To the Editor:

As we celebrate our own Independence Day, July 4, the day the American colonists declared themselves separate and independent from the English King George the Third and the British Crown, perhaps we should consider allowing the Iraqi people also to be free of foreign rulers. Q: since we have vanquished Saddam and his ruling Baath party and since there are no weapons of mass destruction (WMD), nor any delivery systems, why are we still occupying Iraq? A: to show the world that we can get away with being a bullying imperial power in the 21st century, to set up a model corporate police state in the Middle East, to maintain a series of military bases in Iraq and to control Iraq's vast oil reserves. All of these supposed reasons for continuing to occupy Iraq are illegitimate and illegal under both international law and any notion of common decency. British and American armed forces should be withdrawn from Iraq immediately.

Bush seems to be totally incapable of dealing with other countries in an adult manner; he seemingly always has to resort to name-calling, demonizing or bullying. In the case of Iraq, Bush has labeled any opposition to continuing occupation by British and American troops as "terrorists" "Saddam-loyalists" or "criminals." We need an adult President, not an overgrown smirking sneering frat boy.

Yours truly,

James K. Sayre

3 July 2003