贵报社论《民主党的霍尔木兹替代方案》（10月16日）对左派短视的失败主义批评得很到位，但您关于油价“给选民带来真正困难”的评论需要一些视角来看待。
Your editorial “The Democratic Hormuz Alternative” (Oct. 16) is spot-on regarding the short-sighted defeatism coming from the left, but your comment about oil prices “creating real hardship for voters” calls for some perspective.
我父亲和祖父都参加过第二次世界大战。在那场特定的战争中，美国在约1.32亿人口中有超过1600万男女穿上军装。美国汽车工业三年多没有生产一辆新的民用车辆。从汽油、柴油和取暖油到橡胶、糖、肉类、奶制品和鞋子，一切都实行配给，直到战争结束。超过40万美国人在消灭纳粹德国及其盟友的祸害的战斗中牺牲。
Both my father and grandfather fought in World War II. During that particular war, the U.S. had more than 16 million men and women in uniform out of a population of about 132 million. The U.S. auto industry didn’t produce a new civilian vehicle for more than three years. Everything from gasoline, diesel fuel and heating oil to rubber, sugar, meat, dairy products and shoes were rationed for the duration of the war. More than 400,000 Americans died in the fighting to end the scourge of Nazi Germany and its allies.