Although this country is now struggling against terrorism, most Americans today have forgotten the meaning and tradition of Memorial Day. We think of it only as another "three-day weekend," a time for parades and picnics.

But to help remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed by Congress in December 2000. It asks us one and all to stop, at 3 p.m. local time, to voluntarily and informally in our own way, have a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever we are doing, whether for a moment of silence or listening to taps.

This resolution was passed to remind Americans of the real purpose of Memorial Day and thank veterans and members of the armed forces for their service.

Sadly, many heroes from all branches of the armed forces have sacrificed their lives in all of our wars - from the more than 4,435 American deaths in the Revolutionary War, through more than half a million lost in the world wars - to keep our country free.

The following poem, composed by Moina Michael during World War I, is still appropriate today:

We cherish too the poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies

Let us all share a moment of remembrance for our heroes on Memorial Day.

Ronald V. Armor, Deer Park

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Bush could use better grasp of history

In regard to the guest column by Charleston C.K.Wang "Iraq in danger of igniting into religious war" (May 23): He is quite correct in his assessment of the Iraq situation. But what can one expect of a president who brags of his C's in school, just reinforcing his ignorance of history et al.?

Had President Bush any knowledge of religious conflicts in world history, even British history relative to the early 1900s in the land now known as Iraq, we would never have tried to invade that area.

Gwen Ferguson, Amberley Village

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One handgun a month is quite enough

I see no downside for Ohio to adopt a law that permits one handgun purchase a month. It seems to me that a dozen guns per year is more than enough for any citizen. For those people who enjoy giving guns as gifts for the holidays, they'll just have to plan ahead.

Nancy Gack, Anderson Township

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Enforce the gun laws we already have

We should not pass a limit on law-abiding gun owners and collectors. Instead of bogging down the system with another feel-good law, let the police do what they are supposed to do and enforce existing laws. Whenever a crime is committed with a handgun, the police should (Cincinnati police do) trace the gun and interview the original purchaser. It makes no sense in passing laws to restrict Ohioans because New York and New Jersey police take years to track down gun runners when they could do it in a couple of months.

Incidentally, assault rifles are military weapons that fire in a fully automatic mode and that have been banned or tightly controlled since the '30s. The AK-47 the Enquirer editorial referred to probably is a commercially made AK-47 look-alike that will fire semi-automatically, similar to many modern deer rifles.

Paul Feldman, Blue Ash

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Patriot Act troubles many others, too

Regarding the article "Governors blast Kerry on Patriot Act flip-flop" (May 27): For the record, many members of Congress are having second thoughts on the Patriot Act and are trying to correct areas of potential abuse. I am not a fan of John Kerry or President Bush, but the scope of the article should have included the above information.

Richard L. Banks, East Price Hill