Posted December 6, 2002

Simple

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

I agree wholeheartedly with Rep. Ron Paul. If the US did what he says then not only those terrorists will find no recruits but people in the Middle East will start to change their outlook about the US, from one of hatred and resentment to one of a welcoming friend.

How do I know? Well, I am a Muslim from the ME, over 50 years, well conversed with the history of the bleeding place and read like a fish in water. I have also lived half of my life in various other countries including Britain and the US.

You see, it is that simple: treat people well and they will respect you. Treat them like dirt – for over 100 years – and they will resent you and some will turn that anger into revenge. Need I say more? Why can't Bush and his wise (wo)men get the grasp of such simple human behaviour? Perhaps they do but are too afraid of the Israeli lobbyists and now including self-proclaimed Christian Zionists. Unfortunately, when religion comes into it (on both sides) the damage can be immense and blinkers fully tightened.

Still bless you for speaking the truth.

~ Ahmed Asgher, New Zealand

Reverse Policies

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

I would like to congratulate you on your article written on December 3. It is nice to see that some politicians have the courage to express their opposition towards our demented president's illusions.

I would just like to say that I would have to disagree with you about the idea that the US should stop interfering in the Middle East indefinitely. As you said, if democratic elections were held in the Middle East (Muslim) countries as of right now, most governments would become fundamentalist – the reason being is that the US has supported corrupt governments for very long time and also the unimaginable support for the state of Israel. The US should reverse its policies concerning the Middle East by helping Muslims understand the real democratic values, because, if not, this will only provoke even more hatred towards the US and even more radicalism.

I cannot wait for the day Mr. Bush will be defeated in the next election. Lacking the morality of a true leader, he is doomed for failure. I feel a little relived to see someone of stature opposes the president's stand. I hope the American public would be a little more aware of international issues so that many more of us could send the message to Bush that "America will not fight in Iraq."

~ Darius Mixich

Mention Israel's Nukes

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

I am a Syrian citizen. I am not really into politics let alone wars, but I have to say that your article on the "Middle East Turmoil" cannot be any truer and I agree with every word you wrote. Only there is one thing missing: you haven't mentioned the nuclear weapons (200 warheads, I assume) that "above-the-law" Israel has stockpiled since the sixties. Therefore, in order to make your article fair to all Arabs who don't like Americans, I suggest you mention Israel, who has "jumped" almost every U.N. resolution that saw light.

~ M.S.

Government

Regarding "Deck Chairs on the Ship of State" by Alan Bock:

Enjoyed and find much to agree with in your article. Why the public does not understand that government will seek and use any opportunity to grow is beyond me. And, as Shumpeter said, Government, all government will move inexorably to take away the individual's independence and freedom.

People in government want the sane things those in the private sector want; more money, a bigger office, more power and a better looking secretary. In civilian life you get those by building a better mouse trap and working your but off. In government you get them by growing the government.

I wish there were only two intelligence organizations. When I was on staff in D.C. I counted over a dozen. They didn't talk to each other. As I wrote recently, when I was fighting in Vietnam, I got all my intel from the Okinawa Star, which I had delivered to my CP each day. I got the same info from the G-2 types a week later.

~ Gil Ferguson

Russia

Just read Justin Raimondo's Russia article ["To Russia, with Love"]. While I normally like Raimondo, this one was, well, a little bizarre.

Russia's economy is most emphatically not imploding. In fact, it has been growing for four solid years. The Russian stock exchange was the best performing in the world last year. This growth is being driven in large part, believe it or not, by middle-class consumer spending. The Russian middle class, which is maybe 30% of the population, does not pay rent, since they mostly own their own apartments; it does not pay much in the way of utilities, since those are heavily subsidized; it barely pays phone bills; it does not put money into banks because it does not trust them. That money all goes to Russian-made consumer goods, which are not of bad quality in fact. Russians can afford a hell of a lot more than a Barbie war fantasy play house. Moscow has a higher standard of living than most American cities.

As for the Red Star, so what? It may be hard for most Americans to comprehend, but Russians view the Red Star as the military emblem of the army that defeated Hitler. If not for that army, the swastika might well now be hanging over Moscow, as well as London. I say go for it.

The war in Chechnya, while brutal, is hardly "genocidal." Three-quarters of Chechens don't even live in Chechnya. They live elsewhere in Russia and are full Russian citizens.

~ Chris D., Moscow, Russia

Sympathy for Russia

Regarding "To Russia, with Love" by Justin Raimondo:

...I think it is simply disgusting to use the decisions of the Russian government as a pretext to start ridiculing the tragedy of the Russian people and the demographic catastrophe resulting from the change of regimes and the economic chaos that followed....

Generally, for a person who is informed about the current distribution of wealth and power in the world and with the forces that rule this distribution, it would be really surprising and simplistic to attribute the tragedy of Russians to just Russian stupidity or whatever else of the kind. I thought muscle logic was not typical of Justin.

I, being a citizen of another country, where pensioners live on between $30 and $50 per month, am filled with sympathy towards the Russians. It is clear to me that it's not because I am stupid (I am studying for a second university degree, speak four languages and etc.) that I cannot help my country solve the economic crisis.

It is probably because I am not so stupid and at the same time have suffered some want in my life that I learned to understand the other forces that act in this big game of world economics. And so I also learned to understand the tragedy and problems of others. Unlike Justin, maybe. ...

~ Fortuna M.

Mortensen

I don't know if there have been any wire reports on it, but Viggo Mortensen was on The Charlie Rose Show last night – ostensibly to promote the new movie The Two Towers – wearing a shirt handpainted "No More Blood For Oil." The spot turned into a lengthy dialogue about the United States role dictating to the rest of the world with weapons and extortion. Mortensen acquitted himself extremely well, hitting many of the same points that Raimondo did in his review of Fellowship ("Sauron in Washington") last December. Hopefully the media will pick the story up, but I suspect if it does, Mortensen will be wrongly condemned as a traitor.

~ Dave Fisher

Deceit in Attack on Iraq

The proposed attack on Iraq and the Gulf war was and is not about human rights violations, Iraq's attack on it's neighbors or disarmament of weapons of mass destruction but mostly about a secure supply of oil. The President and his father used deceit to obtain this goal.

Before the attack during the Gulf was the senior Bush administration said that 250,000 Iraqi troops and 1,500 tanks stood on the Saudi Arabian border. This was a complete lie there were no troops or tanks there.

When Iraq attacked Iran and committed human rights violations the United States participated by supplying them with intelligence information. The United States tried to overthrow the democratically elected government in Venezuela recently because they perceived that the fuel supply from country could be jeopardized.

If Iraq is a threat to it's neighbors and the United States, as this administration claims, why does the administration claim that Iraq's military is much weaker than it was during the Gulf war? They also claim that Iraq would not dare use biological or chemical weapons on attacking American troops because the United States would threaten to use nuclear weapons, which is what Americans did during the Gulf war. If threatening the use of nuclear weapons is a deterrent why do they claim that Iraq is a threat to the United States?

During a news briefing yesterday Donald Rumsfeld twisted himself all out of shape trying to explain his contradictions. The American public should have the courage to say no to this deceitful and warmongering administration.

~ Kenneth D. Curry, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada