As I read the Sept. 4 article “U.S. sues banks over bad mortgages” I wonder who will pay? I really believe that it will be the taxpayer, in higher banking fees.

Nowhere in the article did I see anything about the folks who made millions from these inflated or bad loans having to be accountable for these actions. What happened to responsibly and accountably for one’s action?

Ray Carina

Taji, Iraq

Too early to judge impact

I found the Sept. 5 editorial “Osama bin Laden died a failure and he knew it” a bit puzzling in that the devil was being judged by what he had not accomplished rather than what he had. Although the liberals are content to blame President George W. Bush for the economic mess the country (and even the world) is in, things were going pretty well until Sept. 11, 2001, when America, led by our then-president, decided enough was enough.

Do I think what bin Laden accomplished was praiseworthy? Of course not, but it was certainly historical and, like Hitler, Stalin and others of similar ilk, he will not be forgotten.

It would be foolish to believe than bin Laden alone was responsible for our financial woes; he had lots of help from our own stupidity, greed and corruption. But, arguably, we might have dodged the bullet had it not been for Sept. 11 and our reaction to it.

One might postulate that even some positive results such as the move toward democracy in the Middle East would not have occurred without the “war on terror” that Sept. 11 provoked. But I would say that is too early to tell. Most revolutions do not result in a democracy and, when they do, things usually get worse before they get better.

Frank Leitnaker

Miesau, Germany

Don’t stifle others’ opinions

The author of the Sept. letter “Less space for trivial issues” attempted to trivialize the views of atheists, homosexuals and drug users. He began by stating that Americans don’t have real problems because they have clean water and aren’t being physically harmed for asserting their opinions and beliefs, but did not hesitate to present his own arguments and hypocritically tell others to keep their mouths shut.

The deviation of our political model from a free-minded republic to a majority-rule democracy has spawned people like the letter writer, who would have the beliefs of others with whom they don’t agree remain in the shadows. The more we converge into an Orwellian, groupthink society that has no tolerance for the public expression of dissent, the less liberty we truly have to be individuals.

I am neither atheist nor homosexual; nor am I a drug user who advocates the legalization thereof. However, I fervently support the rights of others to profess their opinions in a public forum. Their arguments may not always be sound, but the letter writer has an equal right to ignore these people. There is no need to waste ink and paper in an attempt to persuade other people to set their own quills down and forsake their pursuit of liberty.

Cheers to the Stars and Stripes staff for their continued espousal of their readers’ desire to voice their concerns.

First Lt. Richard Headley

Contingency Operating Site Taji, Iraq

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