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November 2009
For years we have been told that there was a "consensus" on global warming. We
see from the leaked e-mail scandal that "climate scientists" have conspired to
prevent publication of skeptical research, even to the point of getting editors
fired to pervert the "peer review" system. This is not how real science is
done. It has also been known that the largest single expression of scientific
opinion, the widely unreported petition of over 31,000 scientists, says that
not only is there no catastrophic warming but that increasing CO2 [carbon
dioxide] is beneficial, because CO2 helps crops grow. It has long been obvious
that a disproportionate number of scientists putting their heads above the
parapet against global warming were emeritus (retired) professors. I have asked
on a number of alarmist websites if it is possible to name two scientists not
paid, directly or indirectly, by government or the likes of Greenpeace who
actually say that catastrophic warming is real. So far none of them have
produced even a single name, so I appeal through your pages to see if anybody
can. It is time to have an open and public enquiry, as with Iraq, taking
evidence under oath to investigate all aspects.
Neil Craig
Glasgow, UK (Nov 30, '09)
[Re India lays to
rest a Bush-era ghost, November 25] M K Bhadrakumar speaks with a
mystical voice but the message is cryptic. ... Bhadrakumar does let us in on an
"open secret": that Saudi Arabia is engaging [Taliban leader] Mullah Omar, as
part of an eventual exit strategy for the United States leaving Afghanistan.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Nov 30, '09)
[Re When the cat's
away ..., November 23] In order to impart effective global leadership,
the United States must first put its economic house back in order. Yet, with
the likes of Goldman Sachs continuing their merry money-making ways and in
hubristic contempt for the public's welfare (See
Goldman Sachs and US demise, November 23), one just doesn't get the
feeling that the nation is heading in the right direction. When the stock
markets crash again in reflection of the country's true underlying economic
conditions, any vestigial semblance of a once unquestioned and unchallenged
leadership role that America still has on the world stage will take another
serious hit.
John Chen
USA (Nov 25, '09)
[Re In China, an easy
route to academic glory, November 24] Stephen Wong reveals a new
wrinkle to the corruption game in China. This time, we see an inflation in the
number of PhDs. High-ranking officials now obtain advanced degrees without
going through the rigors of exams. In this way, they elevate their egos, but
they are a poor reflection of the glorious imperial scholars of China's past.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Nov 25, '09)
[Re When the cat's
away ..., November 23] Spengler once again delivers a masterpiece that
makes every reader think. There are three important parts that I want to
comment about. First of all the "non-being" of Defense Secretary Gates. This is
the policy of the Obama administration: non-policy. I have never seen an
administration so eager to try to alienate people with rhetoric as Obama's. I
would have loved to have seen the world leaders present walk out of Gates'
speech as a sign of protest against all the nonsense that he put into it. The
funny thing is that this is not just Gates' problem. The entire West is dancing
the dance of death and the Western world has its weakest leadership ever. It
could not get worst than this. To the Obama administration's credit; they don't
talk about Afghanistan because they are clueless about it. They have no idea
how to confront the Taliban in a battlefield as complex as Afghanistan. Second,
the conflict with Israel and Palestine won't stop for a while. Spengler is one
of the few Western journalists that reports the luxury and abundance in which
so-called "Palestinian leaders" live in abroad. Hamas should track some of them
down and execute them. While Hamas is fighting for its existence (that's what
they believe, I consider them terrorists), some Palestinian leaders are saving
fortunes for themselves. And you thought they all ride a donkey. Hamas is not
the solution to the Palestinian problem but the West must "grab the bull by its
horns". Third, I was one of the few strong supporters of French President
Nicolas Sarkozy when he said he will not be the one to "tell French
schoolchildren that the borders of Europe extend to Syria and Iraq". He was
referring to the admission of Turkey to the European Union. Sooner or later
Turkey will join the radical Islamic community, which is where it belongs.
Turkey does not belong to Europe and it should never belong to Europe.
Ysais A Martinez
Pennsylvania, USA (Nov 24, '09)
[Re Goldman
Sachs and US demise, November 23] Don't expect United States President
Barack Obama to "punish" Goldman Sachs, nor challenge the assertion of its CEO,
Lloyd Blankfein, that the investment bank was "doing God's work". Although
Blankfein has reaped censure for his claim, the house of Goldman Sachs remains
powerful enough to bend politicians and the US economy to its will. Were it not
for the nudging of Warren Buffet, a significant minority shareholder, Goldman
Sachs wouldn't have stooped to "majestically" offer $500m over five years to
jump-start 10,000 small business. This represents about 2.3% of the billions
that Blankfein has set aside for bonuses. To say that Blankfein is spitting in
the eye of the US taxpayer is an understatement.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Nov 24, '09)
Poor India: Anti-terror
ties bridge US-India gap [November 23]. Its mantra of "in America we
trust" no longer seems to deliver the goods. India's (or rather some Indian
diplomats and politicians') love affair with the United States and its
surrogate Israel has now boxed India in a tight corner that can only get
tighter. Soon, now that the world economy has started to come out of the
current recession, India will wake up to the reality that Israel is one of the
few Middle Eastern countries that does not have oil. Since Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin's Russia has by now learnt that having the world's largest
reserves of natural gas can be used for political leverage, India really should
concentrate on how it votes on Iranian nuclear issues in the International
Atomic Energy Agency.
TutuG,
UK (Nov 24, '09)
[Re Cheers all round for
Obama in Korea, November 20] United States President Barack Obama was
widely cheered by US forces at Osan air base, but things were different in the
streets of Seoul. "Protesters greeted the American president." One has to look
to the Financial Times of London for a picture of protesters and the reasons
behind the call to action in the streets of South Korea's capital. Obama
revived hope of a languishing free-trade agreement among South Korea's elite,
angering his legislative supporters in Washington. He also pushed aside any
move to stop [US special envoy on North Korea] Stephen Bosworth's trip to
Pyongyang in December. But while Obama uses pretty words to please crowds, they
often lack substance.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Nov 23, '09)
[Re Nuclear fallout
rocks Pakistan, November 19] Dear Syed Saleem Shahzad, I much enjoyed
reading your recent article in Asia Times Online on "Pakistan's nuclear
debate". You are correct that the Seymour Hersh piece [New Yorker magazine,
November 16] has opened the floodgates and also that the Nuclear Command
Authority setup under [former] president Pervez Musharraf is the right
mechanism for the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear assets. Everyone is
quite disturbed by President Asif Ali Zardari's statement that there is an
understanding of sorts between his administration and the Americans on the
safety of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. I would like to take this opportunity to
correct the record regarding some statements you made in your piece:
1.) While president Musharraf is deeply concerned regarding the situation in
Pakistan, he is yet to decide about his political role after the two-year bar
on his political activity expires on November 27.
