Letters

(2 of 3)

9/11: Two Years Later

In "Life During Wartime," Nancy Gibbs asserted that in Iraq, "true victory will take more time, cost more lives and consume more treasure than [those who backed the war] had ever reckoned" [AFTER 9/11: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?, Sept. 15]. That statement is undoubtedly true. But the idea that even those who opposed the war "now have to accept that there is no turning back" is absurd. There are plenty of patriotic Americans who don't accept President Bush's course of action. Freeing Iraq from Saddam Hussein is a noble cause. The problem is that we have failed. Saddam is still alive, and our swaggering has created worldwide resentment against the U.S. and increased terrorism.
DOREEN PUGH
Valley Stream, N.Y.

Gibbs wrote that two years ago we lost our belief that "our world was safe." I'm glad she felt safe and secure before 9/11, but I didn't. After the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, I believed it was only a matter of time before terrorists, either foreign or American, would be successful in New York City.
FRED RUECKHER
New York City

Sweet Alternatives

Re "How Safe Are Sugar Substitutes?" [Your Time: Health, Sept. 15]: The safety of approved low-calorie sweeteners is not questionable. Before a food additive is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it must undergo rigorous testing and scientific peer review. For millions of people, low-calorie sweeteners and the products that contain them are a way to reduce calories which, as studies have shown, can help consumers lose weight and keep it off. In fact, reducing caloric intake by just 44 calories a day over the course of a year can result in a 5-lb. weight loss.
BETH HUBRICH ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
CALORIE CONTROL COUNCIL
Atlanta

The Outlook in Iraq

In "Al-Qaeda's New Home" [After 9/11: The Iraq Mess, Sept. 15], you described how bin Laden's network is rallying new recruits to battle U.S. forces in Iraq. It seems likely that the same political situation that made it possible for the Taliban to take control in Afghanistan will now emerge in Iraq. Foreign, mainly Arab, volunteers may enter the country in massive numbers, carrying with them one great desire: to fight the U.S. soldiers who occupy the country. The foreseeable future looks bleak when one takes into account that the voluntary jihadists have a clear-cut goal and a fanatic determination and that the U.S. won't easily withdraw its troops from Iraq.
MOSES NDELEBE
Pretoria

Bin Laden's al-qaeda network remains a global terrorist threat. The challenge for the modern democracy is to protect individual liberties and at the same time act decisively against terrorists without turning into a militarized police state. We need to form a worldwide coalition of democratic countries, adopt national and international legislation that strengthens law-enforcing agencies and fight terrorism with global coordination.
AMIT PRADHAN
Baroda, India

Only half a year after the U.S. in effect declared the U.N. irrelevant and went to war in open disregard of it, the Bush Administration is asking the people of other nations to pay for America's miscalculation and the resultant chaos in Iraq. Even though the mess was created by America and Britain, the U.N. should try to assist the suffering Iraqi people as best it can. But any step to accommodate the U.S. and Britain should be contingent upon their renewed and unambiguous commitment to respect the U.N.
FREDRIK S. HEFFERMEHL
Oslo

The Bush Administration seems to expect other countries to share in the body count. If the U.S. had treated other nations as equals, they might be willing to salvage the situation for a fumbling U.S. Administration and a feeble British government. The U.S. cannot afford another Vietnam. Nor can the world.
GERRIT DEJONG
Nesoddtangen, Norway

A Cheese by Any Other Name

Re your item on the efforts of some countries to protect the trade names of regional foods [NOTEBOOK, Aug. 11]: The issue is not protectionism but food quality and the years of experience that produce masterpieces like Parma ham and Parmesan cheese. I cannot expect to find an appreciation of food culture in a country whose biggest contribution to cuisine is the Big Mac, but Americans should understand why our food is so region-specific. Parmesan cheese owes its unique taste to conditions found only around Parma, Italy, and to the grass that is eaten by local cows. Americans will never be able to make real Parmesan cheese.
PAOLO PASQUALE
Genoa, Italy