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Speak Out
Carl Heintz column is ridiculously wrong
I do not understand the purpose of the opinion piece written by Carl Heintz in your Dec. 12 edition. It appears he is trying to establish some sort of moral equivalence between Johnny "Mike" Spann and John Walker. His lamentation about two men not knowing one another's hearts and minds strikes me as ridiculous. They each had perfectly clear pictures of each other.
Spann knew that Walker served with the Taliban, the thugs harboring Osama Bin Laden and the Al Quaeda organization responsible for the murder of more than 3,000 people on Sept. 11. Spann also probably knew what a gutless coward Walker is and that Walker was behaving the way most criminals and murderers behave when being interrogated. Spann was simply trying to get information that he hoped would prevent future atrocities such as those committed on Sept. 11. He also recognized that some of Walker's associates will likely try to commit further terrorist acts against the United States.
Conversely, Walker recognized clearly that Spann was doing his job, as are all the other brave members of the coalition fighting terrorism in Afghanistan. He knew that Spann's job was to try and get information from a prisoner of war in accordance with the Geneva Convention. He probably thought, "Hey, I'm an American, I don't have to say anything. I've got my rights."
Spann worked in a terrifying job, ultimately giving his life to protect all Americans. To say that he was motivated by hate in his interrogation of the traitor John Walker is an insult to the memory of Spann. In his eulogy of Spann, CIA Director George Tenet put it clearly when he said Spann knew that "information saved lives and that collecting is a risk worth taking."
Johnny "Mike" Spann left behind a wife and two daughters because he had the courage to defend our country. Walker served in the group that killed Spann. I understand.
Mike Ahern
Lansford Avenue
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