2. I can categorically refute that president Musharraf has received any
contributions from any country in the Middle East or anywhere else for that
matter.
3. He has also not received any donations from any telecoms company or
individual as alleged in your article.
4. No PR Firm has been hired in the US, UK or Pakistan.
5. Volunteers are supporting president Musharraf wherever he goes to speak in
the world.
6. President Musharraf just completed a highly successful six-week tour of the
United States where he gave 16 lectures at prestigious fora and was invited to
meet with members of Congress, think tanks and the editorial boards of the New
York Times, Washington Times and the Wall Street Journal to name just a few.
Dr Nasim Ashraf (Nov 20, '09)
Official Spokesperson for former President Pervez Musharraf
I stand by my story. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
[Re New York
readies for the 'Gitmo Five', November 19] Holding the trial of "Gitmo
Five" in New York has little to do with the safety or integrity of the Southern
District of New York's courts; it has very much to do with gaining political
points. Consider former mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has joined the fray of
fearmongers. Here is a man who tamed "crime-ridden" New York; who strengthened
and modernized the New York Police Department and who acted with energy and
leadership during the September 11, 2001, attacks. He is a man who projects a
no-nonsense approach in all things, yet he is marching in step with retrograde
elements of his Republican Party who are jostling for recapture of political
territory lost in the 2008 national elections. We are witnessing a campaign of
terror to gum up the wheels of justice.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Nov 20, '09)
[Re Hu and Obama seal
real deals, November 18] What a refreshing article! I never understood
the United States government and American left's obsession with the Dalai Lama,
the Uyghurs, Kosovo or Georgia. Finally we have understood that we have to
improve our relationship with the powerful players of the global arena. Some
weeks ago I was a little nervous because some writers thought that the US was
involved somehow with Turkey in promoting provincial rebellions in Xinjiang.
Our country (the US) cannot afford to compromise strategic alliances for lost
causes like the Tibet and the Dalai Lama, who in my view is a trouble maker. I
disagree with many of the Chinese policies but no one can deny that the lives
of the Chinese people improve every day thanks to the leadership of the ruling
"communist" party. As an American I welcome the growth of China, the
improvement of the living conditions of its people, and the endorsement of
President Barack Obama (whose policies I usually detest) to Chinese success and
economic growth! Make no mistake about it, the US more than anyone else needs a
strong, prosperous China. President Hu Jintao is also demonstrating outstanding
leadership and commitment to world issues such as Islamic terrorism, the
financial crisis, and nuclear proliferation.
Ysais Martinez (Nov 19, '09)
Obama dodges Chinese
missiles [November 18], by Peter J Brown, broaches the subject of
China's military buildup in an insightful albeit circuitous way. The thrust is
that a country of China's current and projected economic size is fully expected
to be militarily formidable, particularly in the South China Sea. Touted
transparency in expenditure and top strategic plans are not going to alter this
basic fact. China is not going to divulge the launch codes of the thousands of
missiles that it is fully expected to have. Even if China did concede global
military leadership to the US and become quite transparent, it still would be
beyond diplomatic reproach for it to spend 3% of its GNP on defense, thus
achieving its objectives. Who are the friends implied in the "US continues to
work with our allies and friends in the region to monitor these developments"?
This is a friend that cannot be an ally. Who is the target of the "coercive
options" in the "capability [that] would provide China with preemptive and
coercive options in a regional crisis"? The same "friend" - Taiwan. The fact
that Taiwan is an island without energy gives the Chinese mainland multiple and
very effective "coercive options" without preemptive military initiatives. The
US would have to start a war to the detriment of Taiwan in order to overcome
the "coercive options" that turn it into another successful Hong Kong. What
cries out loud is the compelling logic that the best for Taiwan is humaneness,
not any alleged right of self-determination. Eventually, the US will not be
able to circumvent the multiple Chinese peaceful "coercive options" on the
Taiwan economy and at the same time prevent starting a war. "Instead of risking
a disaster on the diplomatic front by mentioning military or missile-related
concerns, perhaps Obama is far wiser, even scoring numerous points on an
entirely different front - the social networking domain." Right on! The US
presses for transparency but cannot expect more.
Jeff Church
USA (Nov 19, '09)
[Re Hu and Obama seal
real deals, November 18] United States President Barack Obama's trip to
China reminds me of the accused felon who, when confronted with the
overwhelming evidence of his guilt, points out to the jury how he is actually
the victim of his accuser's accusations. Instead of being contrite or even
humble, Obama goes on the offensive, lecturing the Chinese about this and that,
undoubtedly expecting the Chinese to feel like they are in the witness stand
and defending themselves for some unknown crime. The Americans, who should be
feeling sheepish at having to prop up their rotten capitalist lean-to society
with communist lucre, instead decide to pretend that they are wearing clothes,
and not just rags at that. They almost brag about how China's holding trillions
in declining-value dollars actually makes their Asian lender a helpless pawn in
Washington's continued quest for hegemony. So at the poker table of
international finance, the down-on-his-luck US card player figures he can bluff
his Chinese opponent with a pair of deuces. The Chinese can only be amused and
saddened at the irony of a naked Uncle Sam betting the farm that China will
continue flushing currency down the fiscal toilet. That the dollar will be
replaced is all but a given; all that remains is for the players without gold
and oil and hard commodities to stake their future on illusion, guile and
subterfuge. I can hear the Pentagon's sabers rattling now.
