Stop bashing America. (Letters to the Editor).

Although I oppose the military action being taken by the Bush Administration, I do not agree with the conclusions that seem to be drawn by most of the writers of recent articles in The Progressive.

The conclusions that would seem to follow from the Arundhati Roy article ("The Algebra of Infinite Justice," December issue) and others are: 1) Only the United States is responsible for all the bad things happening in the world; 2) The people of other countries bear no responsibility for their problems; 3) Other governments have no duty to protect their citizens; 4) Only the U.S. government has a duty to find solutions to the problems of the world, while at the same time staying out of the affairs of other countries; 5) Citizens of non-Western countries have no duty to seek their own freedom by taking action in their own behalf, but if they do and fail, it is the fault of the United States.

If people in Iraq are suffering or starving, it is to a large extent the fault of the government of Iraq. Babies die because governments spend money on weapons rather than on food and medicine. The U.S. government is responsible for those who starve and go uneducated in this country, and we need to do something about that.

George Robison
Oroville, California