Letters to the Editor
RBrudzynski
Published Letters: 16 Editor's Choice: 3
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The Road OUT of Baghdad
[Read the article: All the father's men]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Now near unanimity exists on Baker's commission to reverse that formula, advisory panel members have told me. The central part of a new policy must be, they believe, that the road to Baghdad leads through Jerusalem. Brent Scowcroft, the elder Bush's former national security advisor, who is very close to Baker, spelled out the notion that security and stability in the region, including Iraq, can only be achieved by reestablishing the Middle East peace process..."
Restarting the Middle East peace process is always a good idea but It isn't going to solve our present problems in Iraq anytime soon.
The Arab-Israeli conflict has gone on for over a half-century. It isn't going to be resolved anytime soon and certainly not by anybody with the diplomatic skills of George W. Bush.
All by itself, the Bush Administration's support of Israel no-matter-what already disqualifies them as any sort of honest broker.
Even if, by some miracle, Bush were to work out an Israeli-Palestinian settlement, that won't change the fact that we have troops in Iraq and the determination of a lot of Iraqis and others to make their stay unpleasant.
Hopefully, the Iraq Study Group will give us something better. Even then, do we have any reason to believe that Bush would change his present course?
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Notify the World Bank!
[Read the article: The comic tragedy of Paul Wolfowitz's many trials]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Concerned about corruption at the World Bank?
Fortunately, Paul Wolfowitz maintains a toll-free number at which YOU can report corruption. Give a call to 1-800-831-0463 and don't forget to mention Paul Wolfowitz's paramour Shaha Riza and her $200,000 salary.
Paul gets laid and Shaha gets paid, whatadeal!
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Technology in the Service of Mass Murder
[Read the article: Gun control or "hopes and prayers"?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's unlikely that any sort of gun control law could prevent the demented rampage we saw yesterday.
At the same time, reasonable gun control laws could help reduce the DAILY carnage (about 30 a day) that goes on without much notice across our nation.
Reasonable gun control laws could also help to limit the damage done during rampages such as yesterday's. The availability of semi-automatic weapons and readily replaceable magazines was a likely factor in the sheer number of deaths seen yesterday.
A semi-automatic handgun allows a maniac to fire as quickly as he can pull the trigger.
Readily replaceable magazines allow a maniac to reload quickly so that he can continue killing with a minimum of interruption.
Outside of law enforcement, there is little need for such massive firepower to be in the hands of ordinary citizens.
Legitimate shooting sports self-defense have traditionally existed and can continue to exist without guns capable of firing a large amount of ammunition in a short period of time.
As the gun industry continues to develop and market weapons with ever increasing firepower, it will be possible for maniacs to kill increasing numbers of people in rampage shootings.
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Is This Actually an NRA Publication?
[Read the article: The NRA view of school shootings, in pictures]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I remember seeing this when it first came out. I also remember that there was some question as to whether it was actually an NRA publication. Does anyone know if this question has been resolved?
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"Just a comma"
[Read the article: Last refuge of the scoundrel]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I can remember when Bush thought the Iraq war was "just a comma" in the scope of history:
"As he heads out on the campaign trail, haunted by an unpopular war, President Bush has begun reassuring audiences that this traumatic period in Iraq will be seen as "just a comma" in the history books."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100401707.html
Now it's World War II!
OR, maybe Bush thinks that WW2 was "just a comma."
Oh, well, whatever's convenient for the Bush Administration...
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Blaming a Victim?
[Read the article: You can't stop a tidal wave with a fork]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My critque of Dobbs is slightly different.
Dobbs errs in blaming the illegal immigrant for economic problems. I think blame lies with the business that employs the illegal immigrant.
For decades, government has looked the other way while employers hired low-wage illegal immigrants. Their presence in this country was illegal but winked at as long as they provided a cheap labor force for business.
We've all profited from the exploitation of illegal immigrants. Cheap immigrant labor means lower prices for consumers and higher profits for business. Lately, employers outside the agricultural and meat packing industries have started hiring illegals. The result has been a backlash.
Illegal aliens were expected to work for the wages Americans wouldn't accept. To our chagrin, employers have begun hiring them for job Americans and wages Americans want.
The victims in this case are the illegal immigrants and the workers they've displaced. The beneficiaries are their employers and you and me.
If we want to get rid of illegal immigrants, we need to crack down on the Americans who employ them. When the jobs dry up, the illegal immigrants will go home.
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Driving Ms. Nathan
[Read the article: "Doesn't Add Up"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I doubt that Giuliani's cover-up of security costs for his "booty calls" amounts to a serious scandal or misappropriation of public funds. Twenty-four-hour security costs would have been incurred for Giuliani regardless of whether he was attending a mayor's conference in another state or getting his ashes hauled in New Hampshire.
Of more interest is the revelation that New York City vehicles and drivers were used to ferry Ms. Nathan around the city.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/11/giulianis-mistr.html
That's misappropriation of public funds!
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35 Seconds of Torture?!?!?
[Read the article: Did waterboarding really work on Abu Zubaydah?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In the first public comment by any CIA officer involved in handling high-value al Qaeda targets, John Kiriakou, now retired, said the technique [WATERBOARDING] broke Zubaydah in less than 35 seconds
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=3978231
This seems to be preposterous on its face. A dedicated terrorist "mastermind" experiences 35 SECONDS of intense suffering and cracks like an egg??? I'd expect him to hold out a lot longer than 35 seconds.
I see two viable hypotheses to explain how the technique "broke" Zubaydah.
1. He was tortured for a lot longer than 35 seconds; or
2. He simply adopted "Plan B," confessing and disclosing anything his torturers wanted from him except the truth. Indeed, if Zubaydah is, in fact, a looney, he could have made up some great stories.
Sadly, our CIA is composed both of torturers and fools! (But that's a redundancy.)
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A Closet Republican?
[Read the article: Report: Spitzer caught on federal wiretap]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Spitzer??? Sex scandal!?!?!?!?
It can't be. He's not a Republican!