Letter to the editor
by Brian Minerly
of Bloomingburg, NY
Donald Rumsfeld's resignation from the post of secretary of defense has finally been accepted by George W. Bush, a week after Bush lied to the press and the nation about it. His choice of successor, however, is a whopper: Robert Gates. For those of us who weren't paying attention during the 1970s and '80s (I was going to school), the name may not ring any bells. But a review of history raises some disturbing questions.
Gates published a book in 1996 titled "From the Shadows." In it, he outlined how the U.S. government funded the insurgency in Afghanistan to the tune of billions of dollars, achieving their goal of bogging down the Soviet Union into a Vietnam-like quagmire.
Who are the insurgents that received this money to arm themselves and fight against the Soviets? You know them as the Taliban, and one of their key leaders was none other than Osama bin Laden. Gates was instrumental in arming and, more importantly, training in military tactics the people who now threaten our national security.
Should a man who helped fund and train the greatest threat to our nation be given the job of leading our military against that threat? Hasn't Gates done enough damage?
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