To the editor:The United States government has indicted former Blackwater president Gary Jackson  for, among other things, giving gifts to the king of Jordan and then trying to cover that up. 

Former Blackwater president Gary Jackson

The gifts were guns, given in hope of receiving high paying contracts for Blackwater.  Accepting gifts by the king may be legal under Jordanian law, but it is a poor way for a noble person to represent his nation. One can argue that the United States is dominating and acting illegally in the Middle East.  Most Americans would prefer that their soldiers be at home.  However, the presence of the United States’ military in the Middle East is a stabilizing force in many, but not all respects.  It is more difficult for the United States to provide military assistance to Jordan, and to other Arab and Muslim countries, if there are appearances of fraud, or bribery involved. A king needs no gifts to make the right decisions for his people.— Dr. Mark John HunterAlpena, Michigan