Madam, - The dragons' teeth sown by Messrs Bush and Blair in their ill-advised and illegal invasion of Iraq have produced "a monstrosity more hideous than Hydra".
Like that mythical serpent, whose hideous heads multiplied at every severance, the chaos and carnage grow daily more daunting for Iraqis and occupiers alike.
That this would be the inevitable outcome of such an unprincipled, imperial adventure was obvious to anyone with a knowledge of history and a modicum of intelligence and common sense. But megalomaniacs down through the centuries have consistently failed to grasp the hard fact that one ignores the lessons of history at one's peril.
Having flouted international law and defied the Security Council of the United Nations, this unscrupulous coalition of the wicked now have the gall to demand that UN troops go to their assistance and bail them out of the cesspit they have dug for themselves. They display a monumental (or is it moronic?) arrogance in their insistence that all army personnel going in to help them must operate under US command.
For the international community to concede this demand would be the height of folly, given what we know of the bungling ineptitude of the US occupation forces and their commanders to date. Furthermore, it would be seen to condone this illegal "pre-emptive" strike. It is vital that the primacy of the United Nations be upheld and firmly re-established as speedily as possible. This is paramount for world peace and security.
The warmongers Bush and Blair, together with their sordid puppet-masters in Washington and London, should rightly be indicted for war crimes. - Yours, etc.,
GEAROID KILGALLEN,
Crosthwaite Park South,
Dun Laoghaire.
Madam, - If the US and Britain had decided not to invade Iraq; if those who have lost their lives in the venture were still breathing; if half the amount of money spent on the actual invasion had instead been spent on medical and other forms of aid for the Iraqis; and if, in such circumstances of goodwill, Saddam Hussein had been skilfully coerced into allowing full-time on-site inspection, then Messrs Bush and Blair would now be seen as great statesmen.
Their re-election would be more probable; those others who posed for the photographers in the Oval Office would be seen in a better light; the Middle East would take a warmer view of the West; an attack on cities such as New York would be less likely; and the world would have taken a big step toward becoming a civilised place. - Yours, etc.,
IVOR ALEXANDER,
Laredo,
Cantabria,
Spain.