War column ignored Saddam’s atrocities

Regarding a Feb. 19 column by Karl Knutson (“Stop glorifying war, redirect country's efforts”): This column was an illogical, non-sequitur, naively developed rant. Its premise purely anti-military, anti-American.

The writer cites history in a simplified, minimalized way. He dwells on My Lai, ignoring what led to the savagery. He cites the hazing incidents at Abu Ghraib. There's the 24 killed in cold blood in Haditha by a squad of Marines. No mention of the tens of thousands in mass graves, or entire towns gassed to death, or the reign of terror under Saddam endured by the Iraqis.

Saddam is irrelevant to this column. But our heinous military? You get the point.

Poor judgment, captured on videos, is the tool the detractors of this country and its military gleefully employ.

I'd rather have the security of America in the hands of a strong, wise military, than in the hands of delusional mindsets like the one exhibited in this column.

Harvey Hop

Cedar Rapids