Bush and Europe
Re: “Bush’s European Blindspot”
01/24/02

There are many times I have felt that Pres. Bush has put his proverbial, American ‘foot in his mouth’. Some of his comments have been very insensitive to other nationalities and have given an appearance of a ‘bully’ attitude to the public both at home and abroad. I think the same messages could have been given with a lot more finesse and tact and still made a point.

J. Tosch

It is becoming increasingly clear as we see more of the Bush administration’s policies in action that Dubya is a pawn for cold war era power brokers. We are returning to darker times, making military domination a priority and creating an environment for petro-policies to flourish.

What’s interesting to me is the light that today’s events shine on the Bill Clinton story. He did very little to assist the petro goons and I think they really hated him for it, as they did Jimmy Carter for the same reasons. They would simply not use the US military for the same purposes it is being used today.

We have had a little more that a year with Dubya and are clearly at war. The axis of evil are merely 3 nations who we have gotten away in the past and the cold war boys want to go back and set things right. I don’t like being a part of this.

Tom Funk
Bellingham, WA

 

Support for Alex Sanchez
Re: “Deporting to Death?”
01/29/02

Many of you wanted contact information to send letters of support for Alex Sanchez and Homies Unidos.

Here is their information:

Homies Unidos
1605 West Olympic Boulevard Suite 1040
Los Angeles, CA 90015
homiesunidos@yahoo.com
www.homiesunidos.org

Jeff Chang

I recently had the opportunity of meeting and working with Alex Sanchez and Homies Unidos. The work Alex and Homies do in LA is not only exceptional but long overdue. Youth violence needs to be addressed in a positive way that empowers disadvantaged youth to be leaders and to be agents of social change. Homies Unidos gives former and current gang members this opportunity. As a civil and humane society, we cannot simply turn our backs on an entire generation of black and brown youth, we must be willing to take risks for their sake. Alex is doing this and more. He organizes knowing the political risk he puts himself in by doing so but he does it out of a genuine love for his gente and for his comunidad. LA needs more positive role models for youth and Alex is one of them.

We also cannot forget the the hundreds and thousands of Salvadoreans, like Alex and his family, who fled their homeland because of US perpetrated death and violence. Alex might never have come to the US were it not for the US involvement and support (with tons of arms and training) of a bloody civil war. We all need to be in the streets yelling,

“Free Alex Sanchez! Free Alex Sanchez! Free Alex Sanchez!” All of us, even those of us who are “American” citizens, should be fighting for the human rights of undocumented people in this country. It’s time we acknowledge the horrible acts of terrorism committed by the US all over the world and stop punishing the victims of American terrorism.

Bianca Agustin
Oakland, CA

It would be a crime to deport Alex Sanchez. This man has turned his life around, and is making a positive difference in his community. If he is deported, there will be no incentive for others to break free (of) gang violence and become useful, valuable citizens of this country. Others will just give up, and believe that violence is the only way for them to survive.

R. Thiele

So, INS with the knowledge that this individual is a very important civil leader and peace-maker among the Latino community, still wants him to be sent to an area which he will most likely face certain death. Something about that just is not right. The value of keeping this “celebrity” here is far greater than the value of a single statistical mark of a person being sent back. There is a moral imperative here that INS needs to take into account.

Robert Moore

 

Ecoterror Ain’t Too Terrific
Re: “Ecoterrorists Under Fire”
01/29/02

I feel the corporations that are destroying the environment are the “terrorists.” I agree that destroying man-made property is not the same as taking a life, as many corporate practices ultimately do. However, how can you be sure when planning your ELF/ALF activities that a life won’t be taken? If companies hire people to be on site 24/7, you are essentially stopped, since you aren’t out to hurt people, just property. Any violent plan can go awry. Violence is not the answer.

Ann Hale
Pinon Hills, CA

Ms. Close’s words are nonsense. Destroying personal property is violence and only serves to fulfill her personal feelings of hatred and vengeance. How can she preach such a hypocritical message? In one breath she claims respect for the environment and respect for life, but in the next she glorifies the destruction of another’s personal property. The destruction of an animal-testing lab not only sets the hunt for a cure back ten steps, but also could eliminate several jobs of a number of people uninvolved in research –janitors, the secretaries — and many others. How is that justified? ELF and ALF will never really help the environment or animals — the only goal they will fulfill is the destruction of personal property, jobs, and countless resources. I am all for saving the environment and eliminating the needless research on animals for cosmetics, but their actions make me angry — they are counter-productive. If they were to use their resources and energy to work in an constructive manner, I bet they would be able to actually accomplish something. Especially since insurance will cover losses suffered by companies during their attacks and they will rebuild.

Sarah Vandervort

 

Excuses and Extortions
Re: “The Permanent War Campaign”
01/29/02

Thank you for a remarkably clear analysis. I would go one step further and add my skepticism as to the US role in 9/11. What happened to American “intelligence” in preventing the events of Sept.11 in the first place? Why have no heads rolled at CIA or the Pentagon? Were we asleep at the wheel, or conveniently waiting for it to happen, as Roosevelt did in 1941, in order to galvanize the American population behind a rudderless president?

In addition to the tragic loss of life, the tragedy of that day is that we lost our ability to think clearly. As Maya Angelou says, “It’s time for thinking people to start thinking!” This is all about one thing, Power in the hands of the moneyed class in the US to continue exploiting resources as they choose. Let’s hope that Enron will prove to be their downfall. There is an even more evil axis than Bush’s triumvirate of Iran/Iraq/Korea. It is the US “corporate terrorists” that have profited most, and will continue to profit from Bush’s War. Once and for all we shall see if the American population is as stupid as Bush thinks we are.

Gregory Tutko

As an American of Japanese decent, whose father fought the Germans in Italy and France, I found your article very well written. However, I don’t agree with the tone that says that Americans can’t handle complex issues and crave simply defined issues. No, our attitude is simple: right and wrong are pretty straight forward, and what needs to be done to rectify the situation is equally simple. Our President probably reflects the feeling of most Americans when it comes to national defense and security. America has always been a warrior nation and the rest of the world has profited greatly from our military might. That Europeans, the chief benefactor of this might, are complaining now at our aggression against very real bad guys is perplexing to us. We sent hundreds of thousands of our young men to die in a war that was not ours, and when we strike out to defend ourselves we find these same European allies running for the hills. And worse yet, openly critical and contemptuous of our indignation and anger.

Talk about lousy and cowardly friends. We should have left Europe to the Germans in 1941.

Peter Wakamatsu
Los Angeles, CA