Posted December 5, 2002

Stand Tall

"Our Incoherent Foreign Policy Fuels Middle East Turmoil" by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX):

Thank you very much for an honest assessment of our foreign policy. It is reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who thinks this charade is insane. I am amazed that a Republican from Texas has the nerve and the love of this country and its young soldiers, sailors, and airmen and women to stand up and tell the truth. We are now essentially broke, deficits that we thought would never go away and did now have returned. Our President is supposed to be a conservative and he now says "deficits are not that bad in wartime," we can now use these two so called wars for cover for every kind of action our administration plans, sensible or not, just or not, honest or not. I think this situation is entirely out of control.

Finally, I'd like to say I was a professional soldier from my enlistment as an 18-year-old, 8 days after my 18th birthday in 1966, and I served with distinction and with honor from August 8, 1966 to November 4, 1975 – over 9 years. I served in Vietnam from August 20, 1967 to August 14, 1968, and if you know your history I was in the Tet Offensive 1968 and all the counter offensives launched in 1968.

I think it is a shame that men who never served, or if they served they served in the National Guard and never served more than 6 months active duty at that are now making decisions to send our young men, I now think of 19-year-olds as kids, into harms way and make cannon fodder of thousands. Our President calls himself some kind of compassionate conservative, I don't know what he thinks that means but I do know all his bluster, all his take him dead or alive clichés do not indicate that he is aware of the life changing decisions he is about to make for mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters all across this great nation. A nation I can say I fought for and risked my very life for. I know that is more than most of our current leadership can say. I think it takes a big pair of Texas (bal--) boots to make some of the statements I hear coming from this leadership. Wyoming (bal--) boots are even bigger and he didn't serve either.

Ron I hope you will continue to stand tall and tell the truth, I'm glad you're a Republican – at least I'm certain that just because you differ with the administration you're not disloyal to this country.

~ John J. Wilson, Formerly Staff Sergeant U.S. Army, New York

Connect the Dots

"Our Incoherent Foreign Policy Fuels Middle East Turmoil" by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX):

Congressman Ron Paul is nearly the only person in Washington whose comments have the "ring of truth" to them. His solution to the Mideast disaster (pull back) is the only hope to avoid conflagration.

It is not very incisive, however, to label the US foreign policy as being essentially "incoherent". It is the job of historians, sociologists, anthropologists, journalists and, yeah, politicians to "connect the dots". It is imperative to look for overarching principles which can account for such a policy. While one should avoid being overly simplistic ("its simply about oil"), it is nevertheless helpful to regard US policy in that region as being at least theoretically coherent. Some set of principles logically informs the decisions of the War Party and these principles need to be exposed as being inconsistent with the values which decent Americans have subscribed to for a long time.

In a certain sense we are witnessing what C.W. Mills called "crackpot realism" writ large. However, it is not "inconsistent" from the hegemon's point of view. The emerging "contra" movement needs to define the essentials of this utterly consistent Crusade if we intend to dismantle the hegemon's machinery.

~ Michael J. Hamrin, California

Stop Payments to Israel

"Our Incoherent Foreign Policy Fuels Middle East Turmoil" by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX):

Thank you, Rep Paul, for your article. I believe we should also stop the multi-million/billion dollar payments we make to Israel to continue the Israeli domination, repression and devastation of the Palestinians.

~ Rev. Sharon L. Moe, University Temple UMC, Seattle, Washington

Friends

"Our Incoherent Foreign Policy Fuels Middle East Turmoil" by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX):

It would be nice if the US stopped attempting to buy "friends" in the oil producing nations, however if memory serves aren't those the very nations from which both the president and the vice-president get much of their own personal wealth? Not exactly what I would say would produce fair and honest perspective. And we dare to try to convince the rest of the world of our sincerity. What a joke we have become in the eyes of other nations and their citizens.

~ R. Wolf

Media Mind Control

"Our Incoherent Foreign Policy Fuels Middle East Turmoil" by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX):

Thank you for this wonderful article. ... Why are not point of views, like this, not heard in the mainstream? Some countries only allow 2 or 3 channels and control the information that their people can receive – I don't see any difference in the US – I see it even worse because it is hidden. Is the media a tool from politicians to control people's minds? Why are we made to think we are the peacekeepers – while the whole world laughs at the silly moves we make? How can Americans regain their pride – and move forward with peace, prosperity, and liberty in their heart and dreams?

~ Astrid O.

