After a week in which Russia repeatedly violated the sovereignty of a small neighbour, targeted civilian infrastructure, occupied several towns and villages in Georgia proper, ordered their tanks to within 20km of Tbilisi, and topped it all off by threatening a nuclear strike on Poland, the letters by Frank Schnittger and John Gunning attempting to link America to the catastrophe were ludicrous.

He's framed Russia as evil freedom haters and America as heroic freedom defenders, and as such speaking out against America means you are on the side of evil.

The former's insinuations about a supposed role played by the McCain campaign in fomenting unrest in the region, would be laughable if they weren't so serious.

Because you are on the side of evil, your main point can be dismissed without consideration.

For his part, Mr Gunning claims to despise war -- a noble sentiment no doubt, yet one that seems in his case to be surpassed by a virulent anti-Americanism.

America good, Russia bad.

His assertion that we are witnessing, not a Russian invasion of a sovereign state, but an "American war by proxy" exposes a somewhat casual acquaintance with reality.

In reality: America good, Russia bad.

It seems that he is concerned, not with the suffering of the people in the region, or with the brutal contempt shown by the Russians for international law, and the sovereignty of its neighbours, but with using the conflict as a means to spread his anti-American innuendo.

America good, Russia bad - and you're a heartless ideologue on the side of evil.

Mr Schnittger asks 'Cui bono from the invasion of South Ossetia?, to which I would answer that both he and Mr Gunning seem determined to spin the appalling situation in an effort to benefit and further their own anti-American agendas.

America good, Russia bad - and you're a heartless ideologue on the side of evil.

Indeed, concern or solidarity for the ordinary civilians caught up in the conflict are conspicuous only by their absence in both letters.

You're a heartless ideologue on the side of evil.

While both men are entitled to their opinions, they have very little to do with being anti-war, and I would ask that they, and others who espouse the same views, would cease masquerading as such.

You're a heartless ideologue on the side of evil.

He set up his frame in the first sentence, then bashed you with it seven times. If you reply using facts as evidence, he will do the same thing again. You have to turn it around and frame him and his cohorts as the folks that are anti-freedom, anti-democratic, and anti-Georgian citizens if you want your reply to work on the public.

you are the media you consume.