Open Forum

Many letter writers have complained about war protesters' support for Saddam Hussein. I know of no one who protests the war who is a supporter of Saddam.

I do, however, know a number of people who have supported Saddam.

The list would include Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., Donald Rumsfeld (shaking hand with Saddam in Baghdad in 1983) and the CIA. The U.S. and Saddam were allies even after he gassed thousands of his own people in 1988.

As for the complaint about the "No War for Oil" signs, there would be no war if Iraq's exports were sand and gravel. There never would have been CIA intervention that was instrumental in Saddam's rise to power.

Americans want low prices at the gas pumps and apparently are willing to pay the military hundreds of billions of dollars to ensure those "low" prices.

Mike Wheeler

Brainerd

U.S. corporations

The greatest threat facing our country today is not Iraq, nor North Korea, nor is it al-Quaeda! It is an internal threat from a corrupt business model once proudly called the American corporation, now more likely to be a multi-national and only interested in one thing -- profit!

In a very short period these corporations have destroyed the American job base, failed to pay any semblance of a fair tax portion and generally corrupted our legal and political systems.

They answer to no one, no government, no shareholder, no accounting system. They are controlled by obscenely paid autocrats whose chief concern is extracting as much personal wealth as possible.

So take note all you hand wringing, crocodile tearing politicians, the time will be coming for an accounting as to why you let this situation develop.

Paul Fiske

Aitkin

Calling cards

March 18, I purchased a telephone calling card from a local grocery store for $20 plus tax. About two weeks later I tried to make my first call with this card; when I gave the pin number I was told that the card was not valid. I called the Customer Service number shown on the card and was told that the card had expired, even though I didn't make any calls. I then contacted the grocery store and talked with an assistant manager who was not authorized to issue me a new card and told me that I should come back the next day when the manager would be at the store. The manager next day told me to wait until he made a phone call to the company which sold the cards to the store on a consignment basis. The manager then told me the company that sells the cards to the store had used this expired serial number and pin from the expired card that was sold to me. I made two extra trips to this grocery store for a total of 12 miles, my time and gasoline used, and not even the courtesy of an apology.

Finally, to all who use telephone cards, please check them out soon after purchasing them. I did receive a new telephone card.

Robert P. "Bob" Miller, Sr.

Brainerd

Stay off my property

I am writing this to the people who are tearing up my yellow signs in my yard. I have replaced the sign on the corner of my yard four times. The last time my son put the sign on plywood and sure enough, when I went out to check it this morning, you had kicked it to pieces. Then I noticed you came into my yard and tore two signs off my shed. When you came onto my property and broke and tore up my personal property you were doing something illegal. What is on my property belongs to me. What makes you think you have the right to destroy what doesn't belong to you? Stay off my property, stop trespassing and vandalizing.

Diane Addison

Pillager

Worth a dollar

The governor's pledge to a special interest group to not raise taxes ignores the positive economic and health impact of one particular tax: cigarette taxes. I support a $1 cigarette tax increase because it will save lives, save money and raise revenue. It is a proven, effective way to reduce youth smoking, reduce health care costs and has the added benefit of raising $260 million in new revenue every year.

A cigarette tax increase is smart health policy and wise fiscal policy. Dozens of other states, many of them lead by Republican governors, increased their cigarette tax last year. They're seeing the benefits of reduced smoking, reduced health care costs and increased revenue. Minnesota should not be blinded by politics. Let's do what's right for our kids. They're worth at least $1.

Kurtis Waters M.D.

Baxter

Leaders lead

Let's get a few things straight. George W Bush is our President. Good presidents lead. They don't hold their finger up to see which way the wind blows. We elected him to do what he thinks is best, not to do what the majority wants at a particular time. This is a republic, not a democracy.

We choose the people we want to make decisions for us. If you don't like these decisions, then vote for someone else in the next election. I don't think we want a system where every issue is put up for a referendum.

Some people, (anti-war protesters), would rather bury their heads in the sand and hope that the world's problems will just go away. It doesn't work that way. Do a search for "Neville Chamberlain" on the Web and you will see what I mean. If you still don't get it, throw away your deodorant, razor and soap, grab your favorite volume of poetry and move to Paris.

President Bush wants to get rid of a dictator that has tortured and murdered thousands of his own people. For the life of me I cannot think of a single thing wrong with this goal.

I don't remember seeing any protests when President Clinton was attempting to remove Milosevic from power. Could it be that the protesters have a political motive and simply don't like President Bush?

Saddam Hussein signed a cease-fire agreement in 1991 after the first Gulf War. He has violated this agreement by not disarming and shooting at our planes in the "no-fly zone". Therefore, the first Gulf War is not over. This is merely the conclusion to it.

I don't accuse the pacifists and anti-war protesters of being unpatriotic.

I don't have to.

Tim Gunderson

Brainerd