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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Published Letters: 387 Editor's Choice: 14
Joan Walsh's Article linking the Plame investigation with the 2000 dead soldiers in Iraq is interesting and insightful. However, I disagree with her assertion that the war itself is what really matters here, and that the question of who leaked Valerie Plame's name is just so much superfluous gossip. We can all argue and disagree about what caused America to embark on this horrific misadventure in Iraq. However, it is now an undisputable fact that someone purposefully blew the cover of an undercover CIA agent, and in the process, destroyed a whole intelligence network that was working to stem the global proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This is an act that strikes at the heart of American national security, as well as the security and safety of the world in general. It is just as damaging as any act of cold war espionage. It is, as George H.W. Bush called it, Treason. The fact that this breach appears to have originated somewhere in the highest reaches of the administration itself is, in and of itself, a horror of horrors, irregardless of why we went to war with Iraq or how many soldiers have died. Ultimately, it is the heart of what really matters here.
In response to the previous letter entitled "Missing the Point":
You forget that we were attacked on our own soil by Osama Bin Ladin, not Saddam Hussein. You forget that Osama Bin Ladin is still at large. You forget that nobody sympathizes with the insurgents, and that we are the ones who want to save our troops from continuing to die at their hands. You forget that there were no insurgents in Iraq until we pushed our way in, and in the process created a safe breeding ground for them. You forget that Dick Cheney & Company set up their own intelligence shop because they didn't like the intelligence that they were getting from the CIA. You forget that the anti-war movement was large and thriving for a year prior to the invasion, and that support for the war, even at its peak, has never been much above 50 percent. You forget that Cindy Sheehan, the greiving mother who just wants her son back, is the new face of the anti war movement, and it is you, the people who spit on her and besmirch her name, who most Americans are sickened by.
Take a look in the mirror, sir. It is you who is missing the point.
In response to "The Plame Blame Game":
A quick google search should show you that Mrs. Plame posed for Vanity Fair in January of 2004, about 6 months AFTER her cover was blown and her intelligence network was destroyed. Thus, regarding this issue, it is entirely irrelevant.
In response to "Plame Blame Game Redux," I quote Larry Johnson, former CIA and State Department agent, and former CIA classmate of Valerie Plame. "Until Robert Novak betrayed her (Valerie Plame) was still undercover and the company that was her front was still a secret to the world. When Novak outed Valerie, he also compromised her company and every individual overseas who had been in contact with that company and with her."
Frankly, I believe him over you.
http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/7/13/04720/9340
Although I have recently noticed the feminization (for lack of a better word) of Salon that people seem to be complaining about, I don't think its that bad, and I think most of those who complain are being overly harsh. Joe Conason and Sidney Blumenthal are both still Salon regulars. Phillip Robertson still pops his head up every now and then. War room is as good (and popular) as ever. And, Salon is still doing long form, investigative pieces on things that other publications are not (witness today's piece entitled "Gulf Coast Slaves"). Ease up, people. If you don't like Broadsheet, DON'T READ IT. But don't condemn the whole site just because of that.
All of that said, Joan Walsh, please take note: most of us (myself included) don't want Salon to be any more feminized that it already is. Enough with the pregnancy and child rearing articles. Enough with the sappy essays on the virtues of crying in public. Let's stop this yinward shift right here.
Happy 10th birthday (unfortunately, I missed the first 5). Here's to another 10 good ones.
When I first started reading Farhad's pieces on Salon, I assumed that he was a man. A few months ago, however, he posted something in Broadsheet. Since Broadsheet is, ostensibly, the Women's Blog, I figured that I must of been mistaken, that Farhad was a woman, and reconfigured my mental image accordingly. Now, just when I was getting used to that idea, comes this post, in which Farhad identifies himself as a man, thus throwing my mental image of this person into further confusion.
Why are men posting on the Women's Blog? Is it truly a Women's Blog if men are contributing?
I don't care what Bill O'Reilly thinks. Let this man have his day in court.
Thank you, Davy, for succintly articulating my thoughts.
As much as I wanted to, I never got into the west wing. I always found its writing to be more condescending than it was intelligent. I couldn't stand watching the characters flaunt their contrived wit and rub their perfection in everyone's face. I felt the same way about Sorkin's other show, Sports Night.
A lot of people that I love and respect were really into this show. Now they all know how I felt when HBO cancelled Carnivale.
Cintra Wilson is the most envious writer I have ever encountered. Every bile-soaked letter she pens is positively dripping with it. Its unfortuante because, at the end of the day, none of her jealous rants really matters, as there probably isn't a single celebrity who cares what Ms. Wilson thinks about them.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
