According to published reports, it seems that the only way to augment American troops in Iraq is to draw from the National Guard here in the United States.

Lately, for example, we have learned that about 35,000 additional servicepeople will be deployed to that area in order to strengthen an overall force that is truly strained by the demands of the war effort.

As this topic is discussed in the press, I note an omission that, to me, is really glaring. Why don’t we ever hear that additional troops could be brought in from, say, Japan or continental Europe?

At present, the United States has in excess of 200,000 personnel stationed in these two theaters of operation. And as everyone knows, there are no immediate threats to deal with in these parts of the world. Doesn’t it make more sense, if we are serious about providing adequate security in this country, that our own National Guard would remain just that, a guard for us here?

The widow of a recent casualty in Iraq is quoted in the Sun Journal that she questions American plans and strategy for the war. It seems to me that all of us should do this, especially when we use common sense to evaluate alternatives, such as I have, and perhaps conclude that other avenues just make sense.

Rev. Ray Richard, Lewiston