THE REVEREND Michael Williams in his slot "Thought For The Week" (Oct 22) condemns the US for their lack of humility in refusing a 10 million dollar hand-out from a Middle Eastern prince who condemned their foreign policies.

He then says for the President of the US to suggest the American children send one dollar each for relief aid to the Afghans smacks of self-righteousness.

I would call the latter a very magnanimous action, to say the least, in view of recent events.

I hope the Rev Williams' criticisms regarding humility, self-righteousness and self criticism are also aimed at the Middle Eastern leaders whose warlords, drug barons and denial of basic human rights cause thousands of their people to flee their homelands annually and seek sanctuary in the West.

As a Christian, I pray for all those suffering people we are now seeing on our TV screens attempting to flee from the carnage in Afghanistan.

But I pray just as frequently for all the people who were caught up in the carnage of September 11 in New York.

I must add that, even before the US retaliatory action in Afghanistan, these poor, deprived people were already living in poverty, deprivation etc, so perhaps it is not US policy that is causing all this suffering, but the policies of the ruling governments of these nations.

Mr A P Bennett

Babylon Lane

Adlington

Chorley