Hardy Campbell
Texas, USA (Nov 19, '09)
[Re A new
courtship for Southeast Asia, November 18] United States President
Barack Obama hardly had time to do anything in Singapore. He simply showed up;
proffered a few words of hope and took his place in group photos. Yet, it
looked as though his mere appearance in Singapore was enough to soothe
Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders' fears that America was going to
continue "neglecting" this region. And thus, the Obama magic has cast its
intoxicating spell once again. Yes, he did talk to Myanmar's generals, but
Myanmar is a regime which simply mirrors the authoritarian practices of ASEAN
members.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Nov 19, '09)
[Re 'Northern
Taliban' threatens Central Asia, November 17] It looks as though the
Taliban are encircling the beleaguered United States and North Atlantic Treaty
Organization forces in Afghanistan, from the south and now the north. British
Foreign Minister David Milliband and Harvard professor Rory Stewart, along with
voices out of the Barack Obama administration, are now calling for making peace
with those Taliban warlords who are unhappy with the central government in
Kabul. Given the checkerboard tribal and ethnic configuration of Afghanistan,
this seems a practical idea, and it may lead to closure on a war seemingly
without end. The sooner these elements make an arrangement with Kabul, the
quicker the guns will be stilled. Former US president George W Bush missed the
opportunity to change the rules in Afghanistan after the overthrow of Taliban
leader Omar Mullah and his gang, by going into Iraq. What Milliband and Stewart
are calling for is a way to snatch victory from the jaws of certain defeat.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Nov 18, '09)
[Re The benefits
of a nuclear Iran, November 17] Well done Aetius Romulous! The United
States and Russia should give Iran and all the Central Asian states half a
dozen bombs each, and negotiate with all the other nuclear powers including
Israel to reduce their nuclear arsenals to just a dozen bombs. Bargaining chips
will be in place, the playing fields will be leveled and the US will avoid any
further loss of face with its insane, costly, unwinnable military adventures
far from home.
AAL
Calgary, Canada (Nov 18, '09)
[Re Welcome comrade
Maobama, November 16] United States President Barack Obama, as Pepe
Escobar rightly observes, is a smart man with a firm grasp of the issues
besetting America. But much like his predecessors, Obama has quickly learned
that the bold solutions he hatched while a non-White House occupant don't
readily lend themselves to political expediency. History shows us that great
men are celebrated not only for their audacity to dream, but also to act, even
if at the expense of personal discomfort and temporary national hardship. A
mere 10 months into his term, and the narrow window of opportunity to enact the
promised changes with which Obama so powerfully enthralled the nation during
his presidential campaign may well have come and gone.
John Chen
USA (Nov 17, '09)
I read Asia Times Online every day that my laptop is available to me, and I
always come away feeling updated as to the "state of the universe". In today's
[November 16] issue, simple one-liners in two articles brought me the comfort
of knowing that their respective authors continue to be tuned in to reality. In
Kaveh Afrasiabi's piece
Test of wills over Iran plan, he said, "The ticking clock of more
sanctions and even military action are the worst way to deal with Iran's
'nuclear threat' simply by virtue of the fact that a threatened Iran is more
likely to go fully nuclear". I say, Amen! In
Welcome comrade Maobama, Pepe Escobar's parody of the People's Republic
of China responding to US President Barack Obama's Tokyo statement that: "the
United States does not seek to contain China", he writes, "But we were just
wondering whether your generals - avid practitioners of the full spectrum
dominance doctrine - were listening". These two journalistic gems suggest the
reality, that the (good) words of an American president can never be valid so
long as a military industrial complex is in charge. As things stand, Iran has
no choice but to go the nuclear route - and China had better watch its
back(yard).
Keith E Leal
Canada (Nov 17, '09)
Pepe Escobar's Welcome,
comrade Maobama [November 16], pretty much nailed the absurd posturing
of the United States regarding China's economy and view of the dollar. So we
should punish China for having the good sense to not spend itself into
oblivion? Maybe the US should work to bring back some of those decent paying
jobs that once resided Stateside before being shipped overseas to countries
like China - all helped by generous tax breaks from a colluding Congress only
interested in getting re-elected and huge donations for campaign war chests. No
country can compete with the labor market like China. It's been known to pay a
princely six cents an hour to indentured labor for making items greedily
consumed by the Wal-Mart nation. One more thing, President Barack Obama, don't
get too far away from your teleprompter, because when you do and speak, you
bring back memories of the tongue-tied former president George W Bush.
Greg Bacon
Ava, Missouri USA (Nov 17, '09)
[Re Korean model
triumphs over West, November 16] Ian Williams waxes poetic in praising
the Korean model. Seoul learnt lessons from the 1998 crisis, which brought much
worry to its chaebol [conglomerates]. This said, South Korea was never
saddled with mountains of subprime mortgage debt. Nor does it have to bolster
"zombie banks". Williams' eye captures the glitter but not the darker side of
South Korea's economy.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Nov 17, '09)
[Re Korea: Looking for a
fight, November 13] North Korea is never going to give up its nuclear
weapons. The six-party talks have been a complete scam that has allowed North
Korea to stall the world for 15 years as they received over US$12 billion in
aid. North Korea is getting ready to undergo a famine similar to the one in the
late 1990s, when 1-3 million North Koreans died. I do not believe that the
North Korean people are going to behave like they did in 1995 and sit there and
quietly starve to death. They have been exposed to more outside forces, such as
watching South Korean DVDs, and they realize they have been sold a bill of
goods. The Kim Jong-il regime remains in power solely through its ability to
terrorize the people of North Korea. The world should air drop several million
small radios on North Korea to increase the knowledge of its people and speed
the collapse of this evil regime. That's the only plan that will get rid of
their nuclear weapons.
Dennis O'Connell
USA (Nov 16, '09)
Pepe Escobar's Welcome
to Pashtunistan [November 6], misses a few factors that I would like to
point out. First, intermarriage among the various ethnic communities in
Pakistan is far more common than it was in the previous generation. Pashtuns
are no exception to this. In fact, in the urban populations (which are growing
rapidly in Pakistan as in other developing countries) it is rare to find a
family without some intermarriage. Many Pashtuns are married to both Punjabis
and Mohajirs, thus blurring ethnic identities in generations to come in favor
of a Pakistani identity foremost. Second, there is a very large Pashtun
population in Karachi. In fact, the largest number of Pashtuns in Pakistan
reside in Karachi and not in Peshawar. Their earnings, job opportunities, etc
are something that many Pashtuns, even from remote villages, would not want to
give up in favor of a Pashtunistan - they would rather stick with Pakistan,
which offers more opportunity. Third, the demand to re-name the province
"Pakhtunkhwa" was rejected by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (Nawaz Sharif's
party) but accepted by almost all the others. And I know many Pashtuns who
couldn't really care - it was more of an ANP (Awami National Party) hang-up
rather than anything else. People are far more concerned with security, jobs,
cheap food than they are with what the province is called. Nevertheless,
currently, half the people in Pakistan call it Pakhtunkhwa and the other half "Sarhad"
(the urdu name for it, meaning frontier). Incidentally, there are other
communities who reside within Pakhtunkhwa - such as the Hazaras (hindko
speaking) as well as the Seraiki speakers in the southern part of the province
- ANP has no support here and these people were dead against the name change.
Finally, Jamiat-i-Ulama-i-Islam (JUI) is not exactly a pious force fighting
against a corrupt Westernized government. Unfortunately, corruption is not
limited to the Westernized elite and has thoroughly permeated the mullah elite
as well. ... In sum, I doubt Pashtunistan is happening any time soon. Where
Pakistan does have a problem is Balochistan - the two situations are totally
different. I am sure Escobar meant well, but in our dislike for imperialist
forces we cannot glorify those who are also corrupt and ineffective, or
overplay the power of imperialist forces.
Ayesha Ijaz Khan
London, UK (Nov 16, '09)
It's usually the small indicators of the hoi polloi on the street that signal
the true decline of an ex-superpower. In the case of the United States of
America, it's the skyrocketing rate of shoplifting. Once the almost exclusive
domain of kids looking for after-school thrills and hard-core junkies, the
perpetrators are increasingly found to be so-called middle classers, who once
derided such profit-busting crimes as being the products of broken homes or
racial defects. Now, with the Gucci shoe on the other foot, the rationalization
of such ethical faux pas includes the economic collapse, their own
personal needs of maintaining a middle-class lifestyle and the tried 'n' true
"Everyone's doing it." Of course, this is not surprising; the same sort of
excuse-making skills have well-served an American citizenry who have proclaimed
fealty to democracy while wooing and bedding dictators, and preaching fiscal
restraint to poor countries while they sold their own country down the river
for a sack of 401K gold. The irony of all these erstwhile embracers of
kleptocapitalism is that they are sucking the already dwindling profits of
struggling companies, making their survival increasingly problematic. The cycle
of erosion will continue as these firms close their doors and put more future
thieves on the streets and in the remaining, crippled stores. But why not, I
say? In a kleptocratic state such as the US, thieves enjoy their day in the
sun, as evidenced by Enron, AIG, Halliburton and Goldman Sachs, before the
enemy of all Americans, The Truth, rears its ugly head. But as soon as that
malefactor is exposed, another quickly fills that empty slot, basking in the
adoring and amnesia-ridden attention of an all-too-easily-deceived public,
looking for another instant success story.
Hardy Campbell
Houston Texas USA (Nov 16, '09)
In US Finally Wise to
Pyongyang's Ways, [November 11] Andrei Lankov concludes that "If North
Korean strategists expect large monetary rewards from these negotiations, they
should prepare themselves for disappointment. They have to invent some new
tricks - and this is what they will probably do." There isn't much he could
have said here that would have been more ominous. There are plenty of ways the
North Koreans could ratchet this situation up still further, including - as he
mentions - giving weapons to terrorists. North Koreans are masters of
propaganda, and they won't allow themselves to drop out of the headlines for
long. The endgame here probably isn't in these little diplomatic victories that
constrain North Korean power, but rather an acceptance of North Korea as a
legitimate country. Without disparaging the efforts of American diplomats, a
comprehensive, long-term solution to the North Korean nuclear standoff is hard
to imagine for now.
David Stinson
USA (Nov 13, '09)
Pepe Escobar's two-part series, Under the AFPAK Volcano (Welcome
to Pashtunistan, November 6 and
Breaking up is (not) hard to do, November 7) should be required reading
for all who aspire to understand the complexities of what is going on "under
the AFPAK volcano". For in public discussions about Afghanistan, it is almost
impossible to discern fact from fiction due to the hype, misinformation, sheer
ignorance and the blah, blah, blah emanating from the "beltway think tankers",
24-hour news cycles, editorial pages and people from the George W Bush
administration. The simple truth that must be repeated over and over again
regarding Afghanistan is that it belongs to the Afghans and any solutions to
its complex problems must be an Afghan solution. The role of the United States
should be to develop strategies that help the Afghans resolve their own
problems. All non-Afghans, no matter how good their intentions, are seen as
foreign occupiers that must be driven out. Second, the US must remember why it
went to Afghanistan. It was to destroy those who attacked the US on September
11, 2001, and the government that harbored them. Since that time, the
government that harbored the terrorists is gone, but those who attacked the US
because of the egregious blunders and total incompetence of the previous
administration have now metastasized into over 65 countries. Al-Qaeda was the
threat then, and is still the threat now. And today, as before, it is the same
lack of stability and justice that has given rise to a resurgent Taliban.
Third, India and Pakistan are using Afghanistan as a proxy to continue their
war over Kashmir. That war is fueled by money from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf
Arabs on the one side and India on the other. India is using its support for
the Pashtun's age-old desire for their own independent state to recruit
Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan to attack the government of Pakistan. And
Pakistan in turn is using the Taliban Afghans it created as an irregular force
to wage an irregular war against India. At the same time, in Afghanistan's 34
provinces, some ruled by warlords allied with the central government, there is
other fighting going on between families, clans, villages, tribes and regions.
This has nothing to do with the US and is a mess that the Obama administration
has inherited. The administration is right in taking as much time as needed to
devise a strategy that prevents Afghanistan from being used again as a staging
ground by terrorists to attack the US. More troops is not the answer. What is
needed is more locally trained teachers and health workers, and restoring
village governance. The people must have confidence that they are in control of
their own affairs and are governed justly by local leaders accountable to them,
not some far-off central government that is disliked. To extricate the US from
an endless conflict, the Obama administration's best chance for success is to
help the Afghan people restore that local governance. And furthermore, to get
the Pakistani and Indian mischief makers to stop doing what they are doing by
finally helping those two nations reach an accommodation over Kashmir.
Fariborz S Fatemi Virginia, USA (Nov 13, '09)
Andrei Lankov has little faith in United States diplomacy.
US finally wise to Pyongyang's ways [November 11] makes Washington out
to be a slow learner. US President Barack Obama knows who and what he is
dealing with in North Korea.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Nov 12, '09)
[Re Space is suddenly on
the China agenda, November 11] I was laughing when I read Peter J
Brown's latest article on China. Why would China owe United States President
Barack Obama and the US an explanation as to what General Xu Qiliang meant to
say? This is getting ridiculous: the US demands China and others explain their
intentions, while nobody makes such demands of the US, the lone superpower and
world hegemon. Is this because the US thinks we all assume that its intentions
are so benign, that the Americans only have the best interests of the mankind
at heart? Now you know when I couldn't stop laughing.
