The John Birch Society maintains the United States should quit NATO. I agree.

As they have so often done, the establishment's internationalists are offering the American people only two alternatives regarding the alliance.

One group says that Poland, Hungary and other nations be given membership in the organization now. The other faction claims that speedily expanding the alliance beyond its present membership would offend Boris Yeltsin's Russia, something the United States should not do.

But I ask, why must America remain a part of this Cold War leftover? If Poland wants a NATO seat, let her have ours. Why isn't this alternative considered?

NATO is a regional alliance formed under the United Nations Charter. It exists at the pleasure of the United Nations and must report all of its activities to the world body. It is a building block for U.N. power.

Made up of the nations of Western Europe the alliance was formed when the former Soviet Union's sabre rattling was at its loudest. Since there is no more Soviet Union, and little or no fear of communist missles or communist power, why should NATO be kept in existence? Even more, why should it be expanded?

The reason Poland, Hungary and other nations want NATO membership is to have the United States absorb their defense responsibilities and costs. The treaty states that an attack on any member nation will be considered an attack on all. This means young Americans from Ohio, Michigan, Oklahoma, etc., will continue to be NATO's cops for virtually the whole of Europe.

America can't afford the huge expense of stationing troops on foreign soil. This is a form of foreign aid, something a nation as heavily in debt as ours should hardly be donating. It's time to bring the troops home and withdraw from the alliance.

Beyond the cost in dollars, the cost could include our national sovereignty, our freedom. The internationalists who champion U.S. membership in alliances such as NATO are determined to build a new world order -- which includes world government. Economic, political and military alliances are stepping stones toward their goal. Americans should not allow these devious schemes to continue to unfold.