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Posted October 16, 2001
It's the Constitution
Your article by Steve Kubby ["It's the Constitution, Stupid," October 13] is unadulterated rubbish. He wouldn't know libertarian principles if they hit him in the face if this is an example of his thinking. No wonder libertarians can't make any headway – despite the fact that a lot of us agree with the principle of fewer laws and minimal government interference in our lives – if they're this ridiculous.
Steve Kubby replies:
I've received dozens of positive e-mails about my essay. This is the only negative response. Unfortunately the writer provides no reasons or logic to his decision. I can only assume that he, like many others, have allowed the horrific death of 5,000 victims on 9/11 to erase the brave and conscious sacrifice that hundreds of thousands of Americans have made for our heritage of freedom and for our Constitutional principles. I stand by those who have fought and died for liberty, the sacrifice of 200 years of American patriots cannot and will not be ignored. It is those who allow our freedoms to be bartered away who betray America and help the terrorists.
Banner
I have an 8 foot by 2 foot (biggest they would do me on the spot) professionally-made vinyl Antiwar.com banner (in the typefaces you use on the title graphic of your web site) which was prominently displayed at the October 13 demonstration here in London and did arouse some interest – in particular you may be hearing from a journalist who seemed very interested. I mention this in case you know of other London Antiwar.com supporters who may want to use it as a resource (banners like that cost around $150).
Sorry no pictures of the demonstration – I wasn't organised enough! – but the organisers reckoned there were 50,000 people there (there was a march, so they presumably counted people going past, that's what they usually do).
What We Need
So, I have to wonder, are you people this silly, or do you intend to mislead. What we need is more US intervention – e.g., democracy at gunpoint if need be – but that wouldn't be p.c.
You people can't have it both ways. I agree that US policy is often unprincipled, however the answer is to support our way of life, not to indulge in the moral claptrap ya'll advocate.
So piss off....
I ... look forward to hearing from your readers, but you may want to advise them to respond as quickly as possible, because I am being deployed to Southwest Asia around the 1st of November.
~ Jeffrey D., bk6a@hotmail.com
The Peace Movement
[Regarding "The Peace Movement Needs to Update Its Message," by Lance Dickey, Seattle Times, October 12:]
Your critique of the peace movement was way off the mark.
The important thing is for peace-loving people of diverse beliefs, ethnic groups, religions, and political ideologies to unite around the issue of opposing a military solution to the crisis of terrorism. We do not need to agree with each other on all other political and philosophical issues in order to organize the most effective movement.
Frankly, I am not sure from your article whether you actually believe that should be the goal. Rather you seem to favor a more careful and "clean" military campaign, using smart weapons to minimize collateral damage. You wish to exclude those with whom you do not agree – anarchists, pacifists, activists and others and tell them to "stay home." You also seek to prevent an airing of the awful history of US military aggression, and any attempt to link that with past US policies which may have created the very enemy the US now seeks to destroy. This new current, which attempts to analyze the US in relationship with the rest of the world (not as something wholly unique and apart – even though the US has now experienced firsthand the violence that comes with acts of violent terrorism) is something that joins and connects the US antiwar forces with the rest of the civilized (yes!) world that opposes the bombing campaign in Afghanistan.
Your position would have the antiwar movement take several major steps back – right into the camp of Colin Powell and the so-called moderates in the Bush administration!
By the way, I am a former anti-Vietnam war activist, now living abroad in a small developing nation. As much sympathy as everyone here expresses with the 9/11 victims, no one believes in a military solution. We look to the US antiwar movement and applaud its courageous stance, which while not yet the majority in the US, is as you pointed out already making it harder for the military to proceed unchecked in their new war adventures.
Stop the bombing! For justice not vengeance!
Great Site for Dissidents
This
is a great site for dissidents,
so many of these articles that you
have links too are very informative
and right on, very insightful a
good selection that I check every
day now.
Thanks again and keep up the good work. Looks like it may be a long war....
Very Sane Things
Thanks
you for your site. ...Though
I'm not libertarian,
your site is one of
those very sane things
I admire about libertarians.
I refer to your site
daily and will make
a donation in the next
day or so when I get
some sleep.
Product Placement
Why is the writer Justin Raimondo seen smoking a cigarette? This sort of subtle product placement is often the result of payments from the tobacco companies. Has your organization or anyone associated with it taken money from the pushers of the most deadly drug in America?
~ Paul M.
The "Backtalk" editor replies:
No – unfortunately.