Patriotic

I just wanted to thank you for providing a space where Americans can be against this foolish war and still be patriotic Americans. I am ... no longer certain if I still know what the term "patriotic" means – lately it seems to mean that you are supposed to have strong belligerent feelings toward a foreign people but I've always thought that we had other words for that sort of thing.

Remember the antiwar poster in the sixties that read, "Suppose they gave a war and nobody came"? Well, unfortunately, about seven million or so came for this one, but for all the bombs red glare, we wont be able to see them dying of starvation in the winter's snow of Afghanistan.

Peace on earth, goodwill toward men ... it's always a nice thought, and pretty soon it will be Christmas, so maybe the American spirit will be through bombing by then, and we can all get caught up the Christmas spirit....

~ Larry H.

A Fake Bin Laden?

In his Toronto Sun column ["The Use of Media as a Weapon," October 21] ... featured on the October 23 page of Antiwar.com, Eric Margolis, speaking of Osama bin Laden's interview in Pakistan's Ummat newspaper, says the following:

"Bin Laden denies his al-Qaida organization was responsible for the suicide attacks against the U.S. But he applauds them."

The first part of that statement is true; the second part is false.

Margolis may be deceptively weaving in some of the very self-incriminating material from the al-Jazeera video statement, but the bin Laden of that statement contrasts so sharply with the bin Laden of the Ummat interview that one may rightly call into question the authenticity of the video. In sharp contrast to the Ummat interview, it was heavily publicized in the West, after all. Anyone who saw Wag the Dog realizes that it would be well within the capability and inclination of America's professional propagandists to put up a fake bin Laden.

Read the full Ummat interview....

~ David Martin

Divine Protection

As a father who has held his dying infant daughter in his arms this year I am no stranger to sorrow. From the outrages in Kosovo/Krajina/Macedonia/B-H etc., by our nation's own hand I have seen the silent innocents laid low. No songs, benefits or pledge drives will be held. No phony songs of patriotism bleating from the lips of faithless leaders.

No, there will be nothing but fading memories. Our nation beats its breast in indignation at what has happened on our shores and yet turns a blind eye or engages in nefarious acts regularly. The hypocrisy of it all is heartbreaking. All I can do is gather my loved ones and pray for divine protection and clear guidance through these days. May clear voices of wisdom and reason prevail.

~ David F.

Hysteria

[Regarding Justin Raimondo's column of October 22, "Noonan's Madness":]

...Is this the antiwar movement channeled through Howard Stern? Certainly Noonan (and most of her pundit peers) is insane. But I don't agree with the crude generalizations about female "hysteria." More so than ever these days, it seems that hysteria and warmongering are fair game for both sexes.

~ Michael L.

Bourgeois Guns

[Regarding Justin Raimondo's column of October 15, "The Peaceniks":]

Now he's aiming his bourgeois guns at the loony left, specifically Workers World. No, Justin, they probably don't share your opinions on Murray Rothbard and probably don't think much of Buchanan. Yes, they are painfully gauche (pun intended), stunted, stilted and boring. Still, that's not the point. Why aren't "we" out there? (We too were at the San Francisco demo, proudly holding our anti-interventionist signs.) The reason is: "we" (i.e."the Right") are a pack of ideologically-challenged clowns. Say what you like about the left, they are consistent, fearless and get the job done.

~ Chris C.