Iran ceasefire deal, benefits of solar energy

War tests credibility of administration

Regarding the Iran ceasefire agreement, I was reminded of a lesson from another period when Americans questioned whether official optimism matched reality [“Iran deal doesn’t look like a winner,” editorial, June 16].

In 1968, the Johnson administration continued to assure the public that progress was being made in Vietnam. Then came the Tet Offensive. Although the United States ultimately repelled the attacks, many Americans struggled to reconcile what they were seeing on television with what they had been told for years.

Walter Cronkite concluded that Americans had been “too often disappointed by the optimism of the American leaders.” Whether one agreed with that or not, the damage was done. Trust had eroded.

The lesson of 1968 was not simply about Vietnam. It was about credibility. Thomas Jefferson wrote that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” That consent depends on public confidence that leaders are presenting events honestly and accurately.

The current debate over Iran is about whether Americans will view the ceasefire as a genuine step toward stability or another example of leaders declaring success before the facts are fully known.

History suggests that governments can survive disagreement. What they struggle to survive is a loss of trust.

— Jared Goerke, Plainview

These negotiations with Iran are a farce. Since when do you negotiate with an enemy you have declared you have defeated?

We did not defeat Iran; they are still fighting us even after we have pummeled them. They did not surrender and they have managed to bring us to the negotiating table. And the same barbaric regime remains. So Mr. President, please don’t say we have defeated Iran.

We should’ve known better, using Vietnam as an example, that you do not win a war from the air alone.

All you can do now is pray that you get a better deal than the one that was torn up.

— Phil Serpico, Kew Gardens

The terms of the Iran war ceasefire deal will determine the measurable outcome “Pact to end war advances,” News, June 16].

The ongoing comparison to the Obama deal has little relevance since Russia, China, the United Kingdom and other nations were a part of that multinational coalition.

What was accomplished? Security? Regime change? Relationship building between the United States, Iran and its neighbors?

The administration will claim victory, in part, based on the receding gas prices and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Yet neither is an accomplishment of this war but a consequence of it.

— Michael J. Genzale, Shoreham

Solar energy is clean and it works

I was saddened to read that one of LI’s leading solar companies is facing financial difficulties [“Top LI solar firm facing acquisition,” News, June 9]. This is due to our current administration’s shortsightedness and addiction to fossil fuels.

Solar works! It’s clean and there’s no foreseeable end to the source. Our church installed a solar array on our parish hall roof last year and since then, our electric bills have been reduced significantly. Granted, there are cloudy days and snow does impact the efficiency, but we have plenty of sunny days on Long Island. It’s a real shame that the rest of the world gets it but we don’t.

— John Mitchell, Hampton Bays