I am writing in response to Steve Skutnik’s article of Oct. 22.

Mr. Skutnik appears to have limited knowledge of our legal system and federal government.

If Mr. Skutnik considers this a legal matter, then he must remember that evidence in a criminal trial is not freely distributed until the defendant is apprehended. The basis for a search warrant and other evidence for a trial is not released until the defendant is taken into custody and often then only to the defendant’s attorney in order to avoid tainting a potential jury. In this scenario Mr. Skutnik is due only that information the person’s who are seeking to bring the guilty party to justice wish to dispense. In this case most of the victims were vaporized and the accused cannot view the evidence until we capture him. Mr. Skutnik is neither victim nor accused. It is also not unusual for criminals to be killed when resisting arrest.

If Mr. Skutnik considers this a matter of state, he as a citizen does not have the right to “know all” about ongoing operations of our government. In a republic such as ours, his elected members of Congress (assuming he voted and could understand the ballot he received) are in Washington to gather information and make judgements for him. Only one member of Congress voted against the military actions taking place at this time, so I must assume they as a body felt there was sufficient evidence to pursue the terrorists.

If Mr. Skutnik has no faith in the members of Congress sent from his district, I would strongly suggest he work in the next election to replace them. This alternative would not have been available in the former Soviet Union. This ability to replace our leaders is what gives our citizenry a voice and makes our country vastly different than the countries to which Mr. Skutnik compares us.

I would suggest Mr. Skutnik has drawn his conclusions from youthful exuberance and ignorance rather than experience and wisdom. “The public deserves to know” is a statement used constantly by the press when information is withheld, including information that endangers our troops and mission. In my opinion, members of the press who print classified information should be asked their source, and jailed until they reveal the source. If the source is revealed, the source should be tried for treason against the United States.

This is not a game, like the media appears to believe. CNN crews on a beach in Somalia when SEAL teams are landing, alerting the enemy to a “surprise” attack is a prime example. Had the operation been a surprise, possibly no American soldiers would have been lost. The recent “leaks” that have taken place in Washington and the CNN crew driving around Afghanistan in search of a propaganda interview are others.

We just completed eight years with a president who made noise and did nothing:

1993 – World Trade Center bombing, which killed six and injured 1,000; President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

1995 – Bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed five U.S. military personnel; President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

1996 – Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 and injured 200 U.S. military personnel; President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

1998 – Bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa, which killed 224 and injured 5,000; President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

2000 – Bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 and injured 39 U.S. sailors; President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

The only actions taken by former President Clinton was to send cruise missiles into probably empty tents in Afghanistan and an aspirin factory in Sudan where a night watchman was killed. Obviously the long-distance response has not worked.

Because Mr. Skutnik lives in the United States and is entitled to voice his opinion, however lacking in substance. It appears that he is a good writer in search of a cause. If he was writing in opposition of the Taliban treatment of women he would be much more credible.

Gary Herman

Alumnus

Animal Science 1973