Letters

"We Got Him!"

Now that Saddam Hussein has been captured and Bush has won his personal vendetta, can we get back to fighting terrorism?
RUDY YOUNG
Hawthorne, Fla.

LATEST COVER STORY Mind & Body Happiness Jan. 17, 2004 Past Issues Tsunami Jan. 10, 2004 ----------------- Person of the Year Jan. 3, 2004 ----------------- Secrets of the Nativity Dec. 13, 2004 ----------------- The Stealth Killer Dec. 6, 2004 ----------------- Coolest Inventions Nov. 29, 2004 ----------------- Battle for Fallujah Nov. 22, 2004 ----------------- Four More Years Nov. 15, 2004 ----------------- The Joy Of Sox Nov. 8, 2004 ----------------- The Morning After Nov. 1, 2004 ----------------- The God Gene Oct. 25, 2004 ----------------- The Vote Battle Oct. 18, 2004 ----------------- Visions of Tomorrow Oct. 11, 2004 ----------------- The Tragedy of Sudan Oct. 4, 2004 ----------------- CBS Controversy Sept. 27, 2004 ----------------- America's Border Sept. 20, 2004 ----------------- Struggle Within Islam Sept. 13, 2004 ----------------- World of George Bush Sept. 6, 2004 -----------------   SPECIAL REPORTS  Coolest Video Games 2004  Coolest Inventions  Wireless Society  Cool Tech 2004 PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS  At The Epicenter  Paths to Pleasure  Quotes of the Week  This Week's Gadget  Cartoons of the Week More graphics >> More photos >> MORE STORIES Advisor: Rove Warrior The Bushes: Family Dynasty Klein: Benneton Ad Presidency More Stories >> CNN.com: Latest News

The majority of the world rejoices in the capture of Saddam Hussein [Dec. 22]. His arrest should sound a warning to other dictators. The world has become united in not tolerating human-rights abuses. Tyrants like Charles Taylor and Slobodan Milosevic have been forced out of power. A stern warning bell must be ringing in Robert Mugabe's ear. With events like Saddam's capture taking place almost live on TV, there is nowhere to hide anymore.
HANS C. STEYN
Pretoria

Reading about the U.S. troops' capture of the Butcher of Baghdad in a hole in the ground made my day. Although he was once the biggest bully on the block, Saddam surrendered like a coward, without a single shot being fired. This will put to rest forever the legend in the Arab world that Saddam is invincible. What a great day for the people of Iraq and our armed forces!
JOSH BASSON
Seattle

Although the capture of an evil dictator is always cause for celebration, the apprehension of Saddam needs to be placed in context. Saddam and Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks of 9/11 or with al-Qaeda, the organization behind them.
BRETT R. STACEY
Portland, Ore.

Saddam must be imprisoned for the rest of his life. He must be thoroughly examined physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. He must be studied like a deadly virus that has been isolated in an attempt to prevent its spread. What caused this man to become the personification of cruelty? We owe humanity this study. Killing Saddam would not only rob us of a specimen but also reduce our behavior to that of the wrongdoer. Evil would triumph. It is not easy to deny ourselves the rush of pleasure, the feeling of having won (which an act of revenge provides), but it's time for the good guys to show the bad guys how to behave.
GRETCHEN NIELSEN
Tucson, Ariz.

At last we have located a weapon of mass destruction in Iraq hidden in a hole in the ground: Saddam Hussein.
VICKI THOMPSON
Hollidaysburg, Pa.

Inside the Insurgency

Congratulations to TIME's reporters for "Life Behind Enemy Lines," the inside story of the insurgent Iraqis fighting U.S. troops [Dec. 15]. This is exactly the kind of in-depth reporting that has been needed since America got into the war. The voice of the enemy is one that the American people need to hear. We need to know if we are winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.
JACK D. CALDWELL
Rockford, Ill.

There is one message the U.S. should be persistently hammering home to the insurgents: If you want to get our troops out of your country, the worst thing you can do is continue to attack us. We will not leave so long as you do.
DOUGLAS ALLEN
West Chester, Pa.

Insurgents? that's what you called the disaffected Iraqis who are carrying out terrorist operations in their country. But the only word that should be used for those who deliberately set out to kill their own people, as well as aid workers and coalition soldiers, is terrorists. Calling them insurgents makes it sound as if they have something legitimate to offer their people as an alternative to American occupation. Violence and death are not much of an option.
DAN ROBBINS
Richmond, Va.

As stealthy and ruthless as they are — this mix of Baathists, terrorists, Islamists and hired guns — they spend more time and effort in hiding and getting away than in making attacks.
FREDERICK D. HUNT JR.
Rochester, N.H.

If your reporters have access to the kind of information it takes to find and report on insurgents, why is it not passed on immediately to military-intelligence people so we can track down and kill the very people you are writing about? Do you really believe that "the story" is more important than the lives of the U.S. troops and the overall success of the coalition's mission in Iraq?
LEE SELF
St. Petersburg, Fla.

As we noted in our article, at no time did TIME reporters have prior information about the targets or timing of any attacks.

Principled Disobedience

Re your Notebook item on the Israeli air force pilots who have refused to participate in attacks on Palestinian militants hiding in populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza [Dec. 15]: Israel, in the face of brutal attacks on so many of its most vulnerable citizens, nevertheless remains a vibrant democracy subject to the rule of law and standards of morality. As your article noted, "Israeli law permits soldiers to disobey clearly illegal commands." The Israeli legal and moral systems stand in stark contrast to the policies of the Palestinian leadership, which not only fails to rein in the terrorists but also continues to praise barbaric suicide bombers.
ANDREW M. UPTON
New York City

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