Letters

Ame

World security might be enhanced if duct tape were used to arrest the inflammatory rhetoric flowing from the mouths of world politicians.
ROBERT W. GRAHAM
Fairview Park, Ohio

Who does the U.S. government think it's kidding by declaring an orange-level, high-risk alert [NATION, Feb. 24]? Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge's urging Americans to get survival kits, plastic sheeting and duct tape was yet another sad attempt by the Bush Administration to get the American people to support an unjust war by heightening our anxiety.
TED KEPES
Chestnut Hill, Mass.

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Of course America is "A Nation On Edge," and it has been since 9/11. We have all had to readjust our thinking and must continue to do so as long as there are depraved terrorists who can give meaning to their lives only by becoming martyrs through killing other human beings. Where is our pride? Where is our stamina? We are Americans. We will overcome. We will do whatever is required to end terrorist activities. Get some guts, people.
JANET L. DUTTER
Las Vegas

"A Nation On Edge" depicted the U.S. as living in fear. This is not the America that I see and hear every day. The people buying duct tape and plastic sheeting are the same ones who waited in line to pay $4 a gallon for gas after 9/11. While Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are cowering in a cave or living in a bunker, the majority of Americans are living their daily lives without fear. On a recent trip, I saw a bumper sticker that sums it up best: AIN'T SKEERD.
CURTIS TAYLOR
Muncie, Ind.

Duct tape? I remember duck-and-cover exercises in grade school, when we got under our desks in drills that were supposed to prepare us for a nuclear Armageddon. I'll go on living my life, breathing the fresh air, thank you. We should be vigilant and proactive in our defense, but I refuse to be cowed by a bunch of shadowy, third-rate jihadists.
MARC A. LEHMAN
Albuquerque, N.M.

Great leaders inspire courage, not fear. U.S. officials are instilling anxiety not only in Americans but also in people throughout the world.
BARBARA S. COHEN
Glen Cove, N.Y.

As a military wife, i can relate to being on edge. My husband is one of the many soldiers who are stationed in the Middle East. I absolutely support my husband and what he is doing. But I want him to come home and act as if nothing is going on in that part of the world. I am proud that my husband is willing to fight for what is right. It was his choice to join the military, and it is mine to support him.
KRISTEN RYAN
Fort Benning, Ga.

I deal with Ridge's rainbow of alarms the same way I handle every other piece of information from this Administration: with extreme skepticism. President Bush will manipulate the alert level as needed to advance his two key goals: centralizing power in the Executive Branch and rewarding the loyal elite. I've been at alert-level red since December 2000 when the Supreme Court decided that Bush would be President.
PAUL R. WARD
Redlands, Calif.

Is it any wonder that people whose leader's agenda is driven by fear, greed and stupidity should be afraid and anxious? How would Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt or John F. Kennedy have handled the aftermath of 9/11? They would not have put us on the emotional defensive, as Bush has done. They would have done the necessary work with pride and faith in the future, not with a doomsday attitude.
FRAN STRACENSKY
Cleveland, Ohio

Here is how i cope with my anxiety: I turn off the TV and put down the newspaper. I go for a walk, talk with friends, read a book or take a nap. There are disadvantages to being plugged in all the time. You set yourself up for panic attacks and ulcers. So instead of being driven to taking antianxiety medicine, just unplug. You'll be amazed.
KATE KEHOE
Ann Arbor, Mich.

--Some readers were put off by our cover, saying it was inappropriate. "The image of a bloodshot eye peering through duct tape only serves to fuel the paranoia sweeping the land," wrote a woman from Los Angeles. But a Massachusetts man saw something else: "At first glance, I thought the cover showed an Afghan woman in a burka. How ironic that as the people of Afghanistan are beginning to uncloak themselves, we Americans are all wrapped up."

Assembling Against the War

I am greatly encouraged by the worldwide antiwar movement, which sent an extremely strong message to President Bush and Tony Blair [NATION, Feb. 24]. But the peace movement needs to send an equally strong message to Saddam Hussein that he must disarm, so he has no illusion that he can use the antiwar movement to get away with his brutal and cunning behavior.
ROBERT T. HUANG
Irvine, Calif.

Millions around the world protested the idea of U.S. military enforcement of the U.N. resolutions calling for Iraq to rid itself of prohibited weapons. In a different world, there would be millions protesting Iraq's failure to comply with U.N. resolutions. In a better world, there would be millions of Muslims protesting stateless terrorism, and Muslim countries would take responsibility for capturing Osama bin Laden and preventing him from bringing harm to others.
RUSS GENTILE
Park Ridge, Ill.