Rose-colored glasses keep Cal from seeing truth in Iraq

Rose-colored glasses keep Cal from seeing truth in Iraq
EDITOR:
"Is you is, or is you ain't my baby"... lyrics from a song sung by Cab Calloway in those "good old days" are presented as the key to reflection on a recent opinion column.
Those lyrics were never more evident in today's society by the recent column by the venerable, but vegetative, Cal Thomas. His lyrical incantation of the list of "possible" beginnings of the War on Terror included the hijack of an Israeli-bound aircraft, maybe; the bombing of the American Marines in Lebanon, maybe. But, in declaring the need to "Wish Iraq Happy Independence Day," he failed to mention the use of pit traps and wired hand grenades by Charlie in Vietnam, maybe; the use of aircraft as human bombs by the Japanese pilots in kamikaze attacks in WWII, maybe.
If Cal had watched CNN, he would have seen the interview with the Iraqi man who began the toppling of the statue of Saddam that was celebrated around the world. He lamented that he was sorry Saddam was overthrown because the occupation was creating more fear and terror for the Iraqi people than Saddam. He lamented the lack of food, fuel and a basic economy in Iraq because of the invasion.
Cal's picture of the Debacle in the Desert is presented as he sees it through the rose-colored glasses of administration media handouts. He fails to tell the American people that the phrase "cut and run" was first used by Ronald Reagan after the Lebanon tragedy. Yet he removed all Marines from Beirut a month later. Richard Nixon removed all troops from Vietnam in the early '70s without regard, or care, as to the future of its people as a result of U.S. withdrawal. The British learned the hard way that "enough was enough" in India and left; and the French learned the same lesson in Algeria (and warned America of the futility of entering Vietnam after the Dien Bien Phu massacre in 1954). Given all this, how can this administration continue to pursue a policy of American sacrifice in Iraq merely to save face in the wake of a horrendous military failure?
Continued entanglement of America's sons and daughters in a nation engulfed by civil war is preposterous.
It would be beautiful, indeed, if there were no war anywhere in the world. It would even be more beautiful if America follows the examples of Britain and France and removes itself from a bungled conflagration. The benchmark for removing our troops should be yesterday.
JOHN ZORDICH
Youngstown
Motorists and pedestrians: Watch out for each other
EDITOR:
Now that the weather is better for walkers, I have observed that both motorists and pedestrians contribute to unsafe situations, and I hope you will remind both.
Motorists do not always do what they appear to intend. Turn signals seem to waste energy for some and stop signs are an enemy.
Pedestrians seem to either have forgotten, or are unaware, of the need to face traffic by walking on the left side (or right side in the UK!) so that you are visible to the oncoming traffic and they are visible to you.
I have seen four people walking abreast on the wrong side. The person on the left side needs only to make a small lateral move to create a crisis for the oncoming motorist, particularly if there is approaching traffic, and the incident occurs without adequate warning, so that an impact happens.
And that goes for your dogs as well.
I hope not to hear any sirens in our neighborhood because someone made a pedestrian mistake.
GEORGE E. SUTTON
Poland