George,

Thanks for encouraging discussion of some of the key issues facing voters in the 5th Congressional District.

I am more than disturbed at the beating of the war drums in Washington and would love to hear what Mr. Goode and Ms. Richards would do to ensure that every possible step is taken before we put American and Iraqi lives at risk in a deadly war with Saddam Hussein.

More to the point -- does Mr. Goode support Secretary of State Powell's advocacy of arms inspections before unilateral attack or will Mr. Goode blindly support George Bush and Dick Cheney in their "bomb first, ask questions later" approach to international relations?

Dave Norris (electronic mail, September 5, 2002)

Editor's Note: According to the press, Meredith Richards would like to take war with Iraq one step at a time, while Virgil Goode wants to do whatever it takes to rid the world of terrorists (Peter Savodnik, The Daily Progress, August 15, 2002).