Much has been said about the loss of less than 2,000 lives of soldiers in Iraq, and that our troops should be pulled out because of it. To lose one life is one too many, but the purpose of our military is to keep us secure at home and abroad, and to preserve life in and for our country.

When a person volunteers to join one of our military services, he understands that it may be necessary to go to war, and either he is willing to give his life for our country, or he doesn’t join a service.

As a comparison, more than 40,000 people per year lose their lives due to automobile accidents. Young people, ages 16 to 20, account for 20 percent of those deaths. In the year 2003 alone, 8,455 were involved in fatal crashes.

I have no idea what the statistics are for murders by gangs and just ordinary citizens in our country per year, but I am sure they amount to many thousands. And there are more than 3 million criminals in our prison systems, so we have an awful lot of bad people right here at home.

The price for our country’s security is high––way too high––but it isn’t just the war in Iraq that’s responsible for our security.

The responsibility for having a decent, humane society falls on the shoulders of every one of us.

I admire President Bush for his efforts to democratize other countries of the world. He has taken on a very heavy burden, but I pray that future presidents and the leaders of other countries will stand on his shoulders and bring peace and prosperity to the entire world. Irma Schneider Ventura