The 'Big One' is no longer World War II; it's now

It's heartbreaking to see President Bush and his administration attempt to use a tactic that was successful during World War II, but is almost impossible to implement today. It's called "propaganda" and comes under the military purview of Psychological Operations, its purpose being to deny the enemy privileged information that would encourage the enemy, while denying discouraging information to the U.S. citizenry.

In these times of political correctness, media embeds, a strong liberal faction, election posturing and no declaration of war, efforts in this area are not only ineffective but have been disastrous for our military and our country in subsequent conflicts (e.g. Korea, Somalia, Vietnam).

Sadly, and still not comprehended by Americans, the outcomes of those conflicts were determined less by military battlefield tactics and firepower than by the absence of viable PsyOps operations.

Americans will eventually realize - hopefully, not too late - that World War II is no longer the "Big One" - that this is "it."

The administration knows well that a portion of its reports is propaganda. It has no choice. The administration also realizes, without shouting it to the world, that we've become temporarily bogged down in a battle, as happens in all wars. The difference being that each battle in the war against terrorism is prolonged, as opposed to past battles in wars against a defined enemy.

A critical hindrance in this war is our inability to define the enemy. Why so? Because, tragically, in the '90s, under the Clinton administration, we were denied the authority to recruit suitable human intelligence sources that would have infiltrated and "defined" today's enemy.

In essence, President Bush and his administration are now having to use all known resources toward "damage control" of a previous administration's failure to fight to prevent this war.

You and I, the American citizenry, not the president or his administration, will win or lose this war.

ARMOND 'SI' SIMMONS
Pell City, Ala.
psysim@coosahs.net

Did you hear the applause from Saddam and Osama?

Last Sunday the Congressional Black Caucus, a wing of the liberal Democratic Party, held another so-called debate featuring the nine wannabe presidential mental midgets. This time they did manage to attempt to castigate each other, but for the most part it was another Bush-bashing session.

I realize that it is not politically correct to describe anyone who defames our president and the war in Iraq as anti-American, but I feel that their continual diatribes about their opposition to this conflict is aiding and abetting the enemy.

Under the Carter and Clinton administrations, those who would do us harm were given the impression that if you inflict damage to the United States military, we would cut and run. That was because we did run when we were attacked in Beirut and Somalia.

Six of the nine wannabes are openly stating that they would cut and run if they were elected. Can you imagine the hope this engenders in those who are responsible for the terrorism taking place in Baghdad? Every time one of these debates is held you can rest assured that it is being watched by minions of Osama and Saddam, who are wringing their hands with glee and hoping for the defeat of George W. Bush. This is their only assurance that they can reclaim Iraq and return Saddam to power.

If that were allowed to happen it would be only a matter of time before we would be fighting these same people on our own shores. It does not take a rocket scientist to understand that we are in a war for our own security and these nine mental midgets would give away the store if they had the power.

It is time for all Americans to wake up and smell the roses, there has never been a time in the history of this country that we are as vulnerable as we are today and you do not bring security by appeasement, only by confronting the enemy and kicking his butt.

STUART BEARDSLEE
Escatawpa
stuartandem@earthlink.net

Our reserves, human and economic, are not endless

I see that Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is now telling us that more reserves and National Guard will be called up soon. I note that it is Pace telling us this, rather than Myers (chairman of the Joint Chiefs) or Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. Obviously, this is not a palatable subject, therefore the lower rank is charged with the job. Pace must feel great about this.

I am sure that there are lots of people choosing not to re-enlist. I have read negative comments by active-duty people about re-enlistment.

As a retired member of the Air Force, I have, for years, counseled young people of the advantages of a military career. Among these advantages is a feeling of quiet patriotism. Not the visible, easy stuff, like flying a flag on the car, I mean the genuine thing, the thing that an old man can look back on with satisfaction and pride, without bragging about it. (I am a long ways from ideal, I have been known to brag a bit.)

I do not feel good about recommending military service these days. The commander in chief is not interested in the welfare of troops, other than as tools. He has opposed or ignored every action that is positive for our people, and has relented only when political pressure forced him to.

I can see no end to this thing. Iraq is already a quagmire, a very expensive one that is being paid for with borrowed money - so much borrowed money that our grandchildren will have to pay for it. I note that China and Japan are prominent among those nations that are financing us. I do not appreciate that.

CHARLIE RAMM
Gautier

Forget downsizing, focus on stability in Iraq

Our military is being downsized - not by the plan Secretary Rumsfeld presented to Congress, but by the poor plan now in place in Iraq. We are losing, on average, three or four of our troops every day in Iraq with no end in sight.

Someone in this administration needs to do something now. The plan that is in place is not working and the people who developed and approved this plan need to be held accountable. At this rate we will lose over a thousand of our young troops this year, and that is totally unacceptable.

A lot of people totally supported the president when he chose to free the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein and his regime (although this should have been done during Desert Storm). We cannot stand by and watch our troops being killed one or two at a time because of poor planning.

If every day one member of Congress were to lose a child in Iraq, how much longer would we continue down this road? It's time to put a stop to the administration's downsizing plan. If you have a loved one in the military or know someone who does, call Sen. Lott, Sen. Cochran, Rep. Gene Taylor, or Rep. Chip Pickering and let them know how you feel about the current downsizing plan.

JOHN GOODWIN
Ocean Springs

Realigning of schools will affect all O.S. residents

Realigning the elementary grades will cause a hardship for parents in the Ocean Springs community, but tinkering with the school district affects the whole community, whether we have children in the district or not. We, the entire population of Ocean Springs, are interested in what is best for the community. Our schools are the key to our tremendous growth.

People move here to get the best education for their children; businesses then locate here and are successful because of the schools. Our property values are tied to the success of this school district. If parents don't want their children to change schools every two years, they will opt to live in another community. Businesses will then choose to relocate (or not come in the first place) and our tax base will go down. Our home values will go down. However, with inflation, the cost of city services will continue to increase.

Realigning grades will not only have an economic impact on the community, but a practical one as well. Parents who don't like the new busing schedule (particularly those with children in multiple schools) will most likely decide to drive their children to school. This will cause traffic tie-ups on Government Street every day. It will be like Cruisin' the Coast all week long.

My question to the school board is, what were they waiting for two years ago when they saw all the growth occurring here? If we need to build eight classrooms at one school, six at another, and nine at another, then why not just build an entire new school in the area where the greatest growth is?

The only stake I have in this issue is that I care what happens to this community. My only investment is my home and the quality of life I enjoy here. We all have a stake in what happens in this community and this is not good for any of us.

DAWN ERIKSEN
Ocean Springs