Posted October 1, 2002

Singing Krauthammer

Wow. Since when did Col. Hackworth ("Who Will Stand Tall Against the War Machine?" [originally titled "Will Congress blink again?"]) become an antiwar advocate? I am used to seeing him trotted out on Faux [sic], all dressed in S&M black, to back the chickenhawks..., praising Sharon's brutality and expressing his love for the noble IDF in their crusade to rid the world of Palestinian children. Am I dreaming this? Is it that bad orange barrel I took in '72 kicking in again? What's next? Krauthammer singing "Give Peace a Chance"? I think I better go lie down.

~ M. Johnson, Hawaii

Tell a Telemarketer

I just finished reading today's [September 26] Backtalk, and was amused by a letter from Boris Wolfe of the N.Y.J.D.L.

I would like to let Mr. Wolfe know that I am a "serious person" and I visit Antiwar.com on a daily basis! I find your site to be loaded with useful information, and it is like a beacon to a mariner on a foul night.

I believe that Mr. Wolfe's problem is that he can't tell the deference between anti-Semitism and anti-pushy-jerk or anti-Israeli control of U.S. tax dollars and US foreign policy. I have had the privilege to have met many wonderful Jewish people in my life, but rest assured because one is Jewish or Christian does not imbue a person with honorable qualities. I hope that men like Sharon, Netanyahu, and Richard Perle get into less diabolical dealings soon.

It is tragic that the leaders of Israel have chosen the path they are on, it will injure all involved, including the US, whose leaders are content to stand idly by while the Israeli military uses horrific weapons on a captive civilian population. Consider yourself "spanked," Mr. Wolfe.

Justin's column has prompted me to send a donation, thank you for asking, Justin. One last thought for your readers, the next time you're bothered by one of those pesky telemarketers, take a moment of their time to tell them about Antiwar.com! A lot of folks simply don't know it exists, and you can't have an antiwar movement without members! Talk about cheap advertising!

~ S. O'Connor

South Korea

I am writing to you from South Korea near the big American bases. ... This past Friday the 2nd Infantry Headquarters outside of Seoul was pelted with Molotov cocktails! The soldiers are all locked onto the bases right now and will not be allowed out until Tuesday at the earliest. The hatred is against the US government not the average American. It is intensifying. The American Congress needs to come over here and talk with the average Korean person: away from the bases, as the people near the bases are the "only" Koreans who want the US to remain in their country. The US Congress needs to get some backbone, stop the propaganda and come clean with the American people. I am a military retiree and it sickens me to no end that America is acting as if we own the world! I have also heard talk among the soldiers that they do not agree with the "maniac" in the White House. I am afraid we are starting to see the fracturing of our armed forces! There is nothing but disaster for our children unless the direction of our country is changed. Now!

~ Michael Javick, SSG Retired US Army

Recommendation

As a very proud and patriotic American, I have to say that Antiwar.com is one of the most important websites out there. I commend your patriotism. I am also very impressed by the courage and honesty of writers such as Ran HaCohen -- people such as him are proof that peace in the Middle East is still possible.

I would like to recommend that you place a big, bold link on the Antiwar.com homepage that links readers to the website that connects them to the email of their respective senators and congressmen. When you had put that at the end of one of your recent articles, I emailed my congressman right away. (I remember having difficulty searching for that link in the past and I kept ending up at the wrong sites and ultimately gave up.) Your link put me there immediately when I had the intention of writing. I felt rewarded to later read in an article that the congressman I had written is one of the few speaking out against war. Not that my little message was responsible, but at least I know I had practiced my democratic rights and weighed in. You should put the number to the White House comments line as well. Your readers are the most apt to write something thoughtful and important during these critical times. In fact, there should be a link at the end of all your articles.

~ JS

One-Sided View

Last night (Sep. 25) on the O'Reilly Factor, Col. David Hackworth was a guest and explaining to Bill O'Reilly that 10,000 US Gulf war veterans have already died prematurely mainly due to exposure to depleted uranium.

Bill O'Reilly, with a disgusted look on his face asked Hackworth what the Iraqis where doing with that depleted uranium -- how did they obtain it? Hackworth was visibly shocked. He had to explain to O'Reilly that the uranium killing our vets was from our own laser-guided missiles, and not from Saddam's inventory!

It is amazing that such a visible war-party proponent can be so ignorant of the effects of the Gulf war until you realize that the US media only shows a one-sided view.

~ David M.

Coincidence

What a coincidence. The timing of the uranium seizure 150 miles from the Iraqi border. But then there are many who say there is no such thing as coincidence. This thing has Cheney written all over it.

~ Alex Nagel

Goremonger

Regarding "Al Gore, Warmonger Lite," by Justin Raimondo:

Kudos to Justin! The past year has been the best opportunity in my lifetime for an opposition party to earn its pay. Instead, the Democrats have been about as useful as titties on a fish. When they could have served the American people by standing in the breach against Empire and the police state, their policy has instead been a hand-wringing one of "Me too, but...."

Instead of insisting on actually reading the Reichstag Enabling Act (ahem, I mean USA PATRIOT Act), the gutless, spineless, ball-less Daschle made rubber-stamping it without question a test of party loyalty. Instead of saying "Hell, no!" to the Orwellian Department of Homeland Security, Daschle just wants the jackboots to have civil service protection. Instead of saying "Hell, no!" to the Empire's designs on Iraq, the good NPR liberal Daschle just wants to get buy-in from Congress and the UN first.

If Bush ever signs an executive order rounding up 100,000 "subversives" into concentration camps, I'm sure tough-guy Daschle will say "The guards better be represented by AFGE locals!"

~ Kevin Carson

Editor's note:

Backtalk editor Sam Koritz is profiled in the Real World section of October's Smart Money magazine (print version only, not available online).