To the editor:

On behalf of the Knights of Columbus Council No. 11352 of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Tonganoxie, I would like to thank the community for participating in our Lenten fish fries. We sincerely appreciate your support and patronage at these dinners. It was a very successful year, as we have surpassed the previous years’ attendance. This success would not have been possible without the community’s participation.

The Lenten fish fries are our main fund-raiser each year, and the proceeds help us continue the charitable work of our order. Therefore, the community’s generosity enables us to be generous to others.

Again, members of our council and I would like to thank all who came and we hope for continued support next year.

Russell Kimberlin,

Grand Knight, Council 11352, Tonganoxie.

Additional defense spending

To the editor:

Before George W. Bush’s father became president, one invulnerable submarine could destroy any country on Earth.

The Cold War ended over 10 years ago. The former Soviet Union split into 15 countries. There are about 300 million people in the U.S. For each of the past 10 years, the U.S. has been spending about $300 billion for defense. In other words, the U.S. has been spending about $1,000 per person per year for the last 10 years.

It would take about 17,000 New York City-sized terrorist attacks to equal the deaths of World War II. About 3,000 people died in New York on Sept. 11, 2001; World War II killed about 50,000,000. One U.S. submarine now has more firepower than all of World War II.

According to page 207 of the 2003 World Almanac, the U.S. defense budget is now five times larger than the Russian budget. All western European nations are allies of the United States.

Still, George W. Bush wants large increases in non-terrorist related defense spending.

Terry McKay,

Kansas City, Kan.

Thanks to troops, president

To the editor:

As I sat and watched the statue of Saddam Hussein fall in the square, I was deeply moved. Moved by the looks of joy in the faces of the Iraqi people. Moved by the chants of “No more Saddam” and “Bush No. 1.” Moved by the thankfulness I feel in being an American and having the God-given rights of liberty and freedom.

I also felt deeply humbled. Humbled by the sacrifices (in some cases the ultimate sacrifice) our American and coalition forces have made, not only in this conflict, but in others before to preserve those rights for me.

I sometimes think those of us who have been born into these privileges forget those who made it possible. While looking into the faces of Iraqi parents on television, and seeing the oppression of 24 years of brutal dictatorship being replaced with hope and maybe a little dignity, there is one thing I am certain of. The Iraqi people will not forget those who made it possible.

I say “thank you” to our troops and coalition partners. Most of all, I say “God bless you” to President Bush and his team. It’s truly refreshing and inspiring to have a leader who is guided by his core beliefs, not by an opinion poll. Thank you for having the guts and moral foundation to do what you know is right. And for not wavering from those beliefs, despite the actions of some other nations that are more interested in money and oil than in providing freedom and democracy for a people crushed underneath the boot of a ruthless murderer.

God bless America!

Robin Jones,

Tonganoxie.