Letters to the Editor
The Reality Kid
Published Letters: 358
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The next terrorist attack on US soil - what is NEVER discussed
[Read the article: Dick Cheney's top aide: "We're one bomb away" from our goal]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What is never discussed about the next terrorist attack on US soil is the fact that it is unavoidable/unpreventable. It will occur, it's only a question of "when" (e.g., tomorrow or 10 years from now).
The point that is continually missed (unlike, say, in Great Britain during the IRA bombing days) is that the key to living in the face of terror is not how to prevent the next attack, per se, but continuing to live, in as normal a way as possible, without fear of the next attack. Obviously there is a question of 'due diligence' in terms of endeavouring to prevent further attacks, but the goal of prevention should never eclipse the goal of, well, living as normally as possible.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but you are at far greater risk of being injured or dying in a car accident - and while you presumably take precautions to avoid such an accident, you don't let it interfere with your need to - or even enjoyment of - driving. You learn to live with the attendant risk.
Let me repeat that: You learn to live with the attendant risk.
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"There is no other way to put it" (?)
[Read the article: Fred Hiatt, Michael Ledeen and the "bomb Iran crazies"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]With respect, contrary to Mr. Greenwald's claim that "there is no other way to put it", I believe there is another perspective.
This is not about being "right" (as in correct) or "serious", this is about squeezing out the light of truth from the public arena. The simple truth is that the pundits and "experts" referenced in Mr. Greenwald's post are nothing more than hateful, war-mongering racists. It is not a question of being unlearned on matters middle eastern, it is a question of promoting crimes against humanity.
Is it worth debating whether white supremacists lack credibility when it comes to matters of race? Do you really need to see a white hood before you recognize a viewpoint built on racism?
How is it that Americans found a way to destroy the Dixie Chicks' career, but choose to do nothing to deter this mindless blood-thirst? These people should not be laughed out of town; they should be charged with promoting hate. It is not their credentials that should be questioned; it is their humanity that is in doubt.
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@Machine, re Dixie Chicks
[Read the article: Fred Hiatt, Michael Ledeen and the "bomb Iran crazies"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's a relative question, isn't it? For example, according to a statement made by their manager in "Shut Up and Sing", prior to the fall-out after the London comment, they were the best-selling female act in history. However, in the fall of '06, they were cancelling/re-routing tour dates. And, as of February, 2007, country radio is still not playing their music (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17121651/).
Yes, they are still successful by any objective standard, but I think it's also fair to say less successful than they could have been had the trajectory of their career been left alone.
My point is this: By engaging in a debate as to the correctness or credentials of certain 'pundits' and 'experts', we run the risk of overlooking what I think is the key point - that their views are founded on ignorance and hatred. When it comes to Arabs and Persians, there appears to be an unconscionably wide margin for error - essentially, one can say what one likes about these people, with impunity, no matter how wrong you are.
I see this as a seminal issue. Stop the hate and maybe you stop the actions that flow from that hatred.
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Substitute "genocide" for "cauldronized"...
[Read the article: Fred Hiatt, Michael Ledeen and the "bomb Iran crazies"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...in the excerpt from Ledeen quoted by CarolynC (above), as in wishing genocide upon the Jews in the region, and perhaps you will see the point: this is nothing more than racist-based hatred that does not deserve to see the light of day, let alone command the public airwaves and influence American foreign policy.
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Suggestions for book title
[Read the article: National Review's new tough guy, Mark Hemingway]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Pick, choose or combine any of these possible titles/sub-titles:
"National Insecurity: How Tiny Weenies are Destroying the World"
"Bring 'Em On: Security in Defense of Insecurity"
"The Fallen Towers: Symbols of Manhood Lost?"
"My Weapons are More Massively Destructive than Yours"
"Love and Repression in the Age of Terror"
"Real Men Go to Beijing"
"Revenge of the Nerds IV"
"Republicans and the Groining of America"
"Turd-blossom: A Study of Repressed Sexuality"
"Somebody Please #$%@ Them Before We're All Killed!"
"Men are Pigs"
"First it was Towel-Flicking..."
"What Did Your Mother Do to You?!?"
"Neo-Cons: A Circle of Jerks"
"You're Either With Us or You're Secure in your Manhood"
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Would a change in perspective help?
[Read the article: A one-day guide to war supporters and their enablers]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Mr. Greenwald refers to the situation in Iraq as "the greatest strategic disaster in America's history" and makes clear that the views and opinions of the American people are being ignored.
I wonder if it might help to remember, that first and foremost, this is a disaster for Iraq and the Iraqi people? What if this tragedy was consistently framed and viewed from the Iraqi perspective?
I think the unimaginable (and largely untold) suffering visited upon the Iraqi people might be a more compelling sell than the disgruntlement of Mr. and Mrs. Middle America, for whom this horror is literally unimaginable. If the gut-wrenching pain of the Iraqis could be put - and kept - center-stage, making this something more than an American story (which it's not), maybe moral suasion could have a chance of trumping cynicism of domestic (US) politics.
I dare those #$%@#& pundits and experts to downplay or spin the tens - if not hundreds - of thousands of dead and the millions of refugees.
Make the Iraq war about Iraq instead of about the United States. You'll find it becomes a much more indisputable story to tell...and sell.