"The Third Reich, Nursing, and AJN" (August) was absolutely fascinating and quite disturbing. It's a timely topic and one that I'm glad to see explored. I become frustrated when nurses complain about "politicized" content in AJN. Nurses-indeed all citizens-exist within a wider culture and system. We are not and should not be unaffected by political and world events.

The article illustrates the danger of neutrality, or in this case, filtered or biased coverage of world and political events. Nurses must contemplate the reasons behind any war and apply critical thinking skills to the situation. Nursing journalists can help by providing informative and thought-provoking content from a variety of viewpoints. An unwillingness to address political content in a nursing journal seems to be a symptom of the political malaise that often afflicts nurses, causing them to be ineffective as agents of political change. I'm therefore always pleased to see political content available in AJN.

As a patient advocate, I'm critical of war because of the damage it does to humans. I don't suggest that war should never occur or that nurses abstain from military service. I have great respect for wartime and military nurses; however, they should aid in maintaining human dignity and lessen, rather than increase, human suffering, as discussed in this article. Nurses who don't act humanely are violating the oath of nursing. The willingness to publish this article, which reveals shortcomings of AJN, at least in-the past, is a testament to the journal's integrity.

Karen Roberts, MSN, NP

Lawrence, KS