Juchechosunmanse (Nov 12, '09)
[Re Drones: A
slam-dunk weapons system , November 11] There are many countries,
groups, and individuals capable of making sophisticated remote-controlled air
and sea craft. With current satellite phone links and digital technology, it is
also possible for these vehicles to be controlled from almost anywhere on
earth. I can understand why the military thinks these are utopian devices (at
least while you have all of the drones). I can also appreciate that it is a
large can of worms and payback will be hell! The United States is good at
throwing rocks when they have all the rocks, but are less than gallant when
rocks are thrown back.
Ken Moreau
New Orleans, Louisiana (Nov 12, '09)
[Re Pentagon starts
an Afghan building boom, November 10] I'm sorry Nick Turse, but your
recent article didn't inspire me to protest or get upset, or write the
president, or move to Venezuela. If you live long enough, you get to see it
all. I know when I'm being baited, especially when the writer throws in
references to Burger King, Pizza Hut, Bojangles, Popeyes, etc. Correct me if
I'm wrong, but the basis of your story is that the US is in a serious downturn
slash recession, yet our government is spending hard-earned currency on luxury
items in a wasteland? Having been there and done that, I would venture a guess
that your reporting is the typical overblown hyperbole. You can trace this
mentality all the way back to Vietnam. How does a reporter get some attention?
He cherry picks a few anomalies and writes about them hoping to get a reaction.
Guess what? The average American is out of reactions. We don't care anymore.
You need a different audience. Maybe we finally figured it out. The media we
trusted is no longer trustworthy. We can no longer take in all this negative
information designed to immobilize us and make us indecisive. Personally, I'm
ashamed that we haven't adopted more aggressive tactics in the Afghan theater.
For your next article Turse, I hope you will report on the progress of the new
university the Taliban is constructing for Afghan women in their pursuit of
equal rights. US
digs deeper into Mindanao's mire [November 10] is another interesting
article from one of the world's hot spots. Now it's the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front. Thirty years ago is was the New People's Army. If I remember correctly,
a few United States Navy Seabees became victims of a grenade attack on the
Subic Naval Base back around 1976. What's changed since then? Well, the US gave
up the bases. So what's the beef now? Since the US left the Philippines, and we
can no longer be blamed, who is to blame? Was it the Communist Party of the
Philippines (CPP)? Was it the Philippine Communist Party (PKP)? The Moro
National Liberation Front (MNLF)? The history of insurgent groups reads like a
who's who of grenade tossers. Once again, the US is painted as a culprit. But I
ask, a culprit in what? What's the basis of the article? Tying the US into the
Philippines? We are no longer there. Why not write an article about how
Filipinos still desire US citizenship? You don't hear about them begging to go
to China, do you? You Asia Times Online writers need to grow up, or get a sense
of history. The world is not fair. Never was, never will be.
John Holmes
Chicago, Illinois
USA (Nov 11, '09)
Mel Cooper of Singapore's letter [November 9] asserts that the Chinese
Communist Party wishes to claim Arunachal Pradesh since it is a "piece of 'real
estate' which [China] failed to wrest from the Sino-Indian war in 1962". False,
during the Sino-Indian war of 1962, Chinese forces occupied Arunachal Pradesh
but withdrew under orders from Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, who wished to
negotiate and make friends out of his Indian neighbors. If only he could see
where his magnanimity would lead China and India's hyper-nationalists.
Hank
Australia (Nov 11, '09)
The 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's collapse merits attention to the
world situation today. Scholars will debate the fine points of Cold War
strategy until the Marxist cows come home, but few can question the essential
role played by Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev in transforming history. He,
in turn, will testify to the vital role that perestroika played in his
commitment to changing the derelict Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. That
word, subject to multiple interpretations and translations, represented the
necessary paradigm shift for transforming a discredited model of social and
political consciousness into a modern globalized and humanized philosophy of
interdependent community. Alas, such a noble zeitgeist proved too much for
countries dedicated to the Zero Sum School of International Relations, most
especially the United States, who saw this as sign of Soviet weakness
precipitated by former US president Ronald Reagan's bombast and bombs. Eager to
cash in on its "triumph", the US overcommitted on all fronts, thinking its
long-desired goal of total planetary political, cultural, military and
technological hegemony was now in its grasp. The resulting overextension of
hubris has resulted in its current dire economic straits, while Russia, once
prostrate and helpless, has re-asserted itself. So Gorbachev is now advising
Americans to take a dose or two of their own perestroika, a mental
re-structuring and banishment of dried-up and archaic falsehoods and
self-delusions. But to do so would puts us at odds with the US national
character, ever convinced that its way is God's way. To perestroika-ize
America, as former US president Jimmy Carter tried to do in 1979, would mean
Americans would not only need to admit that they are not God's Chosen People,
but also confess that they have failed as a nation, ideology and myth.
Hardy Campbell
Houston TX (Nov 11, '09)
In Dalai Lama calm
in the eye of a storm [November 10], by Saransh Sehgal, the essence
really is in the word calm. The calmness likely stems from a man's proximity to
natural death. Thus, the calmness should have extended outside the geopolitical
sphere into all interested countries. Within a few years, up to a decade, the
Dalai Lama's influence will come to a natural end. The question is will his
successor have his predecessor's influence, which in itself should neither be
overlooked nor exaggerated. What will the new Dalai Lama face? First, it will
be a much more confident and influential China. Second, the ceremonial process
for the creation of the new Dalai Lama will become a salient spectacle for the
world. The world has not vividly seen the religiosity behind the creation of
the current Dalai Lama; this in turn has led to the greater universality of
appeal in the Dalai Lama's message of peace for humanity. As juxtaposition to
such Tibetan religiosity, the more confident and perhaps more media-savvy
Chinese government will have a better chance to correctly portray the atrocious
serfdom that the current Dalai Lama presided over until the Chinese directed
social reform.
