Letters to the Editor
Paul in KY
Published Letters: 780 Editor's Choice: 13
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What Joementum Doesn't Get
[Read the article: The war Lieberman didn't want]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In today's article 'The war Lieberman didn't want', the junior senator from Conn. laments the misguided (to him) hatred many of us on the left feel towards the current occupant of the White House. He compared it as tit-for-tat with the animosity Pres. Clinton endured from the other side of the aisle.
What Sen. Lieberman doesn't seem to understand, or maybe does but likes to pretend he doesn't, is that the Republicans hated Pres. Clinton for being a successful, progressive man trying to enact policies that one would hope a 'Democratic' senator would also enthusiastically support. Liberal citizens such as myself, hate Pres. Bush for his unprecendented assault on those policies and programs instituted and championed by former presidents and distinguished legislators in both parties. The complete list of his administration's mendacity, rampant corruption and deceptions foisted on the American people would blow the 1000 word limit. Indeed, Mr. Orwell's estate could conceivably sue the Bush administration for plagarism of an epic scale (IMO).
If the senator cannot comprehend that some people can hate another for stupid, self-centered reasons and that other people can hate someone else for many, many valid reasons, and that the two cannot and should not be reconciled as equally misguided based only on the mutual level of virulence, then I think we need a new senator in Conn. I would urge all residents of that great state to elect a man who will not be 'Pres. Bush's favorite Democrat'.
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Why 'Platonic' in HS?
[Read the article: I don't understand men!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Speaking as a man, the LW mentioned thay went to the prom as a 'platonic' couple. I wonder why? Was he OK with that then? I kinda doubt it (if she is indeed a physically desirable person). Maybe, he thought back about that & decided that he'd do a little payback & reject her (since it seems she was rejecting him in HS). Does seem like alot of money to blow (air fare, etc.) just to do that.
I tend to agree with the guys who say that most dudes who travel hundreds of miles to spend a weekend with a woman & they have done all the prelims that LW says, are hoping for some nookie. I would like to hear the guy's POV.
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Islam & Suicide Killings
[Read the article: The disbeliever]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]'Botts' and J. Veyron are incorrect about there being no historical basis for suicide attacks within the Islamic community (IMO). As fas back as the 13th century (or even earlier) Ali Hassan & his assasin followers terrorized Persia. They didn't use bombs (I'm sure they would have if the technology had been perfected at that time), but instead a follower would kill the targeted person in a very public place & then not care whether they got away or not (since they were 'martyers' & bound for the 72 virgins, etc.).
It was the Mongol armies that finally put an end to Mr. Hassan & his deluded followers. Look it up.
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The Palestinian Problem
[Read the article: The catastrophe that never ends]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The original problem of the Palestinian people & one they have been pathetically unable to overcome is that (as far as I can tell) the populace was strongly pro-Nazi during the second World War. Now, at the time, this wasn't so much because of the horrible pogroms committed by the Nazis against the European Jewish population, but more because the British Empire controlled Palestine & the Nazis were at war with Great Britain (the old enemy of my enemy is my friend thing).
Unfortunately for the Palestinians, and fortunately for the rest of the world, Nazism was defeated & one of their most oppressed victims (i.e. the Jews) were given a 'homeland' to be their own nation. A previous letter writer opined that the homeland should have been in Germany and maybe that's so, but I believe the Jewish people wanted it in proximity to Jeruselem and that's what they were given.
The war of 1948 followed & the Arab armies were soundly defeated. Subsequent wars in 1967 & 1973 made in plain to any sane observer that Israel was going nowhere & now had political/military control of all the West Bank & Gaza. The PLO & their allies/rivals have waged a type of guerilla war against Israel over these past 40 or so years that can only rival the American Indians for bad publicity, inane decisions on targets for their 'military/martyrdom operations', and general strategic incompetance. Thus they have arrived at a point where the only country which could ensure they receive a 'just' settlement of their claims (i.e. the U.S.A.) basically considers them to be not worthy or capable of maintaining a viable, non-aggresive state in a very volitile part of the world (and here I am talking about the U.S. population, not so much the current administration).
To me, the only way out for the Palestinian people is to look to the successful insurrection lead by M. K. Gandhi that resulted in Indian independence. The Mahatma realized there was no way to militarily defeat the British Empire without horrible bloodshed for the Indian people, the Raj must be defeated in the court of public opinion. Mr. Gandhi, and others, then spent 20 years in a sophisticated public relations campaign that included civil disobediance to spotlight the injustices of the Indian occupation.
Likewise, there is no military solution for the Palestinians. The Israelis are way, way too strong for that. All the Palestinians must realize that only by gaining the sympathy of the American people (sympathy which they had at one time & have squandered over the past 30 years), will the necessary pressure by placed on Israel to make a just settlement. Thus they must admit that like it or not, Israel is a country in the Middle East which will be their neighbor for the forseeable future and their country (if they ever get one) will be smaller & weaker than it ever would have been if the Jewish people had not shown up. I do not think the Palestinian people have reached that point yet, for their sake I hope they do.