LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.

Byline: The Register-Guard

The Register-Guard welcomes letters on topics of general interest. Our length limit is 250 words; all letters are subject to condensation. Writers are limited to one letter per calendar month. Because of the volume of mail, not all letters can be printed. Letters must be signed with the writer's full name.

Mail letters to: Mailbag, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440-2188

Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

Body count keeps climbing

I saw a slogan on a mailbox in east Eugene last summer that still resonates with me: "Honor the dead. Heal the wounded. Bring the troops home."

I think about that slogan often, especially when I read or hear the increasing numbers of dead and wounded. Military and civilians, more are in those counts every day. And yet, the situation in Iraq continues to spin out of control in spite of those increasing numbers.

ANNETTA FORMER

Eugene

Voters want an end to Iraq war 

I am filled with sorrow at the loss of our soldiers' lives and rage with our government, which needlessly sent them to die.

Rather than experience the wrath of a punitive president, the majority of our Congress chose the cowardly path of least resistance to not speak out against the invasion of Iraq. They knew our soldiers would die, children would be left without parents and mothers would never be whole again because of the loss of their precious children.

Through our vote last November, we spoke clearly to Congress that we want an end to this war now. I expect Congress to do whatever it takes to make this happen. I don't care about their phony excuses and sniveling complaints.

Little has been accomplished. When a proposal is presented to President Bush that he does not like, Congress scurries back to make changes, hoping to please him. While Bush stalls and Congress plays political cat and mouse, nothing changes in Iraq. The soldiers still die and America dies a little, too.

I love and respect our military people, as they are brave, honorable and well-intentioned. I am saddened that President Bush is using their willingness to fight for our country as his personal political tool to fill whatever abyss or void exists in his soul.

I ask members of Congress to listen, if not to the American people, then to their own conscience. This takes courage, but they can do it.

Otherwise, they shouldn't get too comfortable in their jobs.

PATRICIA KORTT

Eugene

B-17 brought back memories

What a thrill to see that World War II B-17 bomber as it flew over the Pleasant Hill area. It brought back memories of my brother, Ross Carlock, a right waist gunner on a B-17 stationed in Italy with the 15th Air Force, from 1943 to 1944.

I forgot how many missions he flew. At that time of the war, you had to fly a certain amount to get rotated back to the states. He had many tales to tell and received many medals and clusters.

BOB CARLOCK

Pleasant Hill

A day to reflect on Constitution

As many in the community know, our Veterans for Peace bus was denied participation in Newport's May 5 Loyalty Day Parade after being invited by the Lincoln County Democratic Party to join their entry. Code Pink members also were excluded.

Memorial Day is an appropriate occasion for reflection on the meaning of loyalty. Upon assuming service in the United States military, we took an oath `to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.' Our duty was, and remains, to the Constitution, not to any office, official, policy or practice of the government.

The government itself can come to represent a `domestic enemy' when its officers violate the Constitution. Conviction of such violations after impeachment requires removal from office. Convinced that such crimes have been committed, the national office of Veterans for Peace issued a call for impeachment nearly two years ago.

Identified impeachable offenses specific to peace are violation of Article VI, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution, which defines our treaty obligations as the supreme law of the land. These treaties include the United Nations Charter, the Nuremberg Charter and the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit wars of aggression and set rules for occupation that we have recklessly violated.

We hope everyone this Memorial Day will pause to reflect on the Constitution that so many Americans in uniform have died to protect, and what we can do to protect it today in their honor.

JACK DRESSER

Springfield

The Register-Guard welcomes letters on topics of general interest. Our length limit is 250 words; all letters are subject to condensation. Writers are limited to one letter per calendar month. Because of the volume of mail, not all letters can be printed. Letters must be signed with the writer's full name.

Mail letters to: Mailbag, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440-2188

Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]