Letters to the Editor, February 25, 2005

About God's promise

Dr. Hassan A. El-Najjar (Al-Jazeerah Editorials) makes a persuasive theological argument that the holy books promise all descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob possession of the Holy Land. But how about a simple secular argument, not anti-religious, but one based on reason and a common sense of justice? Arguments based on religious faith cannot be tested, and nonbelievers cannot be expected to accept them. Arguments based on reason and evidence, however, can be tested and accepted by everyone, including believers, because believers and nonbelievers share the capacity to think rationally despite their religious differences.

Here is the argument I would make: all people in the region that is called the Holy Land are human beings with basic rights, including the right to live, prosper and be treated with dignity. The way to respect these rights is for people to form consensual governments that bind citizens to compliance with laws that apply to everyone, and are acceptable to everyone, regardless of religious or ethnic differences.

In practice, this would have to mean sharing the land and sharing the sovereignty over that land. If there must be apartheid, it should involve an equal distribution of land to Israelis and Palestinians. I like this argument because it assumes that people's many common needs and interests justify their having the same rights and protections rather than their differences being used to justify promoting one group's rights and interests at another group's expense.

Dylan Valente

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Editor: I wrote the article in reply to false claims by some Christian and Jewish fundamentalists who kept sending letters saying that God promised the Holy Land to Jews. It was necessary to tell them that the claim was false. God promised it to descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who could be Jews, Christians, or Muslims.

Peace-loving and justice-loving people all over the world know that it is wrong to take the property of the Palestinian people and leave them homeless and stateless for 57 years. Palestinian inalienable rights are recorded in the UN resolutions, particularly 181, 194, which specify the Arab state of Palestine and call on Israel to allow the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes and to compensate them.

Mike Whitney’s article: The Incredibly Shrinking Dollar, February 24, 2005.

An excellent article. I especially liked the commentary on Alan Greenspan as an agent for the looters. So true.

Bush’s trip to Europe is to discuss international finance and the Euro’s ranking as a reserve and trade currency. When the Euro is accepted at face value for international trade the Japanese will want their currency accepted also. And then everyone. This is a rerun of the British Pound’s demise as the favoured currency in the 1920s. Anyone with dollar assets should get out now. The last one out loses the most.

The neo-conservative Zionists deliberately manufactured the Iraqi resistance to assist Israel to rewrite the Sykes-Picot borders. But it has all turned sour. When the fundamentalist religious nuts realise that there is not going to be a “Rapture,” only a lower standard of living, America will see just how vicious and spiteful they really are. The American establishment may have to hang the neo-conservatives for treason, just to save themselves.

America was warned of the consequences of attacking Iraq and now the chickens are coming home to roost. The Dexter the Dummy could have made a better job of the Iraqi adventure.

Message to the Palestinians: stand fast, America is on the way down and with it goes the Israeli statelet.

Sincerely, Warren Hastings

P.S. In case you haven’t noticed, American foreign policy is under statutory management by the Senate. The days of the neo-cons playing fast and loose are over.

Zero Nuclear Weapons Proposal

Nuclear weapons are offensive weapons. They offend humanity and the Earth long after their use. They should be banned. I know many people assert that they are already banned but since Depleted Uranium weapons are still being used by the U.S. and NATO there is no effective ban in place. There should be sanctions against any country which sanctions their use. The U.S. and U.K. should be held accountable for their use in Iraq and Afghanistan and charged with cleaning up the environment and restoring the health of the people affected by their radioactive residue.

The use of Depleted Uranium weapons has been a move to make nuclear weapons acceptable. The issue must be the presence of harmful radioactive materials rather than whether the weapons "explode" like conventional nuclear weapons. Both conventional and depleted uranium weapons have long-term and unjustifiable consequences for civilians in the area of use.

Therefore, I am proposing a "Zero Nuclear Weapons" policy be adopted by NATO for any action it takes in the future. This is a relevant issue at this time since President Bush is meeting with NATO leaders in Europe this week.

In particular, I am asking that Germany take the initiative and introduce this proposal to NATO and President Bush today.

Steve Moyer

http://nodes.net/steve

For more info on Depleted Uranium weapons:

http://metamind.us?uranium

Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

I would like to write just a brief letter to this company and the people that write back. I am a 26 year old male that has no religion what so ever by choice. What I do have is plenty of opinions on the Jews and Arabs, both are people!!!!

I spent 8 years in the United States army as an airborne infantry man and have been on a deployment over in the Middle East not so long ago. All we ever hear is the PLO bombed Israel and Israel killed a Hamas leader bla bla bla.

Well I would like to say what about the innocent kids on both sides. I think it is awful selfish of both people to keep whining all the time. And if it is true that in the book the that Muslims read that if you kill one innocent person it's like killing all people, then what book are they reading, and what book are the Jews reading also?

This just fathoms me how grown people can not leave each other alone. I have been to Eilat, Israel, and had the time of my life and enjoyed that country very much. I did however not go to the West Bank or Gaza for the mere fact I would have been killed or beheaded.

So the point I am making is suck it up, get along and stop whining about stupid land.

And a brief statement about Iraq; we did the wrong thing by taking Saddam out of power, there is a reason why he held the people on a short leash cause they .... Now he is gone and it’s going to be a bad civil war real soon over religion.

I say pull our troops out and let them fend for themselves. we don’t need them more than ½ already came here to escape the bull crap over there right now. I don’t regret going over to the Middle East and fighting for my president but it doesn’t mean I have to agree with him.

Thank you

Matthew James Morrison

Editor: The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is about land. In 1948, Israelis evicted most Palestinians from their lands. The UN called on Israel to allow them to return. But Israel has not allowed them. Instead, in 1967 Israelis occupied the rest of Palestine (the West Bank and Gaza) controlling the life of the Palestinian people and in fact enslaving them. Palestinians are fighting to free themselves from the Israeli occupation. Now, both sides agreed to a truce to give the Israeli government a chance to withdraw peacefully.

With regard to your excuse not to visit the Palestinian territories, I have never heard of any civilian American or Westerner captured, killed, or beheaded by Palestinians. Actually, many Americans and Europeans are there in the International Solidarity Movement demonstrating in protest against Israeli occupation practices, side-by-side with the Palestinian people. I wish if you had gone there to see by yourself.

Finally, the Iraqi civil war, which is going on right now, is between Iraqis who work with the US forces and other Iraqis who oppose the US forces. It's not about religion.