On occasion, I like to respond to Letters to the Editor printed in newspapers since it is often the papers' policy not to print rebuttals to readers' opinions. Take this from the NY Times:

To the Editor:

We pre-emptively invaded Iraq because, presumably, it had weapons of mass destruction that were poised to attack other countries. Why, then, is Saddam Hussein not being tried on those charges in an international court?

It is likely that he will be found guilty of those acts for which he is now accused.

But these were not the stated reasons for our invasion, capture and arrest of him. What happened to our original case against him for which our men and women are giving their lives and limbs?

THOMAS M. STEPHENS
Columbus, Ohio, July 2, 2004

Saddam is not being tried on the weapons of mass destruction becuase the Iraqis don't give a damn. What's more important to them is some form of justice and accounting for the millions sent off to war to die or summarily executed during his reign in the name of Saddam's ego. To me this just proves that the trial is being run by the Iraqis, not the Americans.