Ryan Edwards stated in his Nov. 21 letter, “Bulldozers are not ‘weapons of war,'” that the Caterpillar D9 bulldozer “is not a weapon of war — it’s a piece of construction equipment.” Using the same contorted logic, Agent Orange would be considered a mere defoliant. For Palestinians, the D9 has become synonymous with death and destruction.

The gray, heavily armored machines, which stand as tall as a small house, already have turned thousands of buildings into dusty rubble heaps and ancient olive groves into wastelands.

All of this is supporting an Israeli occupation deemed illegal by the United Nations.

According to the Geneva Convention, article 33: “No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.”

Both the United States and Israel are signatories to the Geneva Convention. It should be noted this is one of many international treaties the Bush administration has broken.

Brad Lucht

Alumnus