Vivienne Walt’s op-ed, “Iraq needs to put the past in its place” (BDN, July 10-11), brings up two points. The first is about how much is being written and said by journalists, politicians, historians and other professionals regarding what Iraq needs, as if these so-called intelligent people knew what Iraq needed. If Iraq needs anything it is to be left alone by all those who presume to know what’s good and not good for the people of Iraq.

Second, Walt calls the U.S. invasion of Iraq a “war” and that Americans “need to put the past in its place,” by acknowledging that our administration went against the world and initiated an all-out mass invasion and slaughter of a people that has suffered 20 years of deadly U.S. sanctions. A country such as Iraq had no means of self-defense, which disqualifies this as a war.

Taxpayers are funding the construction of numerous U.S. military bases throughout Iraq. It is obvious that Iraqi freedoms are becoming a thing of the past as the invading forces dig in for a long-term occupation. It appears doubtful that this is what Iraq really needs.

Les Simon

Jonesboro