Letters to the editor:
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War By Any Name

They're doing it again; they're killing in your name. Just as they have imposed sanctions that have starved as many as 500,000 children, infirm and elderly—in your name. And now, in your name, they are censoring our news, music, television—all forms of media, to protect you from the truth.

But do you need to be protected? We have decided that we do not! We were fed misleading information during the Gulf War, and enough is enough! Enough throwing money at symbolic altruism—most fire engines don't cost $200,000. But public education sure could use it! Just ask your neighbors' kids as they go door to door peddling coupon books to pay for their constitutional right to education! If this is democracy, how did millions of our dollars fund killing that we don't condone? We didn't condone killings in Nicaragua, Somalia, El Salvador, Haiti, Grenada, or Iraq, and we were too young to protest the killings in Vietnam. But we are not too young now, nor are we asleep! And we are not alone. If you have chills as you read this, you need to contact us at [email protected]. If you don't have chills, you still need to contact us. We cannot sit idly by in silence while women hold screaming, hungry children as they flee from our bombs in a war they never started—at least not in my name!

Melissa & Rex Hargrove
Knoxville

Uuuuh, OK

I feel compelled to respond to Chris Irwin's letter to the editor, "Revenge Begins at Home" [Sept. 20].

First of all, get your facts straight. They weren't bombings. In case you've been living in a cave, the terrorists hijacked airplanes loaded with fuel and flew them into buildings. No bombs were involved.

Secondly, Florida isn't where ALL terrorists live. There are cells all over the world. Hell, for all we know there may even be some right here in good ol' Knoxville. His comment to "level Florida with bombs the size of Volkswagens" was not only uncalled for but ignorant as well. Florida and Arizona are the two states where a lot of grandparents go to retire. I can't understand why Irwin would want to level someone's grandparents' home. What did they do to him?

Yes, these terrorists bought food and supplies in Florida. But they also went to flight school in Florida and were taught to fly by Americans. The attacks on New York City were not directly our doing, but we did allow the terrorists to come to our country; we did allow them to live here; and yes, we did teach them to fly our airplanes.

I was outraged by the attacks but was just as outraged by Irwin's stupidity with his comments on bombing American citizens. He has sunk to the level of the terrorists. What makes him any better than them? I don't think Irwin is, but I know I'm better than the terrorists. I have a heart and a conscience, and obviously Irwin doesn't. If he feels so strongly about this, why doesn't he sign up for the army, put himself on the front lines, and kill anything that isn't American? He may talk big, but I doubt he has the gonads to actually go and fight for his country.

I was in upstate New York on Sept. 11. That day, American flags went up along the streets of towns. They were flying from every house in town, and on everybody's cars. When the stores ran out of flags, newspapers began printing flags to hang in windows. This is how New Yorkers showed their support for our country, not by making idiotic comments like, "Let's bomb Florida with bombs the size of Volkswagens." If you can't be helpful in this trying time, or if you can't be supportive, you should keep your mouth shut. People all over the United States are hurting, and they don't want to hear crap like the crap that's coming from you!

Natalie Schrell
Knoxville

There But For...

I read the article in the MP issue of [Sept. 13, Secret History] of the local hijacking in 1972 with interest, because I could have been involved if it had not gone the other way. I was the fire department shift captain at ORNL that midnight shift when this occurred.

I was able to keep up with the ongoing of this by listening to NBC's news on the hour. At 4:45 that morning, I got a call from security saying the plane would be over Oak Ridge in 15 minutes. I thanked him for the preparation time and began calling in people and moving equipment. Luckily, Capt. Bill Haas [the pilot] was able to talk these people out of crashing the plane after they got the money.

I understand Lloyds of London gave Capt. Haas a commendation, to which my shift gladly added our thanks.

Condon R. Clough
Oak Ridge

Correction

In last week's cover story on Knoxville's Arab and Muslim communities ("The Other Americans," Oct. 4), Metro Pulse incorrectly described the prayer ritual of Muslims at the Annoor Mosque. When prostrate on the ground, Muslims do not kiss the floor, but simply touch their foreheads to the ground in submission and humility to God.

Location, location.

The City Ballet's production of Shiny and New, a debut of two new pieces, "Like a Samba" and "Going for Baroque," will be at the Tennessee Theatre on April 20, 2002, not the Civic Auditorium as originally listed.