Letters to the Editor
Gautier
Published Letters: 15 Editor's Choice: 2
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Forever French
[Read the article: "Hillary equals France"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thanks, Bill Maher, for saying what needs to be said about America's oldest ally. Since french fries became Freedom Fries and the eating of non-plastic wrapped cheese was outlawed by the Patriot Act, Francophiles have had a difficult time here in God's country. But there is another minority that has suffered even more - Americans of French descent. There are millions of us, from New England to Louisiana, and for the past four years we have had a taste of what Japanese-Americans endured during WWII. No matter how often we reminded our fellow citizens of Lafayette and "Evangeline" and "An American in Paris", we were met with scorn and defiance. In how many bar rooms and VFW halls has a loyal Franco-American been made the scape-goat for a flawed foreign policy? Too many, that's for sure. So, America, ponder well the glories of France and accept again its sons and daughters who dwell among you. By the way, most of us used to vote Republican.
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State Secrets
[Read the article: "Brothers"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This book is valuable because it reveals that almost all of the high officials of the American government believed or suspected that there was a conspiracy behind the assassination of President Kennedy and that, almost without exception, they did not want their suspicions to be become known to the American public. They knew that the secrets of the Kennedy Administration, if revealed, would have discredited the American government and even caused World War III, as LBJ told Earl Warren. The intelligence agencies had the most to lose if Oswald had been the subject or object of one of their operations. Therefore, the American public had to be convinced that Oswald had acted alone, without any apparent motive. Will we ever know the truth about these terrible events? Probably not, unless the demise of Castro leads to new revelations from Cuba. Does the Kennedy case still matter? Yes, because the secret government that covered up the truth forty years ago is still very much with us.
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The Biggest Target in the Middle East.
[Read the article: Imperial life in a brand-new city]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The stupidity of this project is impressive, even by the standards of the Bush administration. Israel cannot stop Hezbollah and Hamas from firing missles into its territory. What is to prevent the various militias in Iraq from doing the same to our embassy? That all supplies must be brought in by truck from Kuwait means that the Baghdad airport and the roads connecting it to the embassy are too dangerous to use. The whole thing sounds like Dienbienphu.
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A great stylist.
[Read the article: That hot new neoconservative philosopher named Plato]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Professor Blackburn does not mention that Plato was an excellent writer and that he created one of the great characters of literature, Socrates. Much of the prestige of The Republic is due to its aesthetic qualities. As for the neo-cons, I should think that their inspiration comes from Machiavelli.
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God is not an explanation.
[Read the article: We are meant to be here]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Why does the universe exist and why does it have just the characteristics that we observe it to have? These questions cannot be answered because to explain is to compare one thing with another, and the universe cannot be compared to anything else. Why not accept the universe as it is, a place where life is no more or less miraculous than a star or comet?
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The fix is in.
[Read the article: Bush and Cheney walk, too]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Libby knows everything about how we we were lied into the Iraq war and he knows all of Cheney's other secrets. Can anyone believe that he would ever see the inside of a prison? The fix was in from the beginning.
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It could happen again.
[Read the article: Conversations: Steven Okazaki]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The American commanders, including Eisenhower, MacArthur and LeMay, did not want to drop the bombs. They thought it was not needed to end the war and they did not want the United States to be the first to use these terrible weapons. Truman, a much over praised President, wanted revenge. He also wanted to frighten Stalin. He told a group of sailors that the bombing of Hiroshima was the greatest thing in history. Now we are haunted by the prospect of a nuclear bomb being detonated in an American city. Our politicians, however, talk openly of attacking Iran with nuclear weapons. This is what is meant by "leaving all options on the table." Like Truman, they seem eager to seize the most extreme option.
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They were against it.
[Read the article: Conversations: Steven Okazaki]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If anyone doubts that our top commanders opposed dropping the bomb, on both military and moral grounds, see the piece by David R. Henderson at http://antiwar.com/henderson/.
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Ludicrous
[Read the article: The scruffy charms of an insecure president]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Did Draper ask Bush why he invaded Iraq? Or why he believes that more of the nation's wealth should be given to the super rich? Does Bush ever ponder what his life would be like if he had not been born into the power elite? Does he think that he would have become President in any case? I doubt that these questions were asked. Certainly they would not have been welcome. It is of course gratifying to learn that Bush is not actually stupid, but is merely incapable of admitting a mistake and has no curiosity. A cynic might say that the man is a pig-headed fool and that he is ludicrously unqualified for high office. But that would be to overlook his scruffy charm. Let us hope that this book, far from being a first draft of the history of the Bush administration, is consigned, deservedly, to the realm of gossip and hagiography.
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There is much to be enjoyed.
[Read the article: Their terrifying sounds]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Classical music will not die. There will always be an intelligent minority who love and need it. Why great composers disappeared after about 1940 is a question without an answer. Perhaps all the possibilities of the style had been exhausted. The most likely explanation is the rise of popular music, which deprived classical music of its roots. Also, the appreciation and understanding of classical music requires a certain amount of education and effort, while popular music requires none. Bernstein's television programs from the 1950's were brilliant, but they failed to create a generation of music lovers. This is sad, but we can take consolation in the fact that the last century produced a great archive of recorded music which can be enjoyed very inexpensively.