Inside the Beltway

Dear Beatrice …

Every so often we receive a letter from an Inside the Beltway reader that is too good not to publish. Such is the letter from Ray Stevens, professor emeritus of English at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md.

With his letter, he attached another, which he titles: “From one English professor to another English professor.”

Writes Mr. Stevens: “You might be interested in an off-the-cuff response of one English professor (emeritus) to another English professor (a dear friend of 25 years) who wrote to me, among other things, about not voting for George W. Bush because of Iraq.

“’Beatrice’ is a lovely person,” the professor says of his colleague, “but unfortunately a product of late ’60s graduate school education and a devotee of NPR who lives in New York City.

“I, on the other hand, am one of the few troglodytish conservatives remaining in the Modern Language Association (44 years and counting) and was formerly the Southern Baptist president of the H.L. Mencken Society,” he continues. “I write this not in need of another publication; but if you wish to twit a post-colonialist or two, you are welcome to it.”

His letter to the professor reads, in part:

“Beatrice,

“On Bush: Sorry, but I disagree. I see the 100,000-plus mass graves and am thankful someone in the world had courage enough to try to put a stop to carnage somewhere in the world …

“And I read about al Qaeda papers found in Iraq, and terrorist groups there, and Saddam Hussein paying families of Palestinian child-bombers to blow up Israelis and themselves in the name of Allah …

“And a former president whom Hussein tried to assassinate; and a succeeding president who did nothing meaningful to try to stop such things, and who watched and then abandoned Somalia to terrorism as thugs in Mogadishu dragged American troops through the streets, mutilating their bodies …

“And I remember the bombing in New York City in 1993 when nothing meaningful was done — and Khobar Towers, and the USS Cole, and Bali, and a sodomite president who apparently had a chance to get Osama bin Laden in the mid-’90s, but who was too preoccupied with interns to be bothered …

“And I see that now [Libyan leader Moammar] Gadhafi is perhaps getting the message after Iraq … and a new government is being formed in Afghanistan, and one is forthcoming in Iraq — with all its problems — that promises at least much more freedom than anyone else has over that way, with the exception of Israelis, who are worth defending despite rampant anti-Semitism in Europe …

“And I have a son who fought through Desert Storm — where we did not finish the job we started, and who is now back over there, having spent four months in Iraq with the [4th Infantry Division] trying to resolve continuing conflicts — and is now in Saudi Arabia, an officer with two Bronze Stars from Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom in the U.S. Army, who has not forgotten September 11th and who, like many young soldiers, fight there sacrificing to try to avoid another 9/11 …

“And I listen to charlatans on the campaign trail comparing George Bush to Hitler. God help us if people do not see 9/11 as a warning. Do we just sit and wait for another, or do we try to meet terrorist adversaries where they are being bred by the tens of thousands?

“It tears at my soul to say such things, especially because I have a son on the firing line.”

Remembering Scott

Thirteen years have passed since U.S. Navy Capt. Michael “Scott” Speicher was shot down while on a combat mission over Iraq during the first night of Desert Storm in 1991. He initially was listed by the Defense Department as KIA/BNR (killed in action, body not recovered.)

But his status was changed to MIA (missing in action) in January 2001, and to POW in October 2002 after the Pentagon received credible evidence that he had survived.

On Saturday, Capt. Speicher’s friends and supporters will stage a candlelight vigil at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol from 5 to 7 p.m. to draw attention to his plight — and a possible solution to it.

For complete information, check out the Web site www.freescottspeicher.com.

• John McCaslin, a nationally syndicated columnist, can be reached at 202/636-3284 or jmccaslin@washingtontimes.com.