Marine colonel says their letter causes 'more harm' than good By John H. Adams The Layman Online Monday, December 12, 2005 U.S. Marine Col. Carl R. Lammers says a recent letter by Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick and General Assembly Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase about U.S. military involvement in Iraq may have been "well-intentioned," but that "it does more harm than good to our church, her Middle East partners, and freedom for Iraq." "You give hope to the enemies of freedom and discount facts," Lammers said in a letter to the two Presbyterian leaders. "Please consider the truth about Islamic fascism before you write another letter underestimating this rampant movement and overstating the responsibility of the United States' government for this war." Lammers, a Presbyterian minister and a continuing member of the Presbytery of Baltimore, was responding to a Dec. 7 letter by Ufford-Chase and Kirkpatrick in which they claimed that they were concerned about the "safety of all people, both Iraqi and United States, whose lives have been endangered because of the United States' war against Iraq." Lammers, a public affairs officer who was previously stationed at the Pentagon, sent The Layman Online a copy of his letter to the two leaders of the Presbyterian Church (USA). He also enclosed notes passed to him through official email on comments by Gen. John P. Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, whose responsibilities include Iraq and Afghanistan. After having been stationed in Iraq for nine months, Lammers said he could assure Kirkpatrick and Ufford-Chase that "no one, to whom I have spoken, would agree with your supposition that lives 'have been endangered because of the United States' war against Iraq. That includes not only Iraqis but a wide variety of folks like international contractors and military officers, US military personnel, and State Department folks. They would disagree with you because it just isn't so. The United States is not at war with Iraq." A few days after the Kirkpatrick/Ufford-Chase letter, ABCNews released the results of a poll that showed seven out of 10 Iraqis believe their lives are going well and that they are optimistic that there will be further improvements this year. Lammers said the United States "is at war with Islamic fascists who want to kill you and destroy our way of life. Make no mistake. They want to kill you. Period. They want to kill you because you are an American and you do not subscribe to their religion. The public record on that is quite clear. These Islamic fascists are a ruthless cunning breed. You reach out to them with the olive branch and you are likely to die. There is no inviting them to the campfire to sing Kum Ba Ya." Lammers said there was plenty of reason to justify the U.S. action in Iraq. "Millions of Iraqis and especially the Kurds up in the north could cite compelling justification for invasion to destroy one of the most brutal regimes in modern times," he said. "The Kurdish women who know rape, murder, mayhem, and gassing whole villages could cite you plenty of justification. These people are among the millions who have turned out to vote in the interim government election, the referendum, and will vote again this week in spite of adversity and threats from Islamic fascists and former regime elements." Lammers said he was grieved that Kirkpatrick and Ufford-Chase "would sign a letter that erroneously puts all the blame for this difficult contest on the United States and ignores the case of freedom loving Iraqis. Yet, you ask little of the captors and demand nothing of the Islamic fascists, despotic regimes in the region or of Saddam Hussein's henchmen still at large. I exhort you to consider another part of the problem. Islam leads people away from Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life and binds the human spirit and creativity." He concluded his letter by saying that he was praying "that more Presbyterians, especially very senior leaders such as you, come to a better understanding of the harsh nature of Islamic fascism and the growing threat to our way of life. Right now, there is little promise that this out of control satanic movement will subside anytime soon."

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