I write to express dismay at the Pentagon’s announcement it is sending troops back to Iraq who have not had a full year of rest. This is totally unfair to the troops and their families, and can only further weaken our exhausted military. After the surge was announced in January, both Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Olympia Snowe expressed misgivings about the possibility of this occurring, yet both voted against a resolution opposing the surge by voting against cutting off debate. One argument, expressed again April 3 at a news conference by President Bush, is that if we don’t succeed in Iraq, the terrorists will follow us here.

Does this mean that even Mr. Bush has doubts that the billions we have spent under the chairmanship of our Sen. Collins is for nothing?

Hurricane Katrina exposed many weaknesses in our new security planning, and the recent landing of a boat from Haiti on Florida’s coast, that went at least an hour without Coast Guard or other intervention, shows even more gaps in the nation’s security.

The time has come to end the funding of the occupation in Iraq and to relieve our troops by bringing them home. Then we can reunite to put the energy and resources together to find ways to provide true security for our homeland.

Timothy K. Priestly, Auburn

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