Letters to the Editor
Baloo.
Published Letters: 228 Editor's Choice: 8
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I agree with your sentiments exactly.
[Read the article: A tale of two horrors]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Moreover, ABC, NBC, CBS’s coverage of the story centered on the themes of "courage," "compassion," and "coming together as a nation in grief." I'm struck by my own use of quote marks around these words, as if they are no longer real but pseudo-sentiments. There are many Americans (maybe a majority) who desperately want to believe that the VT massacre is some sort of Norman Rockwell moment that outlines the heroism of our youth and the coming together of our great nation. The fact that the perpetrator was Korean-American rather than American-American (whatever that is) in a perverse way seems to support this tendency. However, there are an increasing number of us that have been and are growing more cynical about our American "values." Cynical because of the gross disparity between what we say we stand for and what we actually stand for given our actions in the world. That is why this kind of coverage, although it appeals to a lot of Americans, is ridiculous, even laughable to me, especially since I know these networks are exploiting the public’s prurient interests under the guise of something more wholesome. I am angered by the number of people that have died needlessly at the hands of our politicians, not just in the Iraq war, but throughout our disingenuous history. Bush is only the apotheosis of this disparity writ large and personified.
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Not just Bush...
[Read the article: From Norman Rockwell to Abu Ghraib]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I do not think that it is only Bush and his cronies who would identify with these paintings and the sentiments they represent but maybe a majority of Americans. After the 2004 presidential election, it should have dawned on all of us urban/coastline dwellers that there is a vast number of Americans in between the two oceans that feel and believe and behave as Bush does. That is why they voted him into office. That is often the reason why any president wins an election -- because the majority identify with him. That is also why Barack Obama, the best candidate we have, will never be president.
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Tenet is small potatos
[Read the article: George Tenet, spook for all seasons]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The larger issues are being overlooked. Why did the neocons want to make the case for invading Iraq? To protect Israel! It's been reported here and there but its astounding how this information doesn't outrage the American people. Our country was driven into an unprecedented and unjust preemptive war that is costing us thousands of lives and billions of dollars and for what? To protect a country that is very well capable of killing Arabs all on its own.
I suspect this issue is ignored by some in the media because their bias toward Israel is implicit and avoided by others because they fear being cast as anti-Semites, which they invariably will be by the powerful pro-Israeli organizations that operate in this country. To say that if you support withdrawal of troops you're unpatriotic and a defeatist is not unlike saying that if you question our ties with Israel or the loyalties of certain high-ranking Jewish-American officials you're an anti-Semite.
Moreover, evangelical congregations across this country have made it a tenet of their faith to support the state of Israel because, they believe, that restoring the Jewish people to their homeland will bring about the second coming of Christ. Now, you have the Israeli lobby, a profoundly savvy political group, allying itself with a profoundly misguided and politically cohesive group and what do you get? You get a president named George W. Bush and a disastrous policy that pits America against the entire Muslim world.
The Muslim world is out of its mind, without a doubt! However, given that most of what I have said is not disputed, is it so crazy that the vast majority of Muslim believe that pro-Jewish groups are having their way in American politics? "Much madness is divinest sense."
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Alistair Horne--I smell racism!
[Read the article: Bush's favorite historian]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Screw political correctness. This old fart's opinions are just plain stupid and racist. The idea that we should bring Indian mercenaries to fight in Iraq is the most preposterous, not to mention racist, and just plain stupid notion I've ever heard. I can't believe this guy is a historian. It is not just that Muslims view Indians as pagans but such a boneheaded move would stir the jihadists in Pakistan, already poised to overthrow Musharraf, to rise up against India. I don't have to remind you these countries both possess nuclear weapons and, if the jihadists took over Islamabad, these weapons would fall into bin Laden's hands. The only sense I can make of this idiotic notion is that this old fart figures 'why not let the darkies have at it with each other.'
Alistair Horne's racism becomes even more apparent in this comment which follows his assessment that the only hope for the Middle East is in prosperity and "To persuade young Muslims that there's a better life than blowing themselves up by running casinos and whorehouses and hotels and what have you." As if that is all 'young Muslims' are capable of and as if every street corner in Europe doesn't have a "whorehouse" on it!
This crusty, old bugger is past his prime. It's time to retire him.
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Fucked up!
[Read the article: Amma's cosmic squeeze]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's a sad state of affairs when you have on the one hand people equating an unpretentious and genuine hug from Amma with a spiritual experience and on the other people getting pissed off and cynical about it. You're both fucked!