Regarding Colman McCarthy’s Jan. 3 column “Expand peace studies, not ROTC, on campuses”: It is unusual, and deeply troubling, to see such unbridled, naked ignorance displayed, and in Stars and Stripes no less. I would challenge McCarthy to point out the significant periods of time in human history when mankind has been at peace. Those times are nonexistent, as war has been the norm since the first Neanderthal picked up a rock. Setting aside his failure to understand history and his blatant disregard of human nature, he displays an alarming lack of understanding of our current world.

We live in a world of scarce resources. No global distribution network to determine fairness of resource allocation is forthcoming. As clean water, oil and rare metals become ever more in demand, the only viable solution to allocation will be the same solution that mankind has implemented for some 2,000 years: armed conflict. Setting aside the long-term struggle with Islam and other cultural pressures with which we are currently engaged, peace will not be achieved anytime soon.

McCarthy’s claim that ROTC taints the intellectual purity of a school and his open admiration for the Taliban display a man who is truly conflicted. His smug intellectual pursuits would soon find him in hot water with his loving Taliban. From my time in college it was clear that most college students could use the exposure to ROTC.

ROTC continues to be a path to education for many young Americans, and it also continues to develop gifted, thinking, intellectual leaders. ROTC is one of the many Army programs that have allowed McCarthy the freedom he so carelessly enjoys. I would prefer that America’s most gifted minds continue to lead America’s sons and daughters.

Warrant Officer 1 Shad Harvey

Baghdad

Depressed need the full bridge

In the Sept. 30 article “Fort Hood suicides may break record,” Fort Hood’s senior commander, Maj. Gen. William Grimsley, said of the growing number of soldiers committing suicide, “Too many of our soldiers are seeking a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” This attitude is a problem. Depression is not a temporary problem to the depressed. The resources of the mental health community that have been employed to build a bridge to the depressed fail because only half a bridge has been built.

Place that bridge between the community and a diabetic; you’ll find it to be of adequate length. Instead of designing a new bridge for the mentally ill, you’ve cloned the bridge to diabetics, placed it in front of the clinic and decided it should be long enough.

Cancer victims do not operate under a looming fear that making that first appointment could end their career. The same is not true of the depressed, no matter what level of wellness they reach.

Whereas an amputee is prescribed physical therapy, a depressed person is not and is instead rarely even encouraged to go to the gym, even though regular exercise is a vital part of treatment. This kind of disparity in treatment exists at every level of a depressed person’s care. This is the community giving the depressed what they think should be needed rather than what is actually needed.

The clamor over resources is nothing more than using the depressed person’s symptoms as an explanation for the mental health profession’s lack of interest. If you aren’t going to find out and do what’s needed, just say so. Don’t instead blame those in need for not knowing the language of the profession and expecting them to build the rest of a bridge they might not even see when not a one of them is an engineer.

Diana Hartman

Böblingen, Germany

Honors’ legacy is a real beauty

Thanks for your ongoing coverage of the issues surrounding Capt. Owen Honors (“Timing of Honors’ removal questioned,” article, Jan. 6).

I’ve never been in the Navy, but I’m willing to concede there may well be special morale issues, in terms of those assigned to ships for protracted periods of time. At the same time, it’s probably safe to assume there were, and still are, numerous other ways to enhance the morale of sailors aboard the USS Enterprise beyond the methods chosen by Honors.

After all, one supposes this captain could have sponsored “dwarf bowling” competitions on the deck of his ship and, presumably, just about everyone (except the dwarfs) would have busted a gut laughing and just loved the hell out of it. But just because something is “fun” does not make it right. In fact, the Navy should have scuttled this guy a very long time ago. And it’s unfortunate that it took media reports and video clips to get the Navy to do what it should have done on its own.

But let’s not feel too sorry for Honors. My guess is he has a promising career ahead as a “designated victim” of “liberal political correctness.” He likely will ride the talk show circuit and, depending on his politics, will become a hero of right-wing radio — alongside Carrie Prejean, the woman who blew the chance to be Miss USA ... remember her?

Staff Sgt. Al Fecteau

Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan

Gay lifestyle not sustainable

Regarding the “don’t ask, don’t tell” controversy: Every homosexual on this planet can trace his or her origin back to a heterosexual origin. We are all products of a male and female relationship.

Homosexuality cannot exist by itself. If faithfully practiced, it would die out because the homosexual lifestyle lacks the ability to reproduce. Since its origin is the product of heterosexuality, it is not the desired outcome of its source.

We are medically progressing toward the knowledge that homosexuality is a born trait. In the same manner that couples have offspring with deformities, abnormalities, syndromes or mental impairments, couples can also have offspring with homosexual tendencies. This trait, like the other aforementioned impairments, can be obvious or not so obvious to the human eye, depending on the volume of imperfection. Although humans can choose to have sexual relations or abstain, they cannot choose their feelings. This leads us to the conclusion that this is a born trait.

Since this is the new desired approach expressed by the homosexual community to address homosexuality, we should do so with as much compassion as possible. Homosexuals have no choice in this matter because they are “born this way.” Once we show tolerance (sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own), this must eventually lead to acceptance (an agreeing either expressly or by conduct to the act or offer of another so that a contract is concluded and the parties become legally bound). We don’t just tolerate those with deformities, abnormalities, syndromes or mental impairments. We love them and, because we love them, we accept them. We accept them because they had no choice in their physical/mental condition.

When this lifestyle is taught to our children in our public school system, which was forced in the states that have legalized homosexual marriage and will probably be the next hurdle for the Department of Defense Dependents School system, it should be addressed as a lifestyle that is deformed, abnormal, impaired, not natural and incapable of fulfilling the desired outcome of marriage, which would be offspring. At best, this lifestyle could fulfill the need for companionship. Therefore, this lifestyle should only be chosen if there is no other recourse.

Let us remember that we are all just a bunch of imperfect people living in an imperfect world ever reaching for perfection and never achieving the desired outcome we so long for.

Sgt. 1st Class James M. Moore (retired)

Brandenburg, Ky.

Migrated