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From today's Letters to the Editor section of The Washington Times:

The ignorance of Mrs. Murray
I have lived and worked in more than 50 countries with various foreign affairs agencies over the course of my career. So I was especially appalled by the comments of Sen. Patty Murray, Washington Democrat, regarding Osama bin Laden ("Murray hit for bin Laden remark," Nation, Saturday). Her statements were a slap in the face to countless Peace Corps volunteers,U.S.embassy employees and specialists within the U.S. Agency for International Development who have dedicated their lives to a cause President Kennedycalled "the long twilight struggle for freedom."
For her to say bin Laden has "been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day care facilities, building health care facilities. ... We haven't done that," is pure tripe.Bin Laden has done nothing compared to what the United States has in providing famine relief, eradicating disease and pestilence, building schools and providing clean drinking water to millions of people around the world. In so doing, industries within cities such Seattle and Vancouver, which are in Mrs. Murray's home state, have benefited directly from the resulting foreign-aid project contracts. As a result, many of her constituents have earned a good living whilemy colleagues and I labored unseen and unacknowledged far from home.
In her rush to blame America first, Mrs. Murray has forgotten the high price Americans have paid during this long twilight struggle.As I write this, I am fighting back tears recallingthe friends and colleagues I've lost over the years to senseless actsof terrorism while they tried helping others. How could she be so ungrateful and insensitive? How could she be so ignorant? I would urge her and the high school studentssheaddressed to visit the State Department building in Washington. Within the diplomatic entrance, they will find a granite wall inscribed with the names of those who died in the service of their country and of humanity itself. May Mrs. Murray never disregard their sacrifice again.

HARRY G. JACOBSON
Fredericksburg, Va.

Kind of knocks the stuffing out of your "reasoning," now doesn't it.

it might be easier to ignore the state of affairs in the world today, but it doesn't change them.

America does alot of good in the world, I am not saying otherwise, however if anyone thinks that these masses of people support bin laden 'cause they think he has a cool beard they have another thing comming

Does Bin Ladens work have a more direct impact on the lives of it's recipiants than those of the US, yeah they probably do.

Those helped by the US, probably think very highly of the US, those helped by Bin Laden will believe whatever Bin Laden tells them to.

It's a battle for the hearts and minds of these people, we have to make them like us more than Bin Laden, and when Bin Laden is building them hospitals and 'schools' (and I use that term very liberally) it will be awfully difficult to convince them Bin Laden is anything other than a great guy.

They can't imagine this great guy who builds schools, and hospitals and whatever else would want to hurt anyone