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Readers Write: America spent while its military fought; Obama shouldn't take sides in Syria's religious war

Letters to the Editor for the March 31, 2014 weekly magazine: 

Budget deficits now threaten benefits for veterans. Nobody likes to pay higher taxes, but America has a responsibility to those it sends to war. 

Syria's civil war is fundamentally a conflict between Sunni Muslims and Alawites, Christians, and Druze. By supporting the rebels, Mr. Obama has taken sides in a religious war.

| Dallas; and Pacifica, Calif.

America spent while its military fought

Thanks for the Feb. 17 commentary by Kayla Williams, "Will America forget its veterans?" While I'm sure America will never forget its veterans, the concern is that it won't take care of them.

While the military went to war, the country went into debt, with tax cuts and budget deficits. Consumers borrowed far more than they should have. America spent while our soldiers fought.

The chickens came home to roost in 2008. Veterans who had served so faithfully found financially strapped governments were cutting the jobs that should have welcomed them when they returned. Budget deficits now threaten benefits for veterans.

Nobody likes to pay higher taxes, but America has a responsibility to those it sends to war. Unfortunately, America seems unwilling to shoulder its responsibility.

John Stettler

Dallas

Syria's civil war is religious conflict

The Feb. 24 Monitor's View "US role in Islam's divide" states: "American presidents usually don't meddle in religious feuds" and goes on to say that President Obama is "stepping into a historic feud between Shiites and Sunnis" by trying to adjust ties to both Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Too many news sources ignore the fact that the civil war in Syria is also very much a religious conflict because, despite its growing Shiite participation, it is fundamentally a conflict between Sunni Muslims on one side and Alawites, Christians, and Druze on the other.

The conflict is cast as a rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad whereas the truth is much more complex than that. Mr. Assad's side holds on because its people are not so much fighting for Assad as for their own lives. By supporting the rebels, Mr. Obama has taken sides in a religious war. And the side he has chosen is the one that seeks to destroy the religious minorities of Syria.

Dave Mattes

Pacifica, Calif.

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Dear Reader,

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