How Stupid We Are

"Our Incoherent Foreign Policy Fuels Middle East Turmoil" by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX):

You are correct. This country has always tried to buy friendship and gotten kicked in the ass by that country some time after. We don't really have true friends abroad. We have countries who have manipulated us into helping them for whatever reason. Whenever there is some sort of conflict between countries, we assist the one most beneficial to us. We give them aid, arms, food, etc. Then it turns out they go against us. The Iran-Iraq war is a perfect example of how stupid we are. I think this whole unjustified potential war against Iraq is a perfect example. We cannot come up with getting Bin Laden so our chances of getting Saddam is even less. We have hundreds of thousands of troops spread around the globe doing almost nothing while our borders are like a sieve. A total waste of energy and money and improper use of our military.

~ Warren F.

Texas Republicans

"Our Incoherent Foreign Policy Fuels Middle East Turmoil" by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX):

Here here! A sane commentary on our dismal foreign policy from a Republican from Texas. Will wonders never cease? Would that those other Republicans from Texas (Bush II and Cheney) would take heed and stop pandering to their buddies in Big Oil. But I guess that's a little too much to ask.

America has never started a war and I firmly believe that the American people are against starting one now. We can only hope that our unelected "President Dubya" will let some sense of decency guide him and pursue a diplomatic course, rather than continue his belligerence on behalf of Exxon/Mobil, Texaco, etc.

~ Thomas Hartley, North Carolina

Militaristic Patriots

This is in response to the letter by "MS" posted on November 27 concerning Sascha Mastuszak's "The Incoming Hu Era." "MS" is characteristic of the militaristic "patriots" that the War Party produces today. Despite the fact that Mastuszak's article doesn't even address issues of Chinese military capabilities in any significant way, "MS" goes off on a tangential rant about "Chinese aggression" and military development.

To be blunt, if he wants to find aggression, he should examine the history of the American nation itself which has been founded upon militarism, aggression, and expansionism. He should ask Native Americans about the history of American genocide against indigenous peoples in North America, for example. Or perhaps, he should ask native Hawaiians about the fact that America stole and occupies what was once an independent island nation. Better yet, he should ask Mexicans how they feel about America's "annexation" and occupation of Mexican territory which he calls the "American Southwest" but others call Aztlan. This American aggression continues today in the form of bloody interventions from Somalia to Kosovo which "MS" delusionally believes are humanitarian in nature. This aggression is manifest in the unending "War on Terror" which seems suspiciously like a another American Manifest Destiny to colonize the world. Indeed, he should familiarize himself with the new Bush Doctrine and National Security Strategy of the USA. Beneath all the euphemisms and phony rhetoric is a thinly disguised manifesto for global American Empire that is more expansionist than anything that Hitler ... could dream up.

Finally, "MS" even engages in an accountant's trick worthy of Arthur Andersen when he pushes the idea that military spending is best judged by percent of GDP, as opposed to the actual numbers themselves. By this measure, I suppose, North Korea is the greatest military power on this planet....

~ D.E.

Whine or Campaign?

Regarding "Hail Henry!" by Justin Raimondo:

Justin Raimondo offers a number of strange reasons not to be enraged about the appointment of a proven liar and war criminal to the job of investigating 9/11. Perhaps most disingenuous is that Kissinger at least won't go along with all that Wahabist conspiracy hocus-pocus. True, he won't countenance an investigation of Israel's possible involvement (which I myself am sceptical about), but that is because he is a "diplomat". I really think Raimondo is obliged to say that Kissinger is less interested in diplomacy on this matter than PR. Selling a message that the public can swallow without anything sticking in the throat. The fact that one could never have expected a fair investigation of all the evidence from the US government is no reason to sit in smug silence while we are insulted and taken for saps by the state.

As for leftists "whining" about the Pinochet coup against Allende, a "commie", let us never forget, who may have turned out to be a dreadful Castro – forget if you like that Allende's government was never more radical than a left social democrat one, that there was no serious move to transfer economic or political power to the masses. Forget also that Castro is not a threat to the US, and that his country is the victim of decades of economic blockade, most recently under the Helms-Burton act. And forget, if you were ever made aware, that the US shelters and protects Cuban terrorists who regularly hijack airplanes and blow up hotels in opposition to Castro. Is there not something incongruent about an antiwar critic accusing those opposed to the imperialist intervention of the US in another country, and the many thousands of lives that were lost under the proto-fascist dictatorship that resulted, of whining? Perhaps we should only criticise those interventions that were not designed to oust "commies", but where is the fun in that?

