To the Editor

I know that one should avoid talking(or in this case writing) about politics in polite company, especially since the main purpose of this blog in to chronicle the highlights of Lily's life, but then again, there are always exceptions. An old friend Laura Costas, whose book Honest Stories, I published in the mid-90's, had her "letter to the editor" printed in today's New York Times:


To the Editor:

Re "Fighting On Is the Only Option, Americans Say"(front page, Dec. 22):

I long for the day when we can move past rationalizing the Iraq occupation with the phrase, "I don't agree with the war, but I support the troops."

If it was wrong to invade Iraq, how can staying there as an occupying force be less wrong?

Innocent civilian lives are lost, and United States service members die right along with them. If we as Americans don't agree with the war, we must speak out and say so!

A member of my own family served in Iraq for 14 months. Dissent against the war didn't put him in jeopardy; catastrophic foreign policy did. Calling for an end to the war doesn't threaten our soldiers; deeply flawed military strategy does.

Americans here at home can call for an end to this deadly occupation without fearing injury to a single soul. Say it, people: Support the troops; bring them home now!

Laura Costas
Silver Spring, Md., Dec. 22, 2004