I read Dusty Rhoades' June 7 column, and as usual, I couldn't disagree more with him if I tried. Is he serious?

He writes about not allowing ourselves to sink to the level of behavior of the terrorists. I would simply ask Rhoades if he would feel the same if it were his mother or daughter who had been kidnapped or taken prisoner.

I am sick of people like Rhoades and our newly elected president calling the United States "arrogant" for trying to save our lives. There is indisputable proof that some of our interrogations resulted in information we used to stop additional terrorist attacks on Americans and targets in the United States.

Rhoades' comparisons of Churchill and Reagan to today miss the mark. In those battles, the opposition wore a different color uniform and fought for a foreign country. It is not that cut-and-dried today.

We now find ourselves fighting individuals, fanatical religious zealots wearing explosive devices. They don't fight for one country, and they don't obey any rules. Why should we treat them with kid gloves when their objective is to eliminate us?

In case Rhoades hasn't heard, they want to kill all Americans and put an end to western civilization in order to create a Muslim world. Does Rhoades recall how Nick Berg was treated?

The way they treated Berg is serious enough for the United States to consider all options when it comes to this opponent. You see, they don't play by the rules, and it sometimes takes playing by their rules to make them understand we are not going to roll over for them.

I do thank Rhoades for going two whole weeks without using the word "wingnut" 50 times in another column.

Curtis Richie

Whispering Pines