Jeff Church
USA (Nov 11, '09)
[Re Dalai Lama at
apex of Sino-Indian tensions, November 9] Tensions on the Sino-Indian
border are not helped by the presence of the Dalai Lama at the Tawang monastery
in Arunachal Pradesh. The Tibetan spiritual leader's visit simply feeds
Beijing's irredentist claims to ownership of that northern Indian province. It
is an open secret that the Chinese communist leadership has claimed the region
as its own, since it is a piece of "real estate" which it failed to wrest from
the Sino-Indian war in 1962.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Nov 10, '09)
[Re Dalai Lama at
apex of Sino-Indian tensions, November 9] Peter Lee's analysis is once
again excellent and insightful with a not unwelcome dash of humor. It is indeed
sad that elements exist within the Indian elite who wish to bring potential war
and strife (with much glee) upon their own doorstep for the sake of pleasing
their new potential ally in the American neo-conservatives who aim for a new
American century. It is also sad that several Indians insist on elevating
casualties of the tragic Sino-Indian war as national martyrs - and propagate a
persistent belief that Aksai Chin should be reclaimed by the Indians. Let us
hope that cooler heads prevail and common sense and fraternity compel both
China and India to see each other as friends and allies rather than
adversaries. As Indian prime minister Nehru once put it: Chini bhai-bhai
(Indians and Chinese are brothers).
Han
Australia (Nov 10, '09)
[Re When war comes
home, November 9] Labels are collecting in the headlines of our major
newspapers and across the web in stories on Major Nidal M Hasan and the Fort
Hood incident. One could say it's an instant attempt to vent one's reactions
when there is a lack of credible answers to what is so obviously, a sick
tragedy. Labels give people catharsis in the distancing of self from the
violent event. The labels, with violence subtly embedded, free us from
searching for answers that escape our understanding - assuming there is any
clear understanding behind random acts of violence; or even calculated acts.
Consider those words like "outsider, book-lover, loner book-lover". And then
"psychiatrist, military trauma councilor". Then they edge further up the blame
scale to "anti-war advocate" to "Muslim-American" to "Muslim." And finally,
"Muslim terrorist cell radical." All are labels essentially intended to embrace
the killing field and the perpetrator in a shroud of instant answers to
unending questions. Labels are substitutes for the public's need to know the
"why" behind a violent and irrational act; to define or find reasonable
explanation for the incomprehensible act itself. Truths or small truths are
unacceptable in the wanton killing of others for whatever reasons. Any sense of
closure or healing as some may be seeking, is but a deception, since all paths
eventually lead to one ugly conclusion - there is no rational or acceptable
explanation. Even if Hasan left a note before the act; or were, some time soon,
to wake from his coma and explain his actions - which will surely happen if he
lives and tries to justify the horror - will we ever know? Yet we find an
"appropriate scapegoat" in labels. An image of the head of the man, Hasan,
transposed on newspaper's front pages, tells us nothing. We may never know what
happened "inside". Hopefully few will suggest violence against Hasan's
religious or military affiliations. For was he not a member of two conflicting
fundamentalisms? Hasan was also a professional in the field of
post-traumatic-stress, a counselor and possibly suffered from
pre-traumatic-stress syndrome. Is there a limit to what the brain can absorb
without reaching a breaking point, even if the terror is somebody else's which
one may be trained to absorb clinically - and counsel accordingly? What's left
of the self when so much stress of others becomes part of one's own conflict
and inability to accept and understand? Who then should the public blame -
Muslim religion or the "other" religion, the military? For both share a common
religious characteristic. Which is to be the scapegoat?The simpler, the better.
Isn't that the game here? Who can ever know when there is essentially, no
reasonable or rational explanation even among the scapegoats instantly churned
up in the public arena? Justification for the act of killing another is self
destructive - that is the comprehensive nature of the act. That is the singular
common certainty. Now let the healing begin. Give the public closure so we can
go on with our lives, reassured that one or some killing is unacceptable while
more killing authorized by institutions or governments is more acceptable; or
merely less unacceptable. Death by another for whatever sick or culturally or
politically or religiously legitimatized reasons - don't they all reflect some
hidden sickness in the core of our present society be it activated by one loner
or some leaders among us?
Beryl John-Knudson
Duluth MN, USA (Nov 10, '09)
[Re Israel up in
arms over weapons seizure, November 9] The seized ship Francop has
given Israel's right-wing Likud government an opportunity to cry wolf. Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will pull out all stops to make hay of the
seized Iranian arms bound for Hezbollah. In a sense, it is a God given
opportunity to bang pots and pans to drown out the Goldstone report, which is
holding Jerusalem's feet to the fire for war crimes the Israeli Defense Forces
allegedly committed during its "Operation Cast Lead" campaign in Gaza.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Nov 9, '09)
[Re China according to
the Chinese, November 6] Wang Enbao's book about Chinese reforms is
indeed long overdue. The fact of the matter is that there never were any
Western models of "capitalist democracy" and "human rights" for China to
imitate in the first place. Chinese liberal dissidents, while often having a
deep understanding of the iniquities of the Chinese Communist Party's rule
borne out through personal experience, base their visions of Western
institutions on theoretical fairy tales mass produced by mainstream Western
political scientists, as though documents like the English Magna Carta, the
American constitution, and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man have
somehow been hardwired into Western society, when in reality their influence
has been in decline for at least the last 100 years. The Industrial Revolution
brought great wealth to Western countries, but it also eviscerated a balance of
powers within their governments that had been so carefully cultivated before.
Thus the Enlightenment-inspired effort to reconcile the aspirations for
democracy and individual freedom with the realities of oligarchic rule through
something called "representative democracy" has, since the late 19th century,
fallen into the dustbin of history. Today in the major Western states,
democracy takes second place to elite financial and military interests, and
liberty is becoming little more than the freedom to absorb oneself vicariously
in meaningless sports competitions, reality television, and celebrity culture,
and to obsess oneself over banal "social issues" that George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson and others would never have imagined to be within the proper purview
of government. Instead of the citizenry holding their elected representatives
accountable, it is those "representatives" and their unelected backers who play
the citizenry like puppets through the advancements in public relations. As for
the notion of "democratic peace", it is too ridiculous to merit discussion.
Jonathan X
Canada (Nov 9, '09)
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the article
US goofs the Afghan election, November 3, written by M K Bhadrakumar. I
am a British Afghan and served with [Afghanistan's counter-narcotics minister]
General Khodaidad in Kabul as a senior counter-narcotics official. The
allegation that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is involved in the opium
trade is just laughable. ...
