Ernest Howell’s opinion on UN involvement in Iraq and in the world, on the way the UN works and on the ability of George W. Bush to lead this country is as flawed as the population data he quotes. As of June 3, 2004 the population of the US was in excess of 293 million not 250 million as Mr. Howelll states.

Mr. Howell states, "the UN is not a one person-one vote democratic organization" which, indeed, it is not. The US is a permanent member of the 15-member Security Council, as are four other countries. Each Council member has one vote. Decisions on procedural matters require an affirmative vote of at least nine of the 15 members. Decisions on substantive matters require nine votes, including the concurring vote’s of all five permanent members (known as the "great Power unanimity," often referred to as the veto power). Mr. Howell also needs to remember that in the US Senate each state has two senators. Thus California (population 35,484,453) has as much power as Wyoming (population 501,242). Mr. Howell should also consider that if this country were really governed by "one person-one vote" then Al Gore would be president since he received 50,996,116 votes to George Bush’s 50,456,169 votes.

If, as Mr. Howell states, "George W. Bush is looking out for us like Harry S. Truman did" then Bush would have involved the UN at the start of the Iraq War as Truman involved the UN at the start of the Korean War.

Clearly Mr. Howell refuses to face reality and insists on living in some fantasy world as illustrated by statements like "thank God we have the troops to do it (wage war)." As I write this I am listening to a news story reporting that the military will not allow some soldiers to leave the service even at the end of their enlistment. If "we have the troops to do it" why are we keeping these people in the military?

Mr. Howell also states "we have found weapons of mass destruction.’ This is extraordinary news and surely Mr. Howell should contact the CIA, the NSA, the newspapers or perhaps Condoleezza Rice herself to inform them of this news. I suggest this because I am sure that if they felt that WMDs were found there would be a lot more publicity than I have seen.

I agree with Mr. Howell on one point, I am also glad that Saddam Hussein is in jail.

Michael Wiplich,

Babylon