to the editor: Despite Humpty Dumpty's claim in Lewis Carroll's book “Through the looking glass” While a word can mean whatever you want it to mean, President Trump's application of the word “terrorist” to domestic protesters and, recently, to alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers is an abuse of our common language (“How Rubio is winning the world Trump by attacking Venezuela” October 17).
Drug traffickers are generally not motivated by a desire to sow internal unrest in our country; They simply want to earn illicit money. They are common criminals and should be detained by our maritime forces and sent to prison awaiting trial. In contrast, alleged drug traffickers were and continue to be subjected to extrajudicial executions on the high seas.
If Trump sincerely aspires to a Nobel Peace Prize, his actions must reflect that sincerity. This ruthless and probably illegal not the slaughter.
Philip Baer, North Hollywood
..
to the editor: Emerging reports of deadly US operations related to Venezuela should alarm all Americans. If US personnel or policy decisions contributed to civilian deaths, that would not simply be a political failure: it would be could constitute murder under international law.
Such serious accusations require more than silence or dismissal. The United States has a moral and legal duty to investigate any credible evidence of extrajudicial killings or human rights violations, regardless of who authorized or carried them out.
The credibility of our nation depends on transparency and justice. To look away from possible crimes committed in our name is to tolerate them.
Carl F. Enson, View of the Oak Tree
