I AGREE entirely with the Bolton Evening News, that the Iraq war should be discussed calmly and sensibly.

May I therefore be allowed to address three issues: alleged anti-Americanism, anti-war schoolchildren, and support for British and American Soldiers.

The hysterical accusations of anti-Americanism made some time ago by Tony Blair himself "... it is easy to be anti-American", and by a Bolton Evening News reader, a Mr Inch of the USA, who has spoken in these columns about "... anti-American bile", have been anything but calm and sensible. Mr Inch was unable to read my letter to the Bolton Evening News on November 12, because it, and probably others like it, remain unpublished. Consequently he and others continue to be persuaded that "anti-war" means "anti-American". In that letter, I expressed my admiration for the American people, and for some of the foundations upon which their nation was built, and which, sadly, their government appear to be rejecting.

Having been born in Britain, where our employers are referred to as "superiors" not "seniors", where titles such as Lord, Sir Knight and Baroness still carry the force of law, it is actually with a touch of envy that I view the American people, who, I understand, hold that they are each equal in the sight of God -- and presumably in the sight of each other?

A police officer on TV expressed extreme disappointment that schoolchildren were put at risk by being allowed out of school to protest against the deaths of children like themselves in Iraq -- a case of double standards if ever there was. During school hours, every day, in every town and city throughout Britain, children of all ages are to be seen completely unsupervised, swanning around DIY shops, stores and off-licences, where they are also at risk from various low-lifes and where they have unfettered access to the two most dangerous drugs at present on sale in Britain, which are nicotine and alcohol.

Given the present domestic and international state of affairs, it is clear that the nefarious influences of rampant greed and consumerism, advertising executives, politicians, and of what the Ministry of Defence tell our children during careers advice sessions, present more of a risk to the future physical and mental health of our children, than will a good humoured day on the streets, protesting in full view of the nation, against the deaths of their innocent brothers and sisters.

To finish, I cannot, and never will, accept that what our Government is doing in Iraq is morally justified. However, any person of good faith must surely regret the tragic deaths not only of civilians, but also of soldiers, sailors and airmen. And I, for one, share the grief and pain of their loved ones.

William Kelly

Darley Street

Farnworth

Bolton