I’m afraid that the Tennessean, after a period of improvement, is slacking again. There are several recent examples, but here’s just one.

It is a letter to the editor from Sunday’s paper. The suggestion is so inane that it should never have been printed.

I am completely fed up with this war in Iraq. Five U.S. helicopters shot down in the last two weeks. We have in our arsenal a rather new jet fighter that is, according to the Military Channel, the best in the world. It supposedly can take on five enemy jets, including the F-15’s, and take them out with ease.

If so, why are we letting our soldiers be sitting ducks in out-of-date helicopters? No wonder we have lost the war so far. Let’s turn the war around and send a couple of these new F-35 Lighting II’s in.

While both utility helicopters and fixed-wing fighter aircraft are military aviation assets, they are about as interchangeable as a pipe wrench and screwdriver. No offense to the writer, but his suggestion is just plain unworkable–and clearly so.

Or at least it should have been clear to the editorial page editor when assembling yesterday’s paper. While the Tennessean is certainly not responsible for the content of the letter, it is responsible for the content of the letters section. If these were the only letters received, then I suggest that the Tennessean reduce the space dedicated to this feature. However, if this letter was selected because the editor thought it offered a good idea, it betrays an absolute ignorance of even the most basic military issues. That’s not good in a wartime environment.

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