Nothing good comes from negotiating with terrorists

Nothing good comes from negotiating with terrorists
EDITOR:
On the eve of Sept. 11, I am writing to commend President Bush on his firm stand in dealing with the radical Islamists who would seek to destroy our country and also our way of life. Our country is at war with a group of people who are analogous to a pack of rabid dogs. There is no way to negotiate with a rabid dog and there is no way to negotiate with people so filled with hate. Gen. Douglas MacArthur was noted for saying, & quot;In war there is no substitute for victory. & quot; His saying is no less true today then it was during World War II.
President Bush said the other day that the recent siege of the school and the resulting tragic deaths in Russia are the direct result of the terrorists (who happen to also be radical Islamist), and not the Russian government. The press and many throughout Europe and the United States were quick to want to blame the Russian government for the tragic outcome. Let's be clear, the Russian government did not take over that school and hold all of those innocent people hostage. It was the radical Islamists who rigged the bombs and took the hostages. It is clear to me that both Russia and America are in a vast common struggle against a determined enemy, radical Islam. Neither country is at war with the majority of people of the Islamic faith. Rather, we are at war with those people who have hijacked their faith in an evil crusade.
It is time that the United States makes common cause with Russia in dealing with this common enemy. President Putin expressed his frustration directed to the West by saying, & quot;why does not the EU and U.S. try to negotiate with Osama bin Laden and invite him to come and meet with you in Brussels or Washington? & quot; I am sure he was referring to Mr. Kerry, Mr. Chirac and Mr. Schroeder and NOT President Bush. There is no negotiating with people who kill innocent men, women and especially children, whether it is in the World Trade Center, Pentagon, rural Pennsylvania, Bali, the U.S.S. Cole, on buses in Israel, airliners over Russia or in a school house in Russia. Our common purpose unites us, unlike the unrealistic position taken by many of our so-called European friends. I am of European decent and love to travel through Europe. But frankly I feel that the leaders of France and Germany have adopted a hide-their- heads-in-the-sand world position in regard to the current war against radical Islamist. It is the same position they took 60 years ago that allowed the Nazi Party and its leader Adolf Hitler to roll over them and in the process kill millions of innocent people. If allowed to prevail, the president of France, the chancellor of Germany and, yes, Sen. Kerry, with his more sensitive approach to dealing with terrorists, would allow the same to occur today. This must not be allowed to happen.
PETER F. SAUER
Canfield
Telethon raises questions about stem-cell research
EDITOR:
I saw on the Jerry Lewis telethon that a portion of the money donated will go toward stem-cell research. But the scientist failed to disclose the type of stem-cell research the telethon will be sponsoring. Is it embryonic or adult stem cells?
I mean, it would be unethical to receive donations without specifying the type of stem cells. Especially since most Americans know its wrong to take a life "in order to save another." This would be a disservice to those young children with MS. In the end, humanity as a whole would come out as being less than human.
SYLVIA KOCZWARA
Boardman