Dear FRONTLINE,
Your report has proven irrevocably that the US, as well as the UN, is unwilling, and, worse yet, incapable of dealing with the threat that Iraq poses to global stability. Our "head-in-the-sand" policy towards the Iraqi weapons program will only expedite our own demise. We will all suffer for our lack of resolve in eliminating this back threat in 1990 when we had the benefit of superior firepower and, more importantly, unanimous support of the American people. Thank you, Scott Ritter, for exposing the UN and this current administration to be the political incompetents they really are. I, Sir, salute you!
James Green
minneapolis, mn
Dear FRONTLINE, It is clear front the documtary, Mr Ritter was doing his job. However Saddam is playing a game of,"How far Will You Go?" Saddam is willing to risk another war with the U.S. . But Clinton Administration is not,and it shows. Saddam has won. I am surprised Frontline failed to talk about the 200 tons of VX nerve chemical production agents UNSCOM found, (Iraqi had suggled itinto the country). And how Iraq is rebuilding its forces. Production of cruise missles like the FAW 200 and the Abaril, its own main battle tank, the lion of Babylon, I fear, it is only a matter of time before Saddam acts. I believe, when he does we will know by the loss of a great many American lives.
stephen hughes
saltlake city, utah
Dear FRONTLINE, Although there are many facets to this argument of who and what killed UNSCOM, I think the real question that should be confronted (for me at least) is who left Saddam Hussian in power? Clearly, in America's hindsight, perserving Kuwait shouldn't have been our only priority. It could have quite possibly saved countless lives and eight years of frustration.
Jamie Baker
rapid city, sd
Dear FRONTLINE, Your documentaries are usually excellent. Your documentaries on Iraq/Middle East sometimes leave a lot to be desired and this one is no exception. It is preposterous to suggest that Ritter trashed UNSCOM. Clinton torpedoed UNSCOM with his $100 million Ramadan cruise missiles signed "To Monica with love". Also, how could you have a full hour documentary on Iraq without so much as even a side mention of the devastation of innocent millions caused by the embargo. Some of us still can see the big picture, outside the box, the TV box. Please do not insult our intelligence or squander our usual good opinion and high regard for Frontline.
S.M. Hussain
woodland hills, ca
Dear FRONTLINE, Once again you have produced a program to be proud of. It appears that Mr. Ritter was given a great responsibility, and a promise of total support. His only mistake was believing that he was dealing with honorable men. It would be wonderful to be able to believe in integrity, goverment leaders who say what they mean, and honest politicians. However, to do so today marks you as an idealist and we know what happens to idealists. None the less, Here's to all the idealists still out there.
Laura Mullen
tempe, az
Dear FRONTLINE, Thank you Frontline for portraying the courage of Scott Ritter, and exposing the sometimes unoiled workings of our government. Shedding new light under the dark cover of mainstream news, it's programs like these that make me proud to be an American.
bernhard racher
gaston, oregon
Dear FRONTLINE, First off, I personally don't care about the condition of the people inside Iraq. I care about ME, MY family, and MY friends. I would whole heartily support bombing the entire country to ashes if that is what it will take to get those weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of madmen such as Saddam and his followers.
Michael Williams
redlands, california
Dear FRONTLINE, As an active duty member of the army, and a veteran of northern Iraq, I watched the program with a sense of recognition. People of Scott Ritter's caliber are not welcome in today's' government, or military for that matter. The system has been broken for a while, and continues to be so. It's little wonder that people of fine caliber an d integrity are fleeing military service, unable, like Mr. Ritter, to tolerate the knowledge that we are just going through the motions of national defense, and quickly backing away whenever the hard choice has to be made. The king has been naked for quite a while now. I just hope Saddam won't be the little boy to tell us all so with a weapon of mass destruction.
robert humelbaugh
lakewood, wa
Dear FRONTLINE, Saddam is just buying time as we sit and try to figure out what to do next. Its a shame, and i cant believe that even this administration, has no clue on what to do with Saddam. I've seen it all in this country, or world for that matter. Great show tonight. Keep up the good work.
Sam Alvarado
downey, ca
Dear FRONTLINE, It is absolutely ridiculous to believe that the United States has stopped it's surveillance of Iraq's weapon manufacturing activities. The time invested and the disastrous consequence of lackluster involvement will assure continuous scrutiny. To assume otherwise is to concede our fate. I admire Mr. Ritter's agressive pursuit of his appointed duties but can't help wonder if the power they came with enticed him to breach his limits to the brink of disaster. The CIA was there to challenge Mr. Ritter as he himself attested but I believe thier purpose was to provide checks and balances to our vital interests, not to contest his authority.
John Sonntag
festus, missouri
Dear FRONTLINE, Courage, tenacity, dedication to duty...to whom would you ascribe those attributes, Mr Ritter or our government as personified by Bill Clinton? Thank you for producing and airing a program the major networks wouldn't touch.
Gayland Carlisle
wichita falls, texas
Dear FRONTLINE, Iraq killed UNSCOM. They are the ones who stopped the inspections. Our policy on Iraq should be to get Saddam out of there. We should send in Delta Force and kill or capture him. There are many ways to get him out and we should use them.
Andrew Quamme
waterloo, wi
Dear FRONTLINE, If what I aw on PBS tonight is true, the end result of this unfortunate scenario of eroded international resolve in the face of Iraqi deception and ruthlessness might be pre-emptive attack on a massive scale hitherto unseen, by a nation other than the United States, on Iraq's facilities of mass destruction, without prior American knowledge, and more importantly, without any American control. As more than a few nations in the Middle East could consider the Iraqi threat to be an intolerable one, I hope we are not willing to risk by default the unpredictable consequences of such a drastic possibility. On this issue, the ball should be in our court, and we should not lose control of the situation through weakness or inaction.
Michael Lipson
east meadow, new york
Dear FRONTLINE, Reguardless of who or what struck the final blow to UNSCOM, Saddam Hussein has once again managed to attain the time he needs to covertly rebuild his arsenal of destruction that he fully intends to use at his descretion on whomever he pleases. When the day arrives , and surely it will, he will resemble a mad dog in a meat house, striking at targets of opportunity as he sees fit. Be assured he has a launch date and target planned even now.
Forrest McCrary
bossier city, la
Dear FRONTLINE, I found this frontline program hopelessly biased. Whatever the facts surrounding the issues at hand, every one of the interviewees had, more or less, the same take on a situation where multiple perspectives exist. For example, the woman from the LA Times said of the town meeting in Ohio that Saddam's propaganda had reached into the US. I take offense, not only at her assumption that my opposition to the starving of millions of Iraqi innocents is a result of Iraqi propoganda, but also that PBS would let that statement stand without at least an alternative viewpoint. I will allow that the US, independent of Ritter, may have behaved in an unacceptable way. But that in no way is the only alternate to Ritter & Company's point of view. Regardless, I would have at least felt as though I was getting less of an editorial had the program presented a US government view. I've given up hope that anyone will allow a view defending the dying population of Iraq (distinct from Hussein) to be presented as valid.
Josh Hilgart
washington, dc
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