Letters to the Editor, August 9, 2003

APPEAL

Let's make the 9th of November the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinians against the Separation Wall.

The wall must fall

Once, November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall - which has become the symbol of shame of the politics of division of the 20th century - was torn down.

Now, a new wall must fall!

Let's make the coming 9th of November a worldwide Protest Day against the
Wall currently being erected by Israel across the West Bank.

The Palestine Monitor

Dear Editor,

Every time a bomb went off, diplomats the world over condemns the act. But these condemnations were repeated every time a bomb went off. I am sick of hearing this rhetoric in the name of diplomacy. Perhaps they can just generalise with a banner in front of the embassy, every time a bomb went off, this will be my standard reply - don't bother me. What use is there to tell us this is a cowardly act, barbaric act, etc because who the heck cares, more so with the bombers.

How many times do we hear diplomats, particularly the mid-east leaders express the root causes for the bombing and condemn these root causes. For one how many dare to say, and repeat that the American foreign policy is the root cause every time a bomb went off.

I wonder how I can be saved with this rhetoric.

Fauzi Shahab

The US and Iraq

Tank you for publishing (my letter on August 8, 2003), as far as my fellow Americans reading it, that is great, but the majority of Americans feel the same way that I do. We want our soldiers home, they are not appreciated in Iraq, and we are wasting precious lives and money over there. If they truly wanted a better way of life and freedom, they would have stood up with the Americans and British when this war first began.

Elaine Smith

Editor: No nation in the world welcomes to be invaded because this means the destruction of the invaded country. The US could have done a better job assisting Iraqis to change their own government peacefully. The best way out now is involving the UN and making it clear that the US is staying in Iraq for only a short time.

America is known as the "land of the free". However, there are more prisoners here than in any other country. Also, our per rate of imprisonment is also the highest in the world. These are supportable facts, yet are the best evidence of the "big lie" style propaganda we receive from our media in America.

I love America, it is my home. I am a military veteran and was raised in a military "lifer's" home for 17 years. I understand sacrifice and responsibility. Things are rapidly changing in America and our freedom level is being threatened with another downturn, the Patriot Act. American mass media does not report our struggles to repeal this and regain freedom, but there are many of us, @15 million.

I believe that anyone who is not interested in seeking peaceful means of resolution is very foolish. I see the tragedy of our young men and women dying in Iraq, and also the loss of Iraqi life, military or civilian. It is all so tragic and unnecessary, and it saddens and enrages me.

I am open to e-mail penpals from around the globe who are interested in forwarding peaceful communications. I hope and pray that I am helping to change the world, one relationship at a time, and naive or not, I will continue to do so.

Sincerely, Eric L. Niederkruger

Editor: With people like you, the world has always changed to the better. You're not naive and you're not alone.

Group counts Iraqi civilian toll
London
August 8, 2003

About 20,000 civilians were wounded in the Iraq war and the US-British occupiers were ignoring their suffering, a research group said, in what it termed the first study of the war's casualty toll. "The maimed civilians of Iraq have been brushed under the carpet," the Iraq Body Count said.

The Anglo-American group of academics and peace activists chided US and British postwar administrators for failing to set up programs for the wounded or pay compensation. "A sizeable, if as yet unknown, proportion of Iraqi families will contain a relative whose life was ended or put on hold by the US or British forces," it said in a report on its website.

The figures were based on news reports and counting by independent investigators up to July 6. The group said the reluctance to calculate the number of civilian wounded was inexcusable.

Reuters:

Sent by Tom, Information Clearing House.

Warning shot for Turkey's military

By K Gajendra Singh

9 August, 2003

Turkey's far-reaching reforms have been used by ruling Justice and development Party with Islamic antecedents to curb the influence of the military in politics .It might go some way in appeasing the European Union, but admission is unlikely in near future .Naturally , the men in uniform are mightily upset and view events in a somewhat different light.

The roll back is like an anti-coup .It had taken 3&1/2 coups for the army to have reached this strong position ,and they are now back to 1950s. The ramifications of the latest constitutional amendments carry with them the seeds of deep political turmoil, although, should the AKP and the armed forces not take extreme positions, there are possibilities that democracy can further evolve in the country.

This is obviously of importance to Turkey, but also to other countries, especially Sunni Islamic ones struggling to establish democracy on Western models. Like Pakistan and Indonesia. The crux of Turkey's challenge is whether it can really keep its secular constitution when the ruling political party has Islamic antecedents.

It is common in the West to glibly recommend that democracy should be adopted by Muslim countries , the recent example being Iraq. But there is a long tortuous road to democracy in Islamic politics, especially when the country's armed forces are involved.

With best wishes

Gajendra Singh, Bucharest.