Our great country is filled with fear to the extent that we feel compelled to spend more on death and destruction than the next 15 countries combined. A majority of the world views us with disgust. We are the prime target for terrorists. It seems that things need to change. So, here a few suggestions.

Let's create a Secretary of Peace as recommended by Martin Gregory (Forum Jan. 3) and swap the budgets of the Department of Defense with the Peace Corps. Let's bring our troops home, convert them into an army of developers and constructors, and send them back into the world to help others. Then the next time a tragedy like the tsunami occurs, we'll have the resources to provide immediate support. We could call it Awe Inspiring Help instead of Shock and Awe. Who knows, we might already have installed a tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean.

Let's announce to the rest of the world that we forsake violence and that we now solve problems with fair, balanced diplomacy. Let's really live by the Judeo-Christian values of which our citizens are so proud. You remember - the Prince of Peace, "Love thine enemy," "Thou shall not kill," the Golden Rule.

Kent Butterfield

Salt Lake City