In the recent column "Exploiting troops to further public agenda," (CT, Nov. 14) the author criticizes the producer and company who bring about a critique of our war policy.
He states that there is "no proper time" to criticize anything that our troops or their superiors do. Have we really reached a place where questioning what is going on in our foreign policy is unpatriotic?
I would argue that it is actually the most patriotic thing we can do as Americans. We spend more (of our tax money) on the military than every other country in the world combined. I think it is reasonable to demand that the money not be used to debase other societies and consequently the world's opinion of us. In fact, if we want to be champions of freedom, we should be very upset with even just a "small minority" of soldiers raping young Iraqis, torturing "potential" insurgents, or shooting blindly into houses. We have the responsibility to raise awareness and demand our commanders crack down on such activities if we know them to exist.
Is our presence in Iraq worth the cost in dollars, American men and women, innocent Iraqis, and our reputation? Personally, I would rather my tax money be spent on things that benefit me rather than hurt me (or not pay the tax at all).
Regardless of what you think, however, you ought to pressure your government, commanders and troops to behave responsibly. Otherwise, we are as bad as the "evil" that we claim to be fighting.
Brad Shapiro
senior, mathematics