Letters

"We Got Him!"

Now that Saddam Hussein has been captured and Bush has won his personal vendetta, can we get back to fighting terrorism? RUDY YOUNG Hawthorne, Fla.

The majority of the world rejoices in the capture of Saddam Hussein [Dec. 22]. His arrest should sound a warning to other dictators. The world has become united in not tolerating human-rights abuses. Tyrants like Charles Taylor and Slobodan Milosevic have been forced out of power. A stern warning bell must be ringing in Robert Mugabe's ear. With events like Saddam's capture taking place almost live on TV, there is nowhere to hide anymore. HANS C. STEYN Pretoria

Reading about the U.S. troops' capture of the Butcher of Baghdad in a hole in the ground made my day. Although he was once the biggest bully on the block, Saddam surrendered like a coward, without a single shot being fired. This will put to rest forever the legend in the Arab world that Saddam is invincible. What a great day for the people of Iraq and our armed forces! JOSH BASSON Seattle

Although the capture of an evil dictator is always cause for celebration, the apprehension of Saddam needs to be placed in context. Saddam and Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks of 9/11 or with al-Qaeda, the organization behind them. BRETT R. STACEY Portland, Ore.

Saddam must be imprisoned for the rest of his life. He must be thoroughly examined physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. He must be studied like a deadly virus that has been isolated in an attempt to prevent its spread. What caused this man to become the personification of cruelty? We owe humanity this study. Killing Saddam would not only rob us of a specimen but also reduce our behavior to that of the wrongdoer. Evil would triumph. It is not easy to deny ourselves the rush of pleasure, the feeling of having won (which an act of revenge provides), but it's time for the good guys to show the bad guys how to behave. GRETCHEN NIELSEN Tucson, Ariz.

At last we have located a weapon of mass destruction in Iraq hidden in a hole in the ground: Saddam Hussein. VICKI THOMPSON Hollidaysburg, Pa.

Inside the Insurgency

Congratulations to TIME's reporters for "Life Behind Enemy Lines," the inside story of the insurgent Iraqis fighting U.S. troops [Dec. 15]. This is exactly the kind of in-depth reporting that has been needed since America got into the war. The voice of the enemy is one that the American people need to hear. We need to know if we are winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. JACK D. CALDWELL Rockford, Ill.

There is one message the U.S. should be persistently hammering home to the insurgents: If you want to get our troops out of your country, the worst thing you can do is continue to attack us. We will not leave so long as you do. DOUGLAS ALLEN West Chester, Pa.

Insurgents? That's what you called the disaffected Iraqis who are carrying out terrorist operations in their country. But the only word that should be used for those who deliberately set out to kill their own people, as well as aid workers and coalition soldiers, is terrorists. Calling them insurgents makes it sound as if they have something legitimate to offer their people as an alternative to American occupation. Violence and death are not much of an option. DAN ROBBINS Richmond, Va.

As stealthy and ruthless as they are--this mix of Baathists, terrorists, Islamists and hired guns--they spend more time and effort in hiding and getting away than in making attacks. FREDERICK D. HUNT JR. Rochester, N.H.

If your reporters have access to the kind of information it takes to find and report on insurgents, why is it not passed on immediately to military-intelligence people so we can track down and kill the very people you are writing about? Do you really believe that "the story" is more important than the lives of the U.S. troops and the overall success of the coalition's mission in Iraq? LEE SELF St. Petersburg, Fla.

As we noted in our article, at no time did TIME reporters have prior information about the targets or timing of any attacks.

Principled Disobedience

Re your Notebook item on the Israeli Air Force pilots who have refused to participate in attacks on Palestinian militants hiding in populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza [Dec. 15]: Israel, in the face of brutal attacks on so many of its most vulnerable citizens, nevertheless remains a vibrant democracy subject to the rule of law and standards of morality. As your article noted, "Israeli law permits soldiers to disobey clearly illegal commands." The Israeli legal and moral systems stand in stark contrast to the policies of the Palestinian leadership, which not only fails to rein in the terrorists but also continues to praise barbaric suicide bombers. ANDREW M. UPTON New York City

Where Was Boeing Headed?

"How Boeing Got Lost," on the company's slumping sales and ethical scandals, is truly a story of how Boeing lost its vision [Dec. 15]. The recent failures are a culmination of serious integrity lapses and poorly executed mergers--especially the one with McDonnell Douglas. As an employee with 41 years of service, I have witnessed the whole process. A few hours of ethics training cannot instill character in those who don't already have it. Integrity has to be a consistent core value. But it is the future that is worrisome. Boeing is probably headed in the direction that its flawed management methods have taken it. The loss of integrity plus a lack of investment in the future will finish this company off. DALE HAAKENSON Lakewood, Calif.

When Little Kids Attack

"Does Kindergarten Need Cops?" sheds much needed light on violence and lack of discipline among even the youngest American schoolchildren [Dec. 15]. But you only vaguely addressed the true root of the trouble: bad parenting. Sure, violent video games, television and movies are part of the problem, but no one seems to want to say out loud that parents are ultimately at fault for raising these disruptive, violent children. Negligent parents and an ever growing number of unstable families have bred an entire generation of children who live without discipline and receive no adult guidance. If children are being raised this way, what will the world be like when they have their own kids? JENNIFER MORGAN Chicago

I remember that my first-grade teacher was a real battle-ax, but if I had ever spoken to her as did the 6-year-old in your article who told his teacher to "shut up, bitch," I would have been tasting laundry soap for days. We were exposed to as much violence in the movies and on TV as the current crop of kids. We also had working mothers, but our parents knew how to set and enforce limits and didn't hesitate to do so. It's up to the parents to raise their children. Too many of them aren't doing it. JUDY LIND New York City

Panning for Golden Oldies

You noted that pop singers are trying to revive their careers by issuing albums filled with traditional pop standards [Dec. 15]. I am older than the "aging boomers" these CDs are aimed at, but Rod Stewart's It Had to Be You ... The Great American Songbook was the first pop-music album I've bought in years. Stewart may be a master of "tawdry sincerity," but after rock 'n' roll, heavy metal and rap, it is a great pleasure to hear (and sing along with) the old standards. So Stewart isn't Frank Sinatra. His tunes are still a musical step in the right direction--backward. DOROTHY E. MARTIN Edwardsburg, Mich.

Tolkien's Epic Heroes

The Return Of The King, the third of the three films re-creating J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series of novels, towers over the banal concerns of our everyday lives [Dec. 15]. Finally, entertainment of the highest order! Self-effacing heroes, alternately dauntless and fearful, doubt ridden yet determined and selfless in devotion to the purest of friendships. If we are to have heroes, then let them be like Toklien's, grand and glorious! MICHAEL K. MALONEY Colorado Springs, Colo.