WAR ON TERRORISM

WE should all be very thankful that President Bush has taken time to consider what response the US should make to the September 11 outrage. Had he reacted like a child in a temper tantrum, hitting out immediately in all directions, he could well have plunged the world into a terrible war and forfeited the support of many countries which are now standing with the US.

Whatever lies ahead for the world in this terrible atmosphere and threat of war, let us pray that all leaders continue to think clearly and rationally, taking sound advice, before they order military action. EA Moralee, Billingham.

IS the horror inflicted on innocent people in New York and Washington, whilst more spectacular, any more despicable than the horror inflicted by the Japanese on Pearl Harbour, the Americans on Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Vietnam and Cambodia, the Germans on Coventry and London and the British on Dresden, Berlin, and Hamburg?

"Man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn" Burns never spoke a truer word.

Before we proceed to compound this horror, perhaps we should find out from those responsible their reason for so acting.

Shooting first and asking questions afterwards never did work it only sows the seed for something worse. Sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind applies to all parties none shall escape. Willis Collinson, Durham City.

I SUGGEST John Pilger (Echo, Sept 21) turns the pages of his history book back to 1936 and the suffering of millions which had nothing to do with America or this country. Or to1940, when we stood alone and depended on material help from America.

Our Middle East policies have never been perfect. But they don't deserve these attacks on innocent people.

Now is the time to close ranks and spare a thought for our armed forces.

And for Mr Pilger to peddle his typewriter to a terrorist country to find that these people, even if he has a halo above his head, have no time for Christian writers. R Reed, Eppleby, Richmond.

WE do not want another war. I am now 93 and very happy with my life as it is. I have seen two wars and would not like to see another.

I am all for peace. Yet, I do agree something should be done to stop all people with hatred in their hearts.

I hope you can understand my feelings. I sincerely hope and pray we can come by some means to avoid a war. E Radford, Richmond.

THE more I listen to George W Bush the more I doubt his grasp of the situation.

One of his less intelligent utterances was to say if we do not obey his diktat we are on the side of the terrorists. What utter tripe.

This from the man who is only president by default.

He talks as if the US is and has been a shining light to the rest of the world.

We have heard of Vietnam, the dropping of napalm on civilians, including children. We have heard of the murderous bombing of Cambodia and the support for Israel right or wrong.

The US now distributes largesse only to those who support its views.

When the state of Israel was created, two million Palestinians became refugees virtually overnight and many of them still are.

Of course, the destruction of the World Trade Towers was an act of barbaric terrorism, but killing who knows how many more is not a solution.

Tony Blair should remember we are a European country and not an overseas state of the US.

The thousands of people who died in New York are, yes, the victims of terrorism, but also the victims of the gross incompetence of politicians through the breakdown of security and a total misunderstanding of East-West relations. Hugh Pender, Darlington.

PETER Mullen derides author Martin Amis for having the temerity to suggest that the West bombs poverty-stricken Afghanistan "with food".

As Chaplain to the Stock Exchange, he's clearly out of touch with his prosperous flock.

Their bible the Financial Times clearly supports a massive effort to feed this beleaguered country in an attempt to avoid a humanitarian disaster. Even the Sun's editorial column is black and white in stating that "Feeding innocent Afghans would not be a sign of the West going soft".

I'd have expected Mr Mullen to recognise the inherent Christianity of such a response. But these are, indeed, strange times. Malcolm Wright, Darlington.

HARD-BITTEN, success worshipping New York, bloodied and devastated, picked itself up and courageously worked above and beyond human endurance to clean up the mess, rebuild its life and business structures.

It took care of its injured and bereaved citizens, put in financial aid and buried its dead with a dignity that is quite remarkable.

In Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, in the name of their god, spend millions on terrorist activities, incite suicide and watch their citizens flee from starvation, brutality and unbelievable poverty, and call the West infidels.

I know who I consider a true believer. S Harnby, Stockton.