The future brings great expectations

To the editor:

John Timpane's silly commentary, "The Future: It's the ultimate has-been" (Review-Journal, Sunday), reminds one of the director of the U.S. Patent Office in the 1890s who recommended the office be closed because everything had already been invented. We must still face the future with the expectancy of unknown wonders yet to come.

If one had asked a farmer in the 1800s what would make it easier for him to plow his land, he would probably have said, "Give me a plow big enough to be pulled by 20 horses." He could never have imagined a tractor.

Contrary to Mr. Timpane's pessimistic negativity, the great blessing of humankind is its capability to contemplate the future and its promise of new, wondrous marvels with great expectations. And it is not foolish to do so.

Ernie Mathews

HENDERSON

Artwork

To the editor:

The cartoon by Ted Rall entitled "Portrait of a Suicide Bomber" (Review-Journal, Sunday) was better suited to be published in an al-Qaida newsletter. It is disgraceful that someone such as Mr. Rall would disparage the Americans serving in our armed forces and in harm's way. Frankly, I'm appalled.

I strongly recommend that the Review-Journal stop publishing material from Mr. Rall and his fellow traveler, Tom Toles, the cartoonist for The Washington Post. These two seem to have lost all sense of decency, patriotism and citizenship.

MARTIN SHAINEN

LAS VEGAS

Boxing fan

To the editor:

In his Monday letter, John Dombek asks the question, "Can you or your sports people tell me the difference between the audience that relishes dog fights and the audience that relishes boxing?" If I might be so bold, I would like to answer.

The difference is rather simple. One audience is watching an illegal activity involving dogs that have no say in the matter. While the other audience is watching a legal activity in which two men voluntarily wish to show their boxing skills.

While some may want to compare the two, it must be pointed out that dogs often fight to the death -- and if one is injured so badly that it could not fight again, it is put to death. I have yet to see a boxer who is trounced in the ring ever being put to death for losing. In fact, quite the contrary, they receive immediate medical aid.

To attempt to paint both audiences as "sadistic" is neither fair nor accurate.

Louis Frederick

NORTH LAS VEGAS

Knockout blow

To the editor:

I was pleased to read Vin Suprynowicz's Sunday column, "Satanic manipulators of demonic brilliance?" The piece highlights important, intelligent criticisms of the ongoing war in Iraq and the administration that brought us there. It is important to note that our leaders in Congress could have stopped the war before it started, had they been willing to go against popular opinion for their beliefs, noting the absence of good intelligence.

What amazes me is that 4 1/2 years ago we had al-Qaida and their supporters, the Taliban, on the ropes. We let them be so we could get in some licks on a non-contender, Saddam Hussein. Now Osama bin Laden and his friends are back on their feet and are ready to start swinging.

We need a president who can deliver the knockout blow. That is why we need Sen. Barack Obama. As president, he will take the fight back to Afghanistan and finish what should have been done four years ago.

JONATHAN UNDERWOOD

LAS VEGAS

Iraq conflict

To the editor:

Unlike columnist Vin Suprynowicz and Rep. Ron Paul, I have no particular objections to invading top-down satrapies whenever an appropriate opportunity arises. Reminds them of their proper station in life.

Whenever one goes to war, the purpose is (or should be) to reduce enemy capabilities and render them harmless. Our enemies today are the Wahhabis. They seek to enslave us on religious grounds. In order to succeed they must first have a caliphate in the Middle East.

With Israel in position, a caliphate is difficult. With Uncle Sam camped along the Tigris and Euphrates, it is downright impossible.

Thus, enemy capabilities have been reduced. To render them harmless, it is necessary to stymie caliphate in the absence of a continuing U.S. occupation.

Giving Iraq a federal government will work just fine. By all accounts, that is exactly what Gen. David Petraeus is doing by winning over different tribal elements and forging them into a coalition that will further our interests by furthering their own. In short, it looks like we are starting to win.

As to the morality of the operation, Iraq was to 9/11 as Italy was to Pearl Harbor. They should not be standing where we are shooting.

Dave Hanley

LAS VEGAS