LETTERS: LEADER HAS MORAL OBLIGATIONS TOO

To the editor:

Defense Secretary William Cohen recently made a speech to the Illinois House of Representatives in which he stated that the American people have a moral obligation to make life better for men and women in uniform. He also said the military has shrunk by about one-third in the last decade and is having a hard time attracting and keeping recruits.

Whenever one of the elites makes a speech like this, he is either trying to shift blame from our esteemed leaders onto the people or is leading up to something that is not in our best interest. Could it be they are contemplating reinstating the draft? Is another war being planned? All signs point that way.

Why is it that only the people have a moral obligation, when the commander-in-chief has no obligations at all, neither moral nor legal, to the military or his country? It seems as though he believes he is more obligated to China and Russia and to America.

What young man in his right mind would want to voluntarily serve under an irresponsible draft dodger who enjoys immunity from laws that everyone else is subject to.

Anyone with good sense could tell Mr. Cohen in a few sentences how our military could be improved, but he doesnt really want to know. He could do very little about it anyway. The American people can do very little about it now. Their chance to help the military passed them by in the elections of 1996 and 1998.

If anyone is really interested in how our military now works, they can acquaint themselves with the case of Michael New, who was court-martialed for honoring his oath of allegiance to America.

RAY UMBDENSTOCK

Cape Girardeau