Abbie Aryan (Nov 9, '09)
[Re Uyghur activist
seeks talks with Beijing, November 5] Catherine Makino's interview with
Uyghur activist Rebiya Kadeer could not have been more one-sided or slavish to
Western prejudices about modern China. Kadeer's allegations of state-sponsored
prostitution of Uyghur women ("Some were sent to factories while beautiful
girls were sent to work in hotels and bars") may excite the sexual fantasies of
a Sinophobic Western audience, but they do nothing for the state of relations
between Uyghurs and Han Chinese. Needless to say, Kadeer betrays her own sense
of racism against the Han Chinese when she considers the influx of Hans into
Xinjiang as problematic for the native Uyghurs - mainly because she believes
the migrant Hans are a threat to Uyghur culture. Yet she fails to point out
Beijing's policy of preferential treatment towards minority groups in China;
for example, Uyghurs, like Tibetans, are exempt from China's one-child policy.
Not to mention Kadeer's obscene refusal to acknowledge the casualties of the
July riots, the majority of whom were ethnic Hans. Then there is the need to
attribute everything that's gone bad in Kadeer's life to the Chinese
government, like her recent car accident. I'm sure it makes Kadeer feel
important to claim to be a target for assassination, but again this does
nothing for the state of relations between Uyghurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang.
All things considered, the Chinese Communist Party is not exactly pure and
righteous when running China, but Beijing actually works and cooperates with
Uyghurs in governing Xinjiang (it is an autonomous region after all) and
promotes the idea of a Harmonious Society. Baseless allegations in Western
society comparing the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang to that of native
aboriginals in either Australia or both Americas are sadly devoid of any
factual intelligence. After all, those respective aboriginals were mostly
exterminated, either physically or culturally, and one cannot say the same when
Beijing promotes cooperation between Han and Uyghur in developing Xinjiang.
Hank
Australia (Nov 6, '09)
[Re Uyghur activist
seeks talks with Beijing, November 5] In this interview with Uyghur
activist Rebiya Kadeer, there are holes in Kadeer's allegations:
1. Kadeer claims there are 10,000 Uyghurs imprisoned. What proof does she have?
Anyone can grab a figure from the air!
2. Uyghur migrants that were recruited to work on the east coast of China went
there of their own free will. They can always go back to where they came from.
Travel in China has never been easier than now.
3. Han Chinese brought with them money and entrepreneurs to develop western
parts of China. Do Uyghurs have the resources and capabilities to do that at
this time?
4. Kadeer and her supporters should have advised their people not to resort to
violence in the July protests in Urumqi by killing innocent people and burning
properties. Are they not the terrorists?
5. Kadeer claims her voice is her nation's voice. Nation? It is very obvious
what's in her mind.
Kadeer is now living comfortably in Virginia and able to travel around the
world. Obviously, she should thank her supporters, who have given her large
sums of money to instigate unrest and create a bad image for China.
Wendy Cai
USA (Nov 6, '09)
[Re Uyghur activist
seeks talks with Beijing, November 5] Rebiya Kadeer's outstretched hand
to Beijing reminds one of the Zen conundrum, "what is the sound of one hand
clapping?". The Chinese authorities are in no mood for talks with her unless
she agrees to all of the Chinese Communist Party demands. Which is unlikely. A
few days ago, more troops were sent to Xinjiang to better keep a lid on Uyghur
discontent. Furthermore, Kadeer has been demonized by Beijing. It is hard to
see her gesture as anything other than a sop to supporters in the West on one
hand, and on the other an attempt to inflate the hopes of her people. Looming
large like a dark shadow is China's rejection of the Goldstone report on "war
crimes" in Gaza, since a United Nations Security Council approval of the report
would put a global sanction against China's policies in Xinjiang and Tibet.
Nonetheless, Rebiya Kadeer will certainly not be deterred by any setback to her
mission to serve her people. She will carry on.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Nov 6, '09)
[Re Uyghur activist
seeks talks with Beijing, November 5] If I were Catherine Makino I
would have asked Rebiya Kadeer one more question: "If China's ethnic policy was
so bad, how could you have managed to accumulate $25 million worth of wealth?"
Juchechosunmanse
Beijing (Nov 6, '09)
Yesterday's tragedy at the Fort Hood army base here in Texas once again
underscores the folly of American militarism and imperial adventures. This
latest mass murder of fellow soldiers is by no means isolated or unique.
Indeed, it follows a well-known pattern of intentional "friendly-fire" that has
its roots in the notorious fragging incidents of another unpopular insurgent
conflict, the Vietnam Fiasco. The continuous recycling of soldiers into Iraq
and Afghanistan has produced an army with under-reported suicides, psychotic
episodes, self-inflicted wounds, gang rapes, nervous breakdowns, shattered
marriages, family abuse, rampant drug trafficking and usage, soaring stress
trauma and fraternal homicides. It all makes perfect sense that frustrated,
mentally embrittled men who see no end to the horrors of unjust wars would snap
like twigs and resort to the tried 'n' true American solution to all problems
they have been indoctrinated with - violence. And long after the twin debacles
have ended for this broken nation in humiliating defeat, the legacy of these
crippled men will continue to haunt us. The drain on this country's already
maimed economy and shattered psyche will be immense, in endless hospital bills,
continued mass murder sprees, alcohol and drug addiction, ongoing therapy,
chronic unemployability and lastly, guilt; guilt that our collective madness
caused all this pain and suffering for nothing less than the ambition and greed
of neo-conservative zealots who wrapped their insanity in a flag. And all it
took was a few slogans, some faked attacks on the nation and a burning desire
to kill "them". What's that I hear flapping their wings outside my door? Yep,
them's the chickens coming home to roost.
Hardy Campbell
Houston, TX
USA (Nov 6, '09)
[Re Little Laos
awaits its big moment, Nov 5, 2009] It's about time Laos had its moment
in the sun by hosting the 25th Southeast Asian Games. Laos has come a long way
and it seems unimaginable that almost 50 years ago, US president John F Kennedy
was threatening to use nuclear weapons on two of its provinces - Sam Neua and
Phongsali - which he claimed harbored the Vietcong.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Nov 5, '09)
Spengler has the tendency of creating an insightful framework of thoughts but
then misjudging within the framework.
The idiot twins of American idealism, November 3, is typical.
