Letters to the Editor, October 21, 2004

James Zogby's Endorsement of John Kerry: Mark Dankof

I am respectfully incredulous at James Zogby's endorsement of John Kerry for the American Presidency in his Al-Jazeerah op-ed piece of October 19th, entitled, "My Vote: This November, I Will Vote for John Kerry." I certainly agree wholeheartedly with his analysis of Mr. Bush and his disastrous policies, but does he believe that Mr. Kerry is anything less than another wholly owned property of the Israeli lobby in the United States? The Washington Report on Middle Affairs (WRMEA) and the on-line reports of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) show conclusively that both Kerry and Bush, and their respective major parties, are all a part of what Pat Buchanan derisively terms "Israeli Occupied Territory."

Incredibly, Buchanan mimics Mr. Zogby's mistake by alternatively endorsing Mr. Bush. The only alternatives in two weeks in the American Presidential election are: 1) Ralph Nader for honest anti-war, anti-Likudnik, anti-Corporate America liberals; or 2) Michael Anthony Peroutka of the Constitution Party for members of the American Right fed up with the comprehensive disaster posited by the policies of the President. Al Jazeerah readers will want to see the endorsement of Mr. Peroutka's candidacy by one of the editors of Buchanan's The American Conservative ("Taki") available at URL

http://www.amconmag.com/2004_11_08/taki.html

Mark Dankof, Philadelphia, USA

Kerry Was Right on Target Concerning Vietnam

Dear editor,

Senator John F. Kerry was right on target. There was widespread genocide. I imagine that the reason so many Vietnam Veterans vehemently denied that atrocities were committed by our troops was because 70% of those in Vietnam never saw the Viet Cong. They never even saw Vietnam. Take Long Bien Camp. It was enormous and those stationed there never left the base. It was the best duty they'd every had. There were ice cream parlors everywhere and PX (huge department stores with all sorts of Japanese commodities, air conditioned theaters, massage parlors and steam baths with accommodating hookers, swimming pools, gymnasiums, state-of-the-art work out rooms. Young attractive girls cleaned their hootches and washed their clothes and provided other favors as well as all sorts of drug straight from the Golden Triangle. The staff officers had their own homes with gardens. This 70% had no idea what was going on in the Jungles of Vietnam. Many signed over for a second tour.

With the combat troops (30%) it was a different matter. They all carried stacks of photos about in their wallets of atrocities that they had committed and posed for. Confront one of these guys and he'll readily admit it. They exchanged these photos with one another as kids exchange baseball cards. They were far worse that the photos from Abu Graib Prison.

Then there were the bombings of villages killing innocent people. What was even more horrible were the napalm drops. Seeing a human torch racing about screaming is a horror I can never forget. But the white phosphorus was worse. Words cannot describe the agony these poor people suffered. There were the Special Forces random artillery fire out into the countryside. Frequently they'd hit a village or a refugee camp killing everyone. Did those in Saigon care. Not in the least. They told us to keep our mouths shut if we knew what was good for us.

Are we as bad as the Nazis? Yes I would say we were. We are doomed. The world will not let us get away with this.

Pete Peterson

Dialog with a Typical American

Many people here in America, including myself, do not think that President Bush made the right decision in attacking Iraq. I do agree that Saddam Hussein was dangerous, and did not deserve to be the leader of a country. However, I did not think it was the US's role to depose him. Our concern was that he would pass weapons of mass destruction (or the knowledge of how to build them) to fighters who would then use them against us or other nations. However, it seemed to me that this could have been prevented by the continuing presence of UN weapons inspectors. However, what is done is done. We now have to look to the future.

Regarding the continued presence of US troops in Iraq, believe me, Americans would like to see all of our troops come home as soon as possible. The only thing that has to happen first is that there is peace and stability in Iraq. As long as there are suicide bombers, rocket attacks, roadside bombs, attacks against the Iraqi government, kidnappings, beheadings, and so on, the American troops will remain. And periodically, they will conduct operations in which hundreds of Iraqi and foreign "insurgents" will be killed. The US cannot afford to leave Iraq if there is the chance that Iraq will simply replace Afghanistan as the training ground for Al Qaeda.

What baffles me is why people choose to use violence to get the US forces to leave when they can achieve that same goal, and achieve it faster, by being peaceful. If this so-called insurgency had never happened, American troops would probably be out of Iraq already. Some people say that Iraqis are fighting US troops in Iraq because the Iraqis view them as invaders. However, this answer makes no sense to me. The US has made it clear that the troops will leave when there is peace and stability; we have no desire to remain and control Iraq. We have no need for Iraq's oil. The US has plenty of oil from other sources. US troops are protecting the oil-producing assets in Iraq because the Iraqi economy and the Iraqi people depend on the sale of oil for their prosperity. With the revenues from the sale of oil, and with Saddam Hussein gone, all Iraqis can prosper and live a good life.

Some people also challenge me by asking me what Americans, including me, would do if the US was invaded by a foreign power. They assume that my answer would be that I would fight, and therefore I would have to agree that the Iraqis are justified in fighting. However, my answer is...it depends. It depends on why we are being invaded, and what the current situation is in my country. If we are living in freedom as we are today, and a foreign power invades us with the intent of taking that freedom away, I would certainly fight them. Every American would. On the other hand, if a dictator had taken over the US and taken away our freedoms and our rights, was killing thousands of our citizens that he didn't like, and was taking all of our national riches for himself while millions of people lived in poverty, and a foreign power invaded the US to depose him and establish freedom and democracy, I would welcome them with open arms, praise God that they had come, and help them in every way. Every American would.

This is why this dialog is so important! It is inconceivable to an American that the Iraqis would resist being set free. It would be like American and Allied forces landing on the beaches of Normandy in World War II, and having to fight the French because they saw us as invaders! Granted, there were some French who had sided with the Nazis by then, and we did have to fight them, but the vast majority of French citizens cheered the arrival of Allied forces, supported them, and still hold memorial services today for the American troops that died liberating them 60 years ago.

If anyone can explain the Iraqi perspective, please do!

Steve Smith,

-A Typical American

Characterizing the Truth About Iraq

Dear Editor,

In March 2003 it was the Iraqi People—not only their President and their soldiers—who were attacked by the United States and its allies in unmistakable violation of international law.

The brave Iraqi Patriots who are still fighting the unlawful foreign invaders deserve the support of the international community. Not only are their actions clearly lawful under international law, they are extraordinarily brave defenders against the bombardment of the world’s supposedly strongest army.

And the American attempt to win the peace by killing more Iraqis is not only a continuation of its illegal invasion and occupation, it is also a losing strategy. To win the peace, the American military and its puppet government must leave Iraq to Iraqis. This is the lesson that the United States will be taught…one way or another.

Regards,

Curtis F.J. Doebbler

International Human Rights Lawyer