‘War Crimes and the Death of Due Process’ (Op-Ed, June 25)
My mother used to say to me “All’s fair in love and war.”

As I studied history in school, it appeared that humanity has tried to set rules and limits to armed conflict, including the Geneva Convention, the international laws of armed conflict and international humanitarian law. All these rules were decided upon by human beings and agreed to by the leaders of nations of the world.

So, where are we now? Nowhere. The leaders of countries appear to pay absolutely no attention to the above agreements.

In his June 25 op-ed, David J. Butler thinks that those who don’t play by the rules in armed conflicts should be prosecuted for war crimes, however it appears that the old adage is correct. Humanity has not yet evolved to understand that murder with spears is akin to murder with guns is akin to murder with bombs is akin to murder with chemicals or, as my mother said, all’s fair.

I fear that humans will self-destruct before we realize the truth: that we all live on this rock and we need to take care of it and each other to survive.

Cindy Soffrin, Tucson, Arizona