial in a military tribunal, convict him and execute him. This to all traitors.

G. D. KELLEY

Riverside

· "Bush defends secret trials," P-E front page headline, brings to mind a quotation from Adolf Hitler, Germany WWII Nazi dictator: "War is to man what children is to woman."

Since war, therefore, is the nature of the human male, Bush, like Hitler, creates his own laws, needed to justify total extermination of all alleged enemies worldwide. In the name of peace, freedom and patriotism, naturally! . . .

AL RAMIREZ

Hemet

· . . . The Nazis had the Hitler Youth and the terrorists have their "religious" schools. It is dangerous for any society to allow the propagation of schools that allow only one view of the world, whether religious or political. There are interviews of students leaving these "schools" in Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere with students saying they don't believe their people were responsible for the Twin Towers, and that it was an Israeli act! They are taught that all Americans and Israelis are evil and are trying to destroy Islam.

Why do we not close these recruiting camps down? As long as they continue to indoctrinate, there will be a never ending line of terrorists emerging from them. Children have to be taught to hate, it does not come naturally. Can we not find Muslims who are willing to "educate" these children about the real world and stay true to Islam at the same time?

RITA SKINNER

Riverside

· . . . I have been hearing in the news that bin Laden and the al Qaida have their assets frozen, to quell their efforts to terrorize more nations. In my opinion, freezing one's assets is like slapping one on the wrist.

We should "take" all the assets of the terrorists to pay for the suffering, bombs, munitions and service personnel that we, the people, are now paying for. Maybe they would look up and realize they are paying for their own destruction.

We should do the same to all terrorist nations and organizations in the world. Hit them in the pocketbook, so to speak. Then our government would not even have to look at our Social Security and Medicare trust funds.

Stop throwing our money down a "rat" hole. Use their money. "Let's roll."

JACK R. HENRY

Hemet

· This reader is amused at Anthony Lewis being editorially exercised -- "Tribunals are a wake-up call," December 1 -- over Bush's order directing courts martial to try terrorists and their abetting cadres. He chides the Congress: "It is time they showed some courage, on behalf of our constitutional system." Lewis then cites the literal language of the Constitution and framers, such as John Adams, who proposed "a government of laws and not of men."

This is the same Anthony Lewis who applauded every piece of judicial usurpation that long ago sapped the integrity from the very document he now cites. He invariably squared judicial fiat with constitutional language by parroting the old bromides: "It is a living document" and, "It means what the court says it means."

. . . The Soviet Union for whom Tony Lewis flacked for 50 years also had a Constitution, a "living document" just like ours.

VERNER J. TREES, JR.

Banning

· This is in regard to the article by E. R. Shipp. Laura Bush said nothing about the suppression and mistreatment of women in Saudi Arabia and other Islamic-Muslim countries.

She said nothing about the treatment of women in Afghanistan last May when the Bush administration gave $43 million to the Taliban faction.

RHYS H. JONES

Murrieta