19 September 2001

Honorable Sirs:

It greatly concerns me that we may target the infrastructure in offending countries such as Afghanistan that, while crippling the government, also brings great suffering to all the people who are just trying to survive. Any decision to knock out infrastructure should be accompanied by the commitment to topple the offending regime and then help the citizens rebuild. I don't believe in blowing up one section of my living room to get at a couple of mosquitoes that are seeking safe harbor in that area unless I'm planning a major renovation! Wives usually object to that and neighbors object to the noise.

For example, to knock out infrastructure and impose economic sanctions and yet leave a criminal regime like that of Saddam Hussein in power, who would rather build chemical and nuclear weapon factories than feed and buy medicine for Iraqi citizens, was not and is not acceptable. If we can do something about a deplorable situation and then do nothing, our hands are no longer clean. We've got to stop punishing the citizens of these countries for the crimes of their leaders, and start toppling these criminal regimes or we will have more terrorism, not less! And that goes for the Taliban too. Anyone government who knowingly harbors or supports terrorist activities should be completely emasculated by whatever means possible. That is the message we need to give the world.

The most effective way of emasculating a government or any organization is to sever it's money lines as well as all other connections to civilized society and thoroughly disenfranchise it from any popular support. Blowing up infrastructure has its place, but all force with no intelligent follow-up to make sure the criminal regime topples, just makes for a lot of suffering.

Sincerely,

Rod Jenkins