Letters to the editor

	J.J. Guillen/The Associated Press A bomb destroyed this train car in Madrid and killed at least 62 Thursday.
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SPAIN IN PAIN

The wrong message: Apologies to al-Qaida for being right

Editor, The Times:

Chalk one up for al-Qaida. What Sunday's Spain elections prove is that if you murder enough people right before an election, you can change a government ("Al-Qaida, separatists are top suspects in bombings," Times, page one, March 12, and "Backlash vote over bombings ousts Spain's party in power," page one, March 15).

Spain's new socialist government will no longer likely be a strong ally in Iraq or the War on Terror. Many here in America — Democrats and socialists alike — will claim this all has to do with our "illegal" war in Iraq. Rubbish. It has to do with a country siding on the right side of history and paying a dear price for it.

Unfortunately, in a knee-jerk but understandably emotional reaction, the people of Spain — with their votes — apologized to al-Qaida for aiding the U.S. in Iraq.

It is entirely likely that the new Spanish government will take the same course of appeasement/containment on terrorism that the world knew before 9-11. Or 3-11.

As Americans, we must ask: Will we do the same in November? In other words, switch to a more socialist government that will be passive against terrorism. If this election comes to fruition as the Democrats, MoveOn.org and others wish, it will be exactly what al-Qaida wants.

After that, God help us all.
Peter Fessler, Seattle

Army of no one

Good job, George W! You've managed to drive one of our allies over to the socialists! The conservative government of one of our close allies, Spain, has fallen to the socialists. And why? According to the Spanish press, it is because that government didn't listen to its own people, but listened instead to the war drums of George W. Bush.

But hey, maybe the Marshall Islands, "Coalition of the Willing" member, can fill the gap when Spain withdraws its troops from Iraq! One problem: The Marshall Islands doesn't have any troops.

Well, how about Panama, Palau, Micronesia, Mongolia or the Solomon Islands? Darn; no troops from any of them either.

But wait. There's always Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Uganda, Rwanda, Honduras, Colombia and Eritrea. Oops, they've refused to send troops too!

Iceland, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Uzbekistan, Philippines, Georgia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania are all a part of your "willing" group, except they, too, won't send any troops!

Turkey has offered to send troops, but you've turned them down.

Some coalition you put together there, G.W.! Whose democratically elected government will you topple next?
Larry Owens, Shoreline

Dishonor before death

It is a very sad day for me when a good ally of the United States has allowed a victory for al-Qaida, by giving in to the demands of the horrible terrorist attack, by deciding to pull its military out of Iraq. This decision by the new government makes the killing of hundreds of Spaniards and wounding of thousands a victory for the forces of evil and a disgrace to the memory of those who died.

I was so proud of Spain for standing tall in the face of EU criticism and helping to defeat the tyranny of Saddam Hussein. Now it is retreating and giving the terrorists exactly what they want. When good people or nations decide to retreat in the face of evil, evil will win and spread like a cancer.

Since the death of Spaniards has worked to the advantage of terror, the terrorists will strike again in the goal of forcing another coalition partner to quit. Spain has now joined France and Germany in being afraid to stand up for freedom. My admiration of Spain has now turned to shame.
Steven Freeburn, commander, United States Navy Reserve (ret.), Lake Stevens

Tierra sin fuego

Once again, the younger generations in Europe have shown themselves to be the cowards and naive ostriches they are. Spaniards have surrendered to terrorism. Evidently, they have forgotten it was strength and perseverance that beat terrorist groups such as Baader-Meinhof, Action Direct and the Brigate Rosa in the '70s — not surrender and timidity.

It is the refusal of brave Colombian police officials and judges that has seriously slowed drug terrorists in Colombia, not cowering in the corner with a white flag pulled over their heads.

Europe is in for a long year, I fear. Terrorists, such as the cowardly scum Osama bin Laden, only understand strength. Lying down, belly up, only encourages them to inflict more pain and suffering. Had the Spaniards kept Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar in power, the terrorists would have had second thoughts; now it's open season.

How pitiful to accept living constantly looking over one's shoulder or peering around the corner to see if the bully is there.
John Sainz, Everett

Quernica cubed

Thanks, Spain. You've just set the stage for the next round of bombings now that you've provided the terrorists with just the results they wanted. Election time. Bomb time. Change a country's direction with a few well-placed explosions. So much for the power of the people.

Who needs a voting booth when you can accomplish the same thing with a backpack full of explosives.

Another sad commentary on the direction of the political process.
Ric Rosa, Bothell

REPERCUSSIONS

Flee amigos

The election of a socialist majority in Spain is not only bad news for the war on terror; it is also bad news for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry ("Socialist leader vows to bring Spanish troops home from Iraq," page one, March 15). You see, the new socialist prime minister elect, Jose Luis Zapatero, made a chilling promise, as reported in the Majorca Daily Bulletin on Mar 6. He pledged, "The first thing I will do when I am elected is to go to the United States and support John Kerry."

This is terrible for candidate Kerry, who is rushing to the center in an effort to convince the electorate that he is not really the most liberal senator in the entire Senate, as claimed by both the center-left National Journal and the far-left Americans for Democratic Action.

With endorsements from Ramsey Clark, Jane Fonda and now socialist Zapatero, all Kerry is short is an endorsement from Al Gore to seal his fate.
Roger Connolly, Kent

Bring 'em on

The White House is saying that if Sen. John Kerry doesn't name names with respect to which foreign leaders prefer his candidacy over George Bush, that they therefore must not exist ("White House to Kerry: prove assertion," News, March 16). I wonder how many foreign leaders G.W. Bush could get to go on the record, supporting four more years of a Bush administration.

I think that if Bush cannot get foreign leaders to endorse his candidacy, and be willing to publicly name them, he should not think Kerry should for some reason be compelled to do so.
Brian Gix, Seattle

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company