Madam, - In light of his impending visit to Ireland, I would recommend George W. Bush to conduct a brief examination of Irish history between 1919 and 1921.
At that time, to augment the regular troops stationed here, the British authorities recruited a contracted reserve force which was to conduct general policing and intelligence-gathering and fight guerrillas. Such was their incomprehension of the task at hand and of the indigenous population, and the absence of a proper chain of command, that the Auxiliary and "Black and Tan" troops quickly distinguished themselves from their regular army colleagues through acts of wanton cruelty and destruction and their serious maltreatment of suspects in custody.
Apart from a handful of incidents most British troops conducted themselves in a manner befitting the modern conventions of war. But this distinction was lost completely on the people of Ireland and the press of the watching world.
Mr Bush should also note that the blame for these events is now laid squarely at the feet of Mr Lloyd George, Sir Henry Wilson and the other relevant members of the British cabinet and military command who created these forces, rather than on the poorly trained, badly organised troops on the ground who believed that they were only doing their jobs. - Yours, etc.,
ROBERT LOWERY, Quinagh, Carlow.
Madam, - Senator Edward Kennedy has said that the symbol of America is no longer the Statue of Liberty but rather those vile and truly dreadful images of the torture of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison. It is difficult to find words adequate to express one's profound sense of horror and outrage at such obscene and unspeakable treatment of these unfortunate human beings.
It has been alleged that a number of Iraqis have been beaten to death while in custody. Allegations of brutality have been made also against the Queen's Lancashire Regiment stationed in Iraq. The Daily Mirror continues to insist that the photographs it published are authentic. The matter is under investigation. The International Red Cross says that these acts of torture are not just isolated incidents or individual acts but are, in fact, part of a systematic abuse of prisoners.
The nauseating, sadistic images of a grinning Lynnie England physically and sexually abusing Iraqi prisoners have shocked the world. She insists she was acting on orders, as if that is some kind of defence. However, it may indeed be true that she was acting on orders.
It is now also all too clear that Guantánamo Bay prison camp is a hell. A recent BBC Panorama programme revealed that there were 32 suicide attempts by the inmates there. Prisoners are shackled and the lights are left on in their cells for 24 hours a day.
America likes to boast that it is the greatest democracy in the world. This is the country that said it would bring freedom, dignity and respect for human rights to the people of Iraq. America, the country that produced Jerry Springer! America, the country that dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki!
Not only should all these responsible be punished and Abu Ghraid be razed to the ground, but Donald Rumsfeld must be made to resign. Bush and Blair have a lot to answer for and the sooner they leave the better. The image of America and Britain has been tarnished and their moral credibility is in tatters. All this can only lead to an increase in the more extreme forms of Islamic fundamentalism. - Yours, etc.,
ANTHONY REDMOND, North Great George's Street, Dublin 1.
Madam, - Almost all the media coverage (and I speak as a journalist) of torture in Iraq focuses on the trauma for the occupying powers: Will the governments survive? How will this affect the occupation? Will it put occupying soldiers at risk?
Isn't there an editor on a major paper who cares what it must be like for Iraqis and Afghanis to be occupied by people treating them like this? Or is the whole project just too deeply imbued with racism? After all, we had President Bush recently reassuring his citizens, without a hint of parody, that Muslims were indeed capable of democracy. - Yours, etc.,
CAROLE CRAIG, (Member of US Citizens in Ireland for an Alternative to War), Arnott Street, Dublin 8.
Madam, - In Monday's edition Mark Steyn described photographic evidence of torture in Abu Ghraib prison as "homo-erotic" and "not my idea of a good time". As a gay man, I find nothing erotic in the photos. To me, like everyone else apart from Steyn, they are clearly a sickening attempt at the humiliation and violent degradation of detainees and prisoners in the care of American forces.
Presumably, Steyn is making another attempt at pushing his American-inspired notion of "culture wars": Liberal = Democrat = pinko = Commie = queer - and now, presumably, "Arab lover". It's as subtle as 1950s McCarthyism. - Yours, etc.,
MORGAN CARPENTER, Brookfield Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8.
A chara, - I am a frequent traveller to Ireland from the United States. I feel the need to convey my deep shame as an American. We Americans are giving up our rights to free speech, due process, privacy, anti-trust, and much more. We are committing countless acts of unspeakable torture and humiliation. We are isolating ourselves from most of the countries of the world which rightly declined to participate in an unprovoked war with Iraq.
I wish that I could report to you that Americans are horrified by our government's actions. For the most part, there is a sickening silence.
I can only imagine what such a great power could have accomplished had it chosen peace as its objective. - Is mise,
CAROLANNE McKIRNAN, Boulder, Colorado, USA.