To the editor:

The Journal-World Saturday Column of July 24 gives an encouraging account of Kansas University professor Felix Moos and U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts working together on proposals to improve the quality of U.S. intelligence.

Professor Moos has called attention to weakness in our intelligence-gathering efforts due to lack of adequate knowledge of important historical, cultural and religious characteristics of some countries. Without that kind of understanding being factored into our foreign policy there can be serious and deadly consequences that are harmful to world peace and stability. We are seeing now very troubling results from the foolish decision to rush into an unnecessary war against Iraq.

Sen. John Warner of Virginia, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said recently no one could have foreseen the lengthy continuing deadly conflict in Iraq after President Bush declared an end to major combat more than a year ago. That is not correct. Ongoing conflict was highly predictable for anyone not in denial about the many years of mounting resentment in the Middle East toward the United States for its manipulative and coercive activities in that region.

We must do better at realizing in advance the impact of our actions on other countries. The invasion of Iraq has made the threat of retaliation from terrorist activity much greater, not less. Our military superpower status can do little to assure homeland security. Terror will strike anyway as we have already learned from September 11 and other earlier off-shore attacks. Be smart America. Don’t be misled again by this president.

Donald Moss,

Lawrence