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No link exists between Iraq, al-Quaida
To the Editor:
I would like to respond to M.B. Adams’ letter in the July 8 edition of the Sylva Herald that claims a connection existed between al-Quaida and Saddam Hussein. Adams also chides the New York Times for changing claims it made regarding this connection.
Citing another Times article, Adams goes on to say that Dick Cheney’s comments were true. He writes that a subsequent political cartoon response in the Herald was faulty.
I find it interesting that Adams first cites the Times as incorrect and then uses the paper as a resource for his argument.
The 9/11 Commission did release a statement claiming that not only was there no credible evidence that Iraq helped the militants that carried out the 9/11 attacks, there was very little contact between Saddam and al-Quaida. The commission has claimed that a meeting did take place in 1994, but that Iraq and al-Quaida never developed a working relationship.
In short: They met, al-Quaida asked for help and Iraq never responded.
Although Bush did not explicitly claim that Iraq under Saddam helped with 9/11, he did nothing to stop the widespread misconception. Cheney continued insisting that there were numerous ties between Iraq and al-Quaida.
Cheney’s comments caused 9/11 Commission Chair Thomas Kean and Vice Chair Lee Hamilton to release a press release (visible on the commission’s Web site at www.9-11commission.gov) that claims they believe they have seen the same evidence as the vice president.
Yes, some members of al-Quaida met some members of the Iraq government at some point. However, some agents of the United States government met with some members of the Iraqi government, the Taliban and even al-Quaida at various points in history. There may be a link, but it is so intangible that it is almost not worth mentioning, much less being a reason for war. With no chemical or biological stockpiles found, we have to fall back on the only legitimate reason the United States invaded Iraq: to free the Iraqis from the brutalities of a dictator we helped prop up in the first place.
Adams states that “(the New York Times’) admitted agenda these days is the defeat of George W. Bush.” This may be true, but Adams needs more evidence than headlines.
As for his use of the word “deceit” in reference to the Times, I concur. I feel that the majority of the media (whether you wish to claim left-wing or right-wing bias) has been very deceitful for the past three years, but “deceit” is not a word to be bandied about in conjunction with what this administration has done to further its own agenda since the tragedy of Sept. 11.
Steve Carson
Tampa, Fla.
Find better mode of mass transit
To the Editor:
I was one of the private citizens in attendance July 13 at the transportation task force meeting. I want to commend this task force for their willingness to listen and acknowledge the public comments made during the meeting.
I was impressed to see the diversity of this task force and hear each of them repeat opinions from the majority of this community in regards to land use planning and transportation planning. I am glad to hear the charge they gave themselves was to address some immediate needs on N.C. 107, while also looking at a long term plan.
One of the ideas presented was mass transit, which is lacking in our community. The idea of a bus was discussed and seemed to be agreeable to most at the table, as well as in the audience.
While I also agree with the idea of mass transit, it concerns me greatly that we will put even larger, polluting vehicles in our community, than what currently exists. After reading last week that we have the distinction of being the most polluted park (Great Smokies National Park) in the country and noticing more hazy days in our area, I challenge this task force to find a better mode of mass transit.
There are electric, hydrogen and even vegetable oil powered vehicles. And if I remember correctly, some of these ingenious inventions have been presented in our county from students at Western Carolina University and Southwestern Community College.
Correcting the mass transit problem with a typical bus will add to our air pollution, not to mention the difficulty in breathing while sitting behind one at a stoplight. Our community is home to the Canary Coalition which creates a grand opportunity to address the transportation needs and to be progressive leaders in resolving mass transit issues with environmentally friendly vehicles. I look forward to seeing this task force in action.
Sheryl Rudd
Sylva
Last can be the best
To the Editor:
I’m tired of reading about better roads, better schools, bigger library, more social security and less taxes and how many millions that “Ole Saddam” did kill before escaping to his hidden tunnel.
Yes, I was raised on a farm. One of my many chores was to slop the hogs every morning after I had eaten breakfast. It was always so depressing to see how much slop that those poor pigs had to consume before reaching the crumbs.
Likewise, it was while wading through the current Sylva Herald that I had to go all the way to the back to find anything new or interesting – namely the well-defined story of the Sylva-Webster High School Marching Band and, yes, athletes of the 70s, of which my children were an integral part, and the picture of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt passing down the two-way street of Sylva in September 1936 when I was 14 years old standing on the sidewalk in that crowd. Note how well-clothed the crowd was.
Sometimes the longest way home, or last can be the best. Such was the case of The Sylva Herald this week.
Lloyd Cowan
Sylva
Reader disagrees with newspaper’s opinion page
To the Editor:
The Sylva Herald is a great local newspaper until you come to the editorial page. Then, it concentrates on national politics, often using not serious commentary, but cheap-shot cartoons portraying President Bush as doing things there is no evidence he has done, designed to make him look bad with no credible material to back them up.
Last Thursday (July 15) I found one such cartoon suggesting that the Department of Homeland Security informed the public on intelligence showing increased threat of terrorist activity to influence the elections as being not to inform the people, but to take free airtime away from Kerry’s selection of John Edwards as his running mate. From what I saw on WLOS local and ABC national news it didn’t take away much.
Then Friday on the internet (I don’t know if any national media found it worth reporting) I found the following news clip:
“A stream of new intelligence suggesting plans of a terrorist attack designed to disrupt the November elections (not unlike recent election-eve attacks in Madrid, Spain) has the DHS working to ‘ramp up security.’ When one reporter asked Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle if the terror announcement could have been timed to steal the ‘political thunder’ from the announcement of John Edwards for the Democrat vice president slot, Daschle replied, ‘The report is so sobering and so serious that I cannot bring myself to believe anyone in this administration would use this for political purposes.’ He went on to say that a recent terror briefing contained information suggesting that there is now a greater danger of terrorist attack than at any time since Sept. 11, 2001.”
Amazing! When you get to the editorial page, the Herald is even left of Tom Daschle.
Herald Stockton
Sylva
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