Letters to the Editor
dendrio
Published Letters: 200 Editor's Choice: 27
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Additional Ramblings
[Read the article: The woes of Kilimanjaro]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I saw a lot of great individualistic suggestions on how we can each do our little part, but the problem is much too big for a minority of like-minded people to have an actual effect. Sorry, Poco, but if everyone is part of the problem, then everyone must be part of the solution. The world's governments need to address this problem on an international scale.
Developed nations need to actually use the cleaner fossil-fuel technology that we have - across the board - from 2-cycle engines, to cars, to power plabts. Additionally, for the short term (the next 100 years or so), we need to convert almost wholly nuclear energy, which means we have to have the political will to make sure the plants are safe and that the waste is safely stored. Finally, developed nations need to invest in clean energy technology and make that technology available to the developing world. As for the developing world, as they develop, they need to do so in a green manner, and the devloped world needs to help them do this. Yes - it is "unfair" that Europe and America got to industrialize on the cheap and dirty, but we didn't know any better. Now we do.
Another problem that I didn't see addressed in these letters was the massive social turmoil that has already begun in areas suffering from resource scarcity. This turmoil will only grow and spread. Soon we'll see our (few remaining) family farms edged out of water-right by Big Agribusiness, America's rural and urban poor will start to suffer from scarce and dirty water while the economic elites monopolize access to clean water for golf courses and front lawns and drink their water from a bottle. This social turmoil is a much more immediate problem than the environmental factors that underlie them and invariably leads to revolution or desptoism or both. We need to start thinking of solutions now for those dispossessed and displaced by Global Climate Change.
Just as its name suggests, Global Climate Change is a world-wide problem, and the whole wide world has to be part of the solution.
By all means should individuals change their lifestyles when they contribute to do otherwise problem. Do do otherwise would be hypocritical. But to drive a hybrid car or ride a bike one, tiny, self-congratulatory goober in a whole sea of troubles.
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The Sword and the Shield
[Read the article: Killing the CIA]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The account of Cheney and his minions going into the CIA and telling the actual intelligence agents and analysts that they're wrong puts me in mind of Stalin's attitude toward the KGB in the lead up to WWII. Basically, Stalin was convinced that the U.K. - feeling threatened by the existence of a Communist nation - would be the ones to attack the U.S.S.R. with possible U.S. support. KGB agents who brought in intel and analysis showing that Hitler, in fact, was planning to invade the Soviet Union were demoted, exiled, or just killed.
I say this not to draw a comparison between Cheney and Stalin (Stalin had more charisma by all account), but to show just how danegerously ideology distorts reality - because, of course, Hitler actually was planning an invasion of the U.S.S.R. for which the Stalin was unprepared. One must wonder what storms on our horizon are being overlooked or ignored because of petty jealously, pettier ego, and base ambition.
Whatever the corruption of individual officials, the real scandal is that all 275 million of us Americans, and billions the world over, have been sacrificed on the altar politics.
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What's more disturbing...
[Read the article: Electrocute Bill Keller! No, hang him!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]That someone would say these things? That it resonates with enough people that there's money to be made in it? Or that "Stop being such meanies!" or "That's not nice!" or "I'm calling the FCC!" is the best reponse that Liberals can muster?
Whatever happened to the Two-Fisted Liberal who'd just as soon knock that hat off your head than tolerate such fascists.
(Tomorrow's headlines will now read, "Liberal Letter Writer Hates Fascists, Advocates Hat-Smacking" and "Mainstream Media Decries Call For Hat-Smacking: 'Violent fascists are people too,' say nation's editors.")
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Lebanon pays for Hezbollah's sins ...
[Read the article: Lebanon pays for Hezbollah's sins]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As Germany paid for Hitler's ...
As Japan paid for Tojo's ...
As Iraq is paying for Saddam's ...
As we, surely, will pay for George Bush's.
The people always suffer for the actions of their leaders. If we were smart, we'd do something about the leaders.
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Monotheism and the Forever War
[Read the article: The Mideast death dance]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]One side has a holy book that says: (1) I am Yaweh your god, and you will worship no other gods; (2) Yaweh loves you and only you; (2) Yaweh gives you (and only you) this land - forever; (3) Kill or enslave everyone else who happens to live there.
The other side has a holy book that says: (1) I am Allah your god and there is no god but Allah; (2) Kill or enslave anyone who says different; (3) The Jews had their chance to convert in the 7th century, so kill them extra good.
Whatever religious "moderates" or reformist say, these holy books have more passages directly endorsing (when not explicitly demanding) brutal, genocidal violence and anyone who is different. The only difference I see is that the Jewish holy book limits the insanity to Israel, whereas the Muslim holy book says that the whole world is theirs for the burning.
Why are we, the children of the Englightenment - so stupid as to still wonder why there isn't peace in the Middle East?