To the editor:

An article (Tuesday, Oct. 18) that originated in the Wall Street Journal, reads, in part, “In 2003, the George W. Bush administration considered dismantling Iraq’s financial system in a cyber attack before the U.S. invasion. The plan was blocked over concerns about collateral damage that might affect systems beyond the target, a former official said. At the time, there also was an unwritten international taboo on targeting a banking system, which was seen as dangerous to global financial systems.”

The same reason for favoring bombs over cyber warfare to suppress Libya’s air defenses makes one wonder about the Department of Defense’s intended use of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s dozens of electronic warfare aircraft, any one of which “could put out every light in Seattle,” according to Navy spokesmen.

The rage being vented on city streets from New York to Seattle makes one wonder about our government’s priorities regarding big banks versus ordinary citizens, too.

JIM BRUNER

Oak Harbor