Tuesday, November 6, 2001 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Our impatience works to bin Laden's advantage To echo the point made by letter-writer "Si" Simmons about Ho Chi Minh's strongest weapon, I recall being sent out on patrol with a squad of Marines at Khe Sanh during the Tet Offensive of 1968 for a body count after a B-52 "arc light" bombing strike and, to our amazement, there would be few, if any, bodies. It appeared as if the NVA knew the bombers were coming. When the B-52s took off from Barksdale AFB, the media broadcast this info. The second strongest weapon was based on the strategy of Vietnamese Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, who kicked the French out of Vietnam in 1954 and the Americans in 1974. He stated (paraphrased) that the Americans were impatient and had no stomach for war, but the North Vietnamese Army was willing to fight indefinitely and would win the war on endurance alone. Hanoi Hannah played this speech over and over in order to demoralize the American troops about the feelings of the civilians back home. Then Hanoi Jane did the same thing on her visit to the North. Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida are quick to pick up on these facts of history. Notice how the anti-war protests are gaining momentum. The Americans are impatient and are getting tired of unpleasant news. Bin Laden and his cohorts are patient and are biding their time. WILLIAM BYRD Long Beach Tell me why you have to go Tell me why you have to go. Who will wake me with a kiss “good morning”? Who will pick me up when I have fallen? Who will put on my Band-Aid and kiss my hurt? Who will hold me tight and say, “Everything will be all right”? Will I have to take my afternoon nap? Do I have to eat my veggies? Can I still watch my cartoons? Who will lay with me in the grass and show me “cloud drawings” by God? Who will chase the monsters from under my bed and warn me not to let the “bed bugs bite”? Tell me, is it because you wear a uniform? LARRY L. BARNES Ocean Springs No earthly power can keep America safe It is a sad day for America when we see billboards portraying Uncle Sam with his sleeves rolled up, muscles bulging and proclaiming, "Terrified, Never." How sad that we have let others come into this country and take away the meaning of America. We are not a bunch of macho maniacs as the billboards portray us. We are a Christian, God-fearing, God-loving country. That is why even our currency is stamped with, "In God We Trust." It is sad that we have allowed others to come into this country and even change our laws in the name of justice. Our public schools apparently have not taught us our real American history. This country was founded on Christian principles. It should humble us to think of how we became a great nation. It is only by the grace of God Almighty that we are still here. Even our calendar, how we measure time reflects our belief in Christ. We are a country that has allowed others to live in peace and at the same time we have become a passive people and have allowed abomination after abomination. We kill babies for convenience, and call it all sorts of things. We have allowed our country to fill itself with drug-infected minds and lives; we live as though pornography were normal; we let medicines and medical opinions - repeat, opinions - rule our lives because we no longer trust God to take care of us. God help us in the days ahead if we think it is our muscle that keeps this country safe. LONDA J. THORSTENSON Gulfport Buy American coal instead of foreign oil A letter-writer mentioned dirty, coal-fired power plants. We have more coal in the United States than any other fuel; we need all the help we can get. We still have reasonable power rates. I came from Jacksonville, Fla., and our coal-fired power plants kept costs down. The writer mentioned pollution. Levels of pollution are regulated, and using coal is still better than using foreign oil. Buy American. OBIE G. SMITH Biloxi Can't lower taxes until you cut spending There have been many letters about taxes, mostly car tags. I think they all are missing the boat. You can't lower taxes until you curtail spending. Please don't write complaining about taxes until you have addressed the issue of spending, which is the most important of all. DON BRISTER Long Beach Disaster relief needed here at home, as well Over $1 billion dollars has already been collected by 140 national agencies to aid the victims of the Sept. 11 tragedy in our country. In recent interviews with many of the spouses of the dead or missing, they said they had not received a penny from any agency nor had they been contacted, although their names and contact information had been provided. Where is this billion dollars going? I can certainly understand the American response to give, give, give because it makes us feel as though we are doing our part to help. But again, I ask, where has the money gone? Has anyone taken the time to speak to local businesses in their own communities to see what impact this has had on them? I can say for a fact that sales are down. Folks are just not spending as they were before the tragedy. The stock market is down and people are holding onto what they have a little tighter. Many of the local shop owners I have spoken to confirm that they are feeling the crunch. Is there going to be any relief for us? Rather than give to an ever-increasing surplus of victim aid, why not go out and support your local merchants? Why not buy stock in an American company? That's how we can keep our country strong. PATRICIA KESLER Diamondhead It's called taxation without representation I just purchased a used Chevrolet that I paid $12,900 for. The state of Mississippi charged me $1,141.61 in taxes or 8.85 percent of the purchase price. That included the sales tax and the license fee. Nearly 9 percent is far too much to charge for taxes on any purchase. Certainly, people are going to register their vehicles in Alabama and Louisiana. The state politicians overtax the people, and the local politicians will not abide by the wishes (votes) of the citizens to fly the state flag. Am I sorry that I moved to Mississippi? Yes! C. JACQUES DUPAS Poplarville Lax immigration laws pose a great danger I would like to add my experience with the Immigration and Naturalization Service after reading and agreeing with the Oct. 23 letter from Bob Bass. When I applied for a visa to enter this country in 1946, the U.S. authorities insisted I get and pass a background check from the law enforcement agencies in Australia, even though I was married to an American and my child was a U.S. citizen. In addition, my in-laws in Tennessee had to sign a paper saying they would be responsible for me and that no financial burden would be put on the U.S. government. I heard a top government official on TV the other day state that the INS has been “handing out visas like Halloween candy.” It is time now to halt all further immigration until every applicant's background is thoroughly checked. They are only now finding out more about the criminal records of the terrorists who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks. If they had been as thorough before granting them permission to enter the United States, maybe that tragedy could have been avoided. NECIA UTZ D'Iberville