In Josh Pontrelli's column ("London bombings should serve as a mirror to Iraq," July 8) regarding the London train blasts, he implores readers to imagine living in Baghdad, where the city is overcome by gun-toting foreigners and where venues are destroyed, among other conditions. Following this, he asks if readers would want to bomb those who caused the aforementioned, deplorable conditions. Under no circumstances would I warrant the taking of lives to further my causes.

What Mr. Pontrelli fails to realize is that the individuals who are causing this destruction are insurgents within Iraq who object to the U.S. presence there, not the U.S. military. He also fails to realize that under Saddam Hussein, a different kind of brutality was in effect, and far be it from either of us to determine the pros and cons of either scenario. Having his mindset is just as ethnocentric.

Instead of brushing off yet another destruction of innocent lives, he seeks to trivialize the situation with a shoulder shrug. Last Thursday's bombing illustrates the need to dismantle terrorism, not brush it off. President Bush has been very effective in this regard. The fact remains that the United States has not been attacked since Sept. 11, and this is a reflection of his leadership. (That is not to say that I agree with everything he does. In fact, I disagree with most social and domestic issues he stands for.)

Even though there were no soldiers in Iraq, imagine, Mr. Pontrelli, what it was like to be on the 110th floor of the North Tower, where your choices involved being burned to death or leaping out of a window. Imagine what it was like being on a hijacked airplane. Imagine what it was like on a train taking you to work that had just been blown up, either in Madrid or London.

Before worrying about world safety, we need to worry about the safety of our homeland. I cannot speak for others, but I do know what it feels like to have my safety taken away and to hear of my friends being killed on a daily basis.