In reading David Richard's letter (Dec. 4), "Frightened," I was not surprised to see he is in the U.S. Marines, for most of his views were mere echos of the Bush administration's excuses given for possible military action in the Persian Gulf. The way Richards so poignantly expressed his concerns was quite melodramatic, but many of his views are questionable.

First, he blatantly states that America's "people are protesting the possibility of war because people protested Vietnam." What is this supposed to mean? The Iraq/Kuwait crisis has nothing to do with Vietnam, and although many protest war in general, a lot of people are coming to their own conclusions on why the United States has no place in the Persian Gulf.

Secondly comes that rational cliche comparing Saddam Hussein to Adolf Hitler. The truth of the matter is that we are constantly reminded by our media that Hussein is a "madman" because of the inhumane treatment he is exhibiting towards the people of Kuwait. Why is this particular enemy so important to stop, when hundreds of people are dying in South Africa, Israel and Central America?

Ah, but then we get to the next point -- Oil. Oil, if I learned correctly in Economics 2, is a scarce resource. Perhaps trying to develop new means of energy would be a better way for the United States to be spending their money.

Lastly, I must touch upon Mr. Richard's last point -- nuclear weapons. In actuality, the threat of Iraqi nuclear weapons lies at least three or four years down the road.

I must also add that during the course of the Persian Gulf crisis, President Bush has been quite indecisive as to why America must become involved. First, it was to help the people of Kuwait. Next, he moved on to the "oil reasoning." Then, he moved on to declare it was to protect neighboring nations. When will the excuses stop?

Everyday more and more people are rejecting the idea of a military offensive in the Persian Gulf. And, if more people start becoming more informed and begin to question government policy, perhaps a war can be avoided.