The war debate. (Letters to the Editor).

After reading most of the content of the October issue of The Progressive, I began to worry that Christopher Hitchens and I were alone among the community of the left in our views on the events of September 11. After reading Michael Shuman's piece ("Why I Won't Sign," November issue), it is somewhat comforting to know that our number is now at least three.

All of us on the left need to remember that while the remedies put forth by Mr. Bush and the Congress are not perfect, and indeed in some cases create cause for concern, a military response, in this case, was absolutely called for. Some have tried to frame these attacks in the context of American policy in the Middle East. We should not confuse the cause of a Palestinian homeland, and Palestinian nationalists like Yasser Arafat, with Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, and all of their murderous cohorts. Progressives, and leftists, should be solidly behind the cause of bringing these pathetic religious perverts to justice.

Why should any leftist, from any region of the world, indicate any amount of sympathy toward a religious discipline that reduces women to the status of slaves, that denies the freedom of thought and expression, and that punishes "infidels" for not toeing the line of orthodoxy? These people will not keep to their own devices, and they will not simply go away. The worst kind of fanatic is the one who believes that God is on his side. This is true whatever the religion, but is a particular threat in the case of Islam, given the traditional hostility of the United States toward Islamic countries.

However, do not argue that U.S. foreign policy justifies, or explains in any way, the reprehensible acts committed on September 11. And do not delude yourselves that turning the other cheek to these cretins will change them. They will happily slit all our throats, and the progressive values we all hold so dear will be forever lost to us all.

William W. Bennett
Lewes, Delaware

Terrorism is not something we now fight in rhetoric, but, rather, something we defend ourselves against. It is no longer in words, but in action. Indeed, the news in the papers, on television and radio, and everywhere else we find it is now focused on America's reaction. And this is precisely what scares me. And the problem with reacting, as opposed to acting for justice, is that we tend to rely on might.

The problem with this is that, if you kill one terrorist, the resentment and anger for that one death will create five more terrorists. And there is a lot of anger and resentment toward America as it is. Pakistan, one of the integral allies in the U.S. campaign, is finding a lot of turmoil inside due to its support of America. Not everyone in this region is a great friend of ours.

The greatest preventive measure is change in our policies. Not to say that the U.S. is completely responsible for this terrorist problem, for it is not, but the U.S. has committed some offenses in this area. Supporting rebel groups, such as bin Laden's, with arms and training so we could fight the Cold War Soviets is one example. And there are countless things we read about the U.S. doing that have contributed to this anti-American sentiment. Some things, such as America's support for Israel, may not be easily changed. But maybe some things can be done to make terror less likely in the future.

Brian Berner
West Hurley, New York

The mainstream opinion is that America and Americans are innocent angels who love democracy and freedom, but the hijackers were devils determined to carry out--for no good reason--their evil mission of murder and mayhem. In a recent letter to The New Yorker, Susan Sontag said by all means let us grieve together, but let's not be stupid together.

So let enlightenment evaporate the fog of stupidity. Many people in the Arabic-Muslim nations hate Israel because of Israeli oppression of the Palestinians, and they hate us for supporting that oppression.

Sydney Spiegel
Caspar, Wyoming

Two wrongs do not make a right. "We" murder thousands of innocent people in Iraq and Sudan; "they" murder thousands of innocent people in New York. Who is the winner?

Alvin Schreiber
Galiano Island, British Columbia

Your November issue was very disappointing and a pathetic response to the current crisis precipitated by the destruction of the World Trade Center. The usual liberal pieties were once more tiresomely reiterated in one article after another. In a pattern that greatly resembles the compulsive repetitions of the Bush Administration about how evil the wicked Taliban are, you treated us once more to a long list of errors and hypocrisies that characterize our presence in the Mideast.

Fascinatingly enough, the article "A Roll of the Bombs" unwittingly hits on exactly why we have been present, are present, and must continue to be present in the Mideast: "Saudi Arabia, after all, sits atop 25 percent of the world's oil supplies." We station 20,000 American soldiers in Saudi Arabia to guarantee we have access to the oil of the Arabian peninsula to keep our economy functioning and our armed forces able to protect us and our vital interests. There is no way the United States can remain a major or even a minor power if we allow the Taliban, bin Laden, or their kind to determine who has access to that oil during the next fifty years.

James Kuth Sr.
Cleveland, Ohio

In your November Comment, you write that this war "will make this country more imperiled." It probably will. But in this country, as it is now, the people would vote out of office most Senators, Representatives, and the President if they stopped the bombing and other military efforts. War is the only acceptable response to what happened on September 11, in the thinking of the majority of Americans.

There is no way that many of us are going to see how we are part of the cause of this terrorism. What the terrorists did was so bad that I have no words to express it. We've tried police methods and short-term, limited military responses to terrorism. Look what came of it. The screams of the dying will be answered now by war. I personally favor a Congressional declaration of war against Al Qaeda and any countries whose governments continue to aid them.

Amalie Callahan
Rock Island, Illinois