Dear Editor,

I think it is too early to say that Israel is facing a "quagmire" in Lebanon. We can only wait to see how things develop. Quite frankly, an Israeli quagmire in Lebanon would not be so bad. One of the reasons that Israel is so fast to resort to force is because it has overwhelming amounts of force that it can use - with relative impunity - against its far weaker neighbors. If attacking Lebanon has a real price, Israel may consider diplomacy and political action to be more viable options in the future.

One thing: the young Israeli solider quoted in the article indicates that Hezbollah's fighers are "cowards" who know that they would lose in any face-to-face confrontation with Israel. So, they attack in stealth. How is this tactic, in any way, "cowardly"? It sounds pretty smart and fair to me. If you are a badly outgunned army, fighting a war on the terms of your far-more-powerful enemy is suicidal and foolish. Hezbollah is playing by its own rules - that is not cowardly, it's commonsense.

Sincerely,

Shaun Narine

Dear Editor:

Francis Collins' arguments for the existence of God are powerful and ones that every person who wrestles with this subject must face. I went through a similar process as Dr. Collins, becoming an atheist in my youth until time, thought and experience convinced me that there is a God and that the universe is much deeper than we, as humans, can understand. By definition, God is outside of the scientific method and scientific tools. These beliefs have only been reinforced by talking to friends who are in the sciences. Physicists tell me that any study of physics at its higher levels very quickly runs into areas where humans simply have no idea of how to explain what is going on. The same is true in biology. These are not arguments against trying to know - science will, doubtless, answer many more questions over time. But it is appropriate to recognize that, as humans, we know far less that we don't know, and we certainly are in no position to make pronouncements about the existence of God.

My one question to Dr. Collins would be this: why Christianity? The evidence that he puts forward may support the existence of God, but certainly not the Christian god. There are many religions on earth, and many of those have no problem at all with evolution or most other facets of science. Indeed, I think that even the Catholics have no problem with evolution, that's just a preoccupation of the Evangelical Christians. So, again, there may be a God, but there certainly seems no way to prove that that God is the one described in the Bible.

My argument would be that God transcends all religions. Religions may all be honest and, perhaps, legitimate efforts to understand and approach God, but no one faith can have a lock on the truth. Christianity may be the appropriate faith given Dr. Collin's cultural background and personal needs/disposition, but I think that the distinction must be made between arguments about God and arguments about the validity of specific religions.

Sincerely,

Shaun Narine

I am firmly pro-choice. However, that does not mean that I do not recognize the complex and disturbing moral issues that revolve around abortion. Treating this operation as just another medical procedure is, I feel, deeply disturbing. Abortion should be a private matter. People on all sides of the issue should have respect for the fact that, inevitably, a life is lost in an abortion. That is a reality that should be treated with a certain amount of gravity. This is not the same as saying that women who have had abortions should be stigmatized. But the decision to have an abortion should be difficult and carefully considered. It should not be treated simplistically.

Sincerely,

Shaun Narine

Dear Editor,

Interesting article. Being Canadian, I've never heard of this George Allen or his family. Being a Canadian of Indian background, however, I can sympathize with how the young man who was singled out for Allen's bullying must have felt. The last sentence, though, needs some further consideration - many of us have been waiting six years for the American public to figure out who George Bush is.

Sincerely,

Shaun Narine