Soldier's parents angry & concerned

To the Editor: In November, President Bush is sending our National Guard daughter to Iraq. She took an oath to serve her country and is going willingly and we are very proud of her for doing her duty. We love our country, we want what's best for it, and we support our troops. We are naturally very worried about our daughter, however, mixed with our concern is also a lot of anger. The war in Afghanistan is part of the war on terror, but we believe that the war in Iraq is not. (1) Iraq was never an immediate threat to us (2) They were not part of 9/11, and (3) They had no weapons of mass destruction. We are very upset that our daughter is being sent into an extremely dangerous situation unnecessarily. For this main reason, as well as many others, we are voting for Kerry - Edwards on Nov. 2. We believe that President Bush has made the world a more dangerous place. We believe that President Bush's actions have encouraged more hatred and violence towards Americans from the Arab world. We would like to encourage everyone who votes to remember the more than 1,000 lives that have been sacrificed in Iraq, not in service to this great country, but in service to a country that doesn't want us there and doesn't appreciate our sacrifices, both in lives and in money. As an aside, to those of you reading this and who believe the war in Iraq was worth it, we would like to ask if you would sacrifice one of your own children as more than l,OOO families already have. If your honest answer is no, then in good conscience, how could anyone vote for George Bush? Glenn and Mieke Bandstra Highland Lakes