Most bizarrely of all, Raimondo offers an explanation for the animus against Kissinger that seems to forget Kissinger's own provenance: "Well, you see, lots of people – foreigners, mostly – don't seem to like Kissinger very much." ...

~ Richard Seymour, London, England

Pinochet vs. Allende

Regarding "Hail Henry!" by Justin Raimondo:

While I treasure your deft deflation of ideological holies, I must say that placing coup in quotes in relation to the overthrow of the Allende government appears inconsistent with your usual perspicacious defense of the anti-imperialist standard.

Perhaps the inference is my own but you seem to be suggesting that Chile was "better off" for the ghoulish Henry K. and Company's machinations, an assertion which would dispose of any need for a principled defense of self-determination.

We cannot be sure that Comrade Allende might have employed the cabana gulag in his pursuit of "reform" but we know as a matter of historical certainty what Pinochet is responsible for, as well as who put him up to it.

Perhaps Pinochet's version of social control was not as atrocious in scale – in only the abstract way such crimes can be compared, of course – to what his Operation Condor contemporaries engaged in, but in my opinion it still defies any common sense defense of libertarian principles.

In any case, please keep up the amazing work. I am a Phoenix antiwar activist and Antiwar.com is my favorite resource.

~ Tom Coffeen

Citizens' Panel

Regarding "Hail Henry!" by Justin Raimondo:

Kissinger or any other "official or former official" is not suitable to head or take part in this investigation. It will be another Warren Commission type set up. Intelligent, honest, capable private citizens should be the make up of this panel. They should be supplied with facts and documents, etc. by our government and foreign governments which have information. The public is interested in the truth.

~ Rick O.

Allende/Hussein

Regarding "Hail Henry!" by Justin Raimondo:

"Let the left whine about the Pinochet 'coup' and ... Commie Allende."

Have you always been anti-intervention or is it just a better gig at this moment in time? You lose a little credibility if you give the impression that assassinating the left-leaning elected leaders of Guatemala and Chile is OK, but think that interfering with Iraq's non-elected leader is an abomination. ...

~ JJM

9/11 Whitewash

Regarding "Hail Henry!" by Justin Raimondo:

Doesn't Justin realize that the more he rants and raves about commies and lefties, the more he makes himself look like every bit the whack job he accuses others of being? He doesn't know the meaning of an all-inclusive antiwar movement. The person who wrote in saying that he never, or as little as possible, slams right-wing conservatives is right on the money.

Let's all be happy that the 9/11 commission will be a whitewash because, hey, at least it will be a right-wing whitewash, right?

~ Kyle McBride

Behind Closed Doors

Regarding "Fighting Dirty" by Justin Raimondo:

Thank you so much for this article about Jack McGeorge. It’s about time someone stated that the Media needs to get out of everyone’s “behind closed doors” business, especially sexually.

~ Mea Clift, Washington DC

Right On, Eric Garris!

Regarding "All I want for Christmas is a bombed-out dollhouse," by Krista Foss:

I telephoned JC Penney a month or so ago and actually spoke with a "marketing specialist" in the Plano, Texas office. She assured me that many retailers were selling the "Forward Command Post" and the "sniper set," both recommended for "ages 5 and up," and besides, "children that age are too young to figure out what the toys mean anyway." So there you have it. Anything for a buck. Perhaps the "made in China" labels will turn off some Americans, though the toys are such a steal!

~ Sue Skinner, Astoria, Oregon

The Intifada

It's great to see you publish a story that gives one pause and suggests there is hope for the malaise in the Mideast. The story ["Intifada will cost us everything, says Palestinian leader"] by Inigo Gilmore (Daily News, December 2, 2002) sums up what I've believed for a long time, for the Palestinians to achieve peace and possible a state they must renounce the violence, achieve grass roots support and move to a new beginning. Mr. Abbas and Mr. Nusseibeh have shown great courage by publicly questioning the wisdom of continuing their conflict with Israel with violence as opposed to civil negotiations. As a former resident of that part of the world I hope that the Palestinian leadership will seize these homegrown initiatives and ignore the cry's of hatred from beyond the borders who yearn only for more blood and more hatred.

~ DB

Smoking

Reading over the most recent issues, I must ask: What has Justin Raimondo been smoking? More importantly, could he send me some of it, postpaid, to the address below?

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

~ Chris Weber, ... France

Pearl Harbor Day

Another "day of infamy" reminder fast approaching, and will we still be seeing and hearing of "the dastardly attack" now that Dubya has justified the concept of "preemptive attacks" in his speech the U.N. last month?

~ Stephen B.