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We don't pretend to be experts on the appalling situation in Darfur, and are certain that there are no simple solutions. It may be optimistic to expect our morally bankrupt administration to make any positive contribution to the crisis.

However, it seems to us that President Bush should be urged to use whatever influence he may have remaining in the world to put pressure on Sudan's government to accept a U.N. force. It probably would help if we had an effective ambassador at the United Nations who could mobilize the international community to take action.

The bill sponsored by Sen. Harry Reid and the resolution introduced by Sen. Joe Biden should be supported enthusiastically by our congressional representatives.

In response to the Sept. 13 article "U.S. judge's ruling could end forest user fees."

Think about the consequences of ending fees for the use of Nation Forest land. This will give George W. Bush and his cronies a surreptitious excuse for extending the clear-cut timbering and strip mining of our forestlands. If the public does not want to pay fees to improve the national parks, then collect fees from the timber and mining industries to aid the Park Service.

Quit whining people, the choice is yours.

In response to the Sept. 13 article "U.S. judge's ruling could end forest user fees."

The Forest Service is being unduly melodramatic about the negative financial impact of the judge's ruling that its current Mount Lemmon fee system is illegal. All it would take to make the Mount Lemmon fee legal is to stop trying to charge people who never set foot in a developed area. Just label the parking lots of developed facilities with color-coded "Catalina Pass required to use this facility" signs, and then change the main sign at the bottom of the hill to say "Fee required to use designated facilities." Maybe a couple dozen new signs and all the problems go away.

Since most of the people going up Mount Lemmon are going to the developed facilities, I doubt making the program legal would have any significant impact on revenue. Also, a legal fee system would cut back on enforcement costs, since they would only have to check for passes at the designated developed facilities.

In response to the Sept. 13 column "Osama bin Laden has U.S. jumping through hoops."

In his opinion piece, John Tierney has it exactly right. In speaking of al-Qaida's PR effort to portray itself as a "serious military threat to America . . . on television" when it was being devested in Afghanistan, Tierney says: "Bin Laden and his cohorts didn't let the facts get in the way of their campaign to promote fear."

Not letting facts get in the way sounds suspiciously like the Bush administration in action. They found no WMDs, no link between 9/11 and Iraq, no connection between al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein. All totally dishonored primary reasons advanced for the war of choice but used to promote fear.

More than ever, we need to remain highly skeptical of whatever this administration says.