Allen Questrom
Chairman, CEO
J. C. Penney Corporation, Inc.
6501 Legacy Drive
Plano, Texas 75024-3698

December 10, 2002

Dear Mr. Questrom:

I was shocked to learn of two toys being sold by J.C. Penney this holiday season, Forward Command Post and World Peace Keepers Battle.

Forward Command Post depicts an American soldier occupying the remnants of a home that has been nearly destroyed by bombing. Who lived there? Was it a mother, father, and their children? Where are they? Did they die? Or maybe they were just injured. Possibly they just lost a limb or an eye. Maybe they escaped and are now among the millions displaced worldwide by war. Where will they find shelter, warmth, water, food? Will they flee to a refugee camp, where the mother and children will likely be sexually assaulted and perhaps sold into the world sex slave trade? Will they starve or freeze?

Is the American military actually violating the Geneva Conventions prohibiting attacks against civilian populations—which was declared a war crime at Nuremberg?

Does this toy represent the values American parents want to instill in our young people, or morally responsible corporate behavior? Is war a game, or does it have serious consequences for real human beings, especially children? Is international law important to achieving a more just and peaceful world?

In looking at seven militaristic toys sold by J.C. Penney online, I note that the soldiers and the children playing with the toys are all male. I have three male and one female grandchildren. What message are you conveying to them? Violence is perpetrated by men? Men are violent? Being violent is manly? Again, what values are you communicating to children?

In addition, the name for toy, "World Peace Keepers Battle," is a trenchant example of distorted Orwellian doublethink. "Peacekeeper" and "battle" are mutually exclusive concepts.

As a consumer, I do not want to contribute revenue to a company that profits from promoting these values. I feel that I can not buy from JCPenney this season.

Sincerely,

Carrie Lybecker
Olympia, WA