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We get a lot of letters, and publish some of them in this column, "Backtalk," edited by Sam Koritz. Please send your letters to backtalk@antiwar.com. Letters may be edited for length (and coherence). Unless otherwise indicated, authors may be identified and e-mail addresses will not be published.

Posted December 22, 2001

Unstable Equilibrium

Mr. Buchanan is person that I've grown increasingly fond of, over the years. His views have been remarkably consistent, honorable, and frank, without regard to polls and public opinion. It is difficult to find such integrity among politicians. At the same time, I've become convinced that Mr. Buchanan suffers from a severely myopic and misinformed perspective of history. In "Pravda Interviews Pat Buchanan," Buchanan makes a number of fallacious assumptions to support his contention that Russia's interest is better served, by nurturing its relationship with the U.S. and distancing itself from China. The driving force and vision behind his contention is the presumption of the clash between civilizations, fundamentally rooted in very racially and culturally antagonistic overtones.

Are certain values really more essential to Europe than Asia? Perhaps, the notions of individualism, law, and justice versus collectivism, arbitrarism, and despotism are functions of mere shifts in the power balance between competitive disorder and government centralization, always resulting in unstable equilibrium. It is a universal struggle shared by all geopolitical entities, and currently it seems that many including the US Government are making decisive moves towards the latter rather than the former.

~ B. Parker

Unusual Tape

I really like Antiwar.com as a news clearinghouse. It's difficult to get a detailed picture of the news in the current media propagandistic environment.

There's a lot of potential for conspiracies. The popular conspiracy is the one involving bin Laden. The now-famous tape seems to be an absolute incrimination. I might be convinced that this tape would be completely damning if not for the fact that the copy we've been given to view appears so unusual. For example, the end of the meeting appears first, followed by a completely disconnected view of a crashed helicopter, then finally the beginning of the meeting. Why is the time sequence so screwed up? Clearly, the copy we have seen is not a representation of how the video was originally made. It has been copied from back to front.

~ Fred R., California

Goats

[Regarding Justin Raimondo's column of December 19, "The 9/11 Enigma":]

I'm sorry, but turning to another country or foreign group to cast blame for the misdeeds of the US Government is the pot calling the kettle black. There's every reason to fix all the blame squarely on the shoulders of the thugs in Washington, D.C. Here's an enigma for you: why did the US air defenses stand idle throughout the duration of the 9/11 strike involving the hijacking, by whatever means, of at least 4 airliners? Some have said they were ordered to stand down. Others said that they were not prepared. Why were they ordered to stand down? Who issued such an order? Why were they not prepared? Why did the US Government do what it wound up doing in immediate response to the news of the hijacked planes (that is to say, nothing at all)? Why did George Bush after having been told of the planes striking the WTC towers, continue to read about goats before a group of school children? Who was in charge of air defenses and why aren't they being investigated? Why is the press ignoring this story? Why hasn't the US Congress launched its own investigation?

~ Alan K.

Peace on Earth

...I am an avid reader of your news site, from Montreal, and I thank you for the objectivity of your articles, in these times of confusion. Mostly, I would like to wish each of you, a very happy, festive season.

And, along with you, I say: Peace on Earth and to the World! May the World find peace on Earth!

~ Diane C.

World War III

[Regarding Justin Raimondo's column of December 19, "The 9/11 Enigma":]

Hats off to Justin Raimondo for his connection of dots regarding September 11th; not so much because it required independent sleuthing but because it required guts. One's choice to be smeared as an anti-Semite for pointing out the nude and cavorting emperor is never an easy one, but then again, merely mention the word "sh*tty" and and "Israel" in the same sentence at a private dinner party, as a French diplomat recently did, and you may find yourself, and your country, the target of Israeli and NeoCon war plans.

Let's see, last month it was nuke Belgium, now it is, let's nuke France! It may be that World War III will not be the West against Islam but, like the the last two, will be some terrible battle between the USA and Europe. This time over support or criticism of policy in Israel.

Regarding 9/11, Justin Raimondo has taken heat for basically repeating what FOX news has reported and so calling him a conspiracy theorist or an anti-Semite is absurd.

~ J. Beck, Boston, Massachusetts

 

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