Certainly, idealism and realism are always at work. After the atrocities of
World War 2, the ideals should have been the progressive social inclusion and
assimilation of the Jews, and Hebrew, which is among the "more than half the
world's languages [going] extinct". Jews in the United States today are under
the salubrious sway of assimilation, with interfaith marriages ever increasing.
In 1947, the ideal should not have been turning "foreign policy into an
affirmative action program for disadvantaged cultures" such as the Jews, who
were so disadvantaged that they had not had a homeland for over a millennium
and, if unaided, would never again have one. The Western world would have been
better to have agreed to disagree - with cold but peaceful indifference - with
the Islamic world. Moreover, the underlying social mechanism for "more than
half the world's languages [going] extinct for lack of interest" likely applies
to the Tibetan and Uyghur languages, because the Han language leads to better
personal fulfillment for all.
Jeff Church
USA (Nov 5, '09)
[Re Afghanistan as
a bailout state, November 3] Tom Engelhardt tells it like it is. It was
United States politicians and the US military that made the mess in Afghanistan
and Pakistan, and now they are pouring in more to make the "Big Muddy" bigger
and deeper. Why is it that we elect such stupid people?
Campaign Manager (Nov 4, '09)
[Re Bernanke
learns from the wrong crash, November 3] To US Federal Reserve chairman
Ben Bernanke, the financial crisis has similarities with the Great Depression.
He has applied a good dose of Keynesian economics, and it looks as though it is
working. Pinning the "cause" of the Great Depression on the Smoot-Hawley Tariff
Act is too easy an explanation. The roots are found in a system devised by the
Versailles treaties: a roller-coaster loop of circulation for monies which
inflated markets, created bubbles, and broke the banks. It would do everyone
well to read or read again John K Galbraith's The Great Crash for a
handle on what led to the crash of 1929. Chairman Bernanke learned his own
lessons from the crash, and applied them in 2008 and 2009, so we would not have
another Great Depression. Any lessons he might have learned from other
subsequent market crashes need not necessarily apply.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Nov 4, '09)
I believe Spengler is very naive in
The idiot twins of American idealism [November 2]. His view is that
China wants to work with the United States to build a future together. China's
plan is to be the sole superpower of the 21st century, and to achieve their aim
the US must do a belly flop on the ash heap of history. Thanks to the
treasonous idiots of Wall Street and Washington this plan is well on its way to
success. His view that the Soviet Union collapsed because former US president
Ronald Reagan put missiles in Western Europe is simplistic in the extreme. How
exactly could the Soviet Union have harnessed the economies of Western Europe
to save itself - this plan would have been a pipe dream if it even ever
existed. China should be aware of the law of unintended consequences; they will
not like the government that comes to power after the inevitable economic
collapse of the US. The Soviet Union collapsed because the Saudis collapsed the
price of oil to destroy the new Iranian Shi'ite government.
Dennis O'Connell
USA (Nov 3, '09)
[Re The idiot twins
of American idealism, November 2] Another gem from Spengler for the
delight of the cultivated reader. The lack of realism in Washington is indeed
scary. American foreign policy should not be catering to Islamic fanatics,
failed states and Third World pits. All empires come and go, and America as a
sole superpower will come and go in the future. Now the real question is if the
next superpower will behave as America has. Weak, incompetent, "college-ish"
politicians in Washington try to make the entire world like our country which I
think is a mistake. We Americans have the privilege of an amazing life,
enviable freedoms, and a system that guarantees rewards for hard work and
creativity. The United States fosters democracy and is maybe the kindest nation
when it comes to providing aid to the needy. Will China be like that if it
becomes a superpower? What about Russia? Or North Korea? There is an obsession
in the West with aggrandizing dictators, appeasing terrorist states, and
replacing reality with a dream. The problem is that this dream is becoming a
nightmare. If you want to attack America, make sure that the citizens of your
country have a better life than the citizens of America, Understood? If not,
give me the arguments and don't hate us for your disgraced and miserable life.
The unproductive should be ruled out of any dialogue. I have said it many
times, the US has a lot to learn from Russia and China in foreign policy. While
these two countries are usually involved with major league moves and strategic
planning, we in America are talking about the Palestinians, or the color
revolutions or whether or not Obama should meet the Dalai Lama. I concur with
Spengler, however I don't know what it will take for the kool-aid drinkers in
Washington to realize that the world where we live in is cruel and merciless.
Thus it requires aggressive foreign policy and tough action, not college
speeches full of weasel words!
Ysais Martinez (Nov 3, '09)
[Re The idiot twins
of American idealism, November 2] Too bad that Spengler lets his
Israel-first attitudes spoil his attempt at realism. Much of what he says is
true, but he dilutes it with his support of Israel's ambitions towards Iran. We
ought to be neutral toward Israel and Iran. Let them settle their differences
without us.
Ron Mepwith
USA (Nov 3, '09)
[Re Doubles, toil and
trouble in Pyongyang, October 30] Like everyone else, I like a good
laugh at Halloween. Is [Japanese academic] Toshimitsu Shigemura's suggestion -
that the Dear Leader Kim Jong-il uses look-alikes to fool his own people and
foreigners - a trick or a treat?
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Nov 2, '09)
[Re US report
tarnishes Sri Lanka victory, October 29] I refer to your repeated
articles claiming Sri Lankan discrimination against Tamils, and Sri Lankan
atrocities, human-rights abuses and war crimes. If Tamils are discriminated
against in Sri Lanka, why do they make up a majority in many Sinhalese areas? I
am surprised to see that you never publish articles on the mass murders and war
crimes committed by the Americans and their allies. Is this because they are
licensed to commit war crimes? Okay, bring all the war criminals of the world
to one court. I'm sure the Americans and their allies would be at the front of
the queue for the mass murders committed in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and
Pakistan, etc.
Merv (Nov 2, '09)
[Re New moons are rising,
October 30] What a strange and unpleasant article. I have been in the
Unification Church for some 40 years, and I can say with confidence that this
article paints an almost unrecognizable picture, with facts being twisted to
fit in with paranoid and prejudiced opinions. Having quickly researched the
writer and other writers quoted I can understand how it is as it is. Of course,
the writer lets himself off the hook by hiding his comments behind the phrase
"many observers". It's fine for journalists to have opinions and to state them,
but it is annoying to see them expressed as objective or independent - and it
is sloppy, unprofessional and deceitful. Your publishing it does little to
enhance your reputation.
Christopher Davies (Nov 2, '09)
October Letters
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