In response to Angela McFerren’s letter (May 11), I would like to ask if she can truly say that stripping some prisoners and photographing them is “as bad as the terrorists we fight.”

Those same terrorists beheaded a 26-year-old, non-military communications worker. Would anyone rather be humiliated or beheaded? I agree, the abusive actions are not right, but if those actions can be used to extract information to avert some terrorist activities, as may be the case, is it really all that bad?

Should we really ban these prison officials as Americans?

The courts would be taking citizenship from many Americans with such standards of punishment. And that “American behavior is appalling?”

The “American behavior” that has freed millions, is rebuilding schools and services to a higher degree than before the war, promoting education for all, has ended mass executions, etc, etc.

This prison behavior was that of a very miniscule minority of our military, not representative of American behavior. We are prosecuting these people, not rewarding them as our adversaries would, given a reversal of positions.

Can we expect Ms. McFerren to write a follow-up letter expressing continued belief that the prison humiliations are as bad as the gruesome, animalistic beheading? I think we would all like to see if she can stand behind your convictions.

Dale Farrar, Livermore Falls

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