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Posted December 7, 2001
Kudos to Ron Paul
[Regarding Rep. Ron Paul's guest column of December 4, "Keep Your Eye on the Target":]
Kudos to Ron Paul for another excellent article! He always manages to find the perfect balance of eloquence and easy-readability when delivering what he writes. This lengthy, but thorough piece covered the gamut of problems with the current "War on Terrorism" and warns us of tragedies that lie ahead if our leaders don't soon come to their senses. It's a shame that the American public is not more aware of our most principled member of Congress.
Not 'At War'
As a libertarian of the Murray Rothbard school of thought, I recently became acquainted with Antiwar.com and particularly ... [Justin Raimondo's] fine articles. Indeed, if I were not a peasant, Antiwar.com would receive my healthy appreciative donations.
Although you rightfully denounce the assault on our liberties, here at home, you suggest that these assaults constitute unnecessary and dangerous measures – even in times of war. I agree! However, in your many articles, you seem to suggest (like every other opponent of the embryonic American police state) that we are at war.
Well, we are not at war yet – at least constitutionally. I cannot understand the willingness of most Americans, and especially Antiwar.com and LewRockwell.com, to not address this profound and rather important issue. It seems that we all just accept the Bush administration's characterization that Americans are at war, when Congress never passed a Declaration of War.
Congratulations to Rep. Paul
[Regarding Rep. Ron Paul's guest column of December 4, "Keep Your Eye on the Target":]
Please pass on my humble congratulations to Rep. Paul on an absolutely outstanding overview of the issues surrounding the "War On Terrorism." I am incredibly impressed with the scope of his writing and the courage to write it, given his Congressional position. I will be forwarding this piece to everyone I know and hope they will give it the read it deserves. The one issue he doesn't mention is that of the U.S. harboring known international terrorists and human rights criminals, as well as those Americans who clearly identify themselves in this camp. I would be very interested in his and others' thoughts on these issues as well.
Again, Thanks for a clearly stated and most comprehensive piece of work.
Patriot Act
I just finished reading [Justin Raimondo's column of December 3,] "Ashcroft's Reign of Terror." As usual another excellent article. Last week I e-mailed very strong and pointed letters of disapproval to Senators Hatch and Bennett, and Congressman Hansen. These "men" are my "representatives" in Utah. I demanded that they send me a copy of the "Patriot Act" so that I could read for myself what it contained and determine for myself if this legislation is constitutional. I also demanded that they give me a thoughtful response and not send me a canned letter as they usually do when I write to them.
Similar
President Bush: "Arafat must do everything in his power to find those who murdered innocent Israelis and bring them to justice." Fine. But the question in my mind is what prevents President Bush from expressing similar sentiments (i.e. that Sharon do everything in his power to find those who murdered innocent Palestinians and bring them to justice) when, for example, five Palestinian kids were blown to bits by an Israeli booby-trap planted in a road a few hundred meters from their school? As acts of terror, there's not much difference between planting a bomb near a school where kids are likely to find it and a suicide bomber blowing up a bus.
Black Bloc
[Regarding Justin Raimondo's column of December 3:]
Great job on "Ashcroft's Reign of Terror" – I dare say you outdid yourself. I still insist that you have to see the "anti-globalization" "Black Bloc" as yet another COINTELPRO-style infiltration. I'm not sure that it's an FBI operation per se, but I do think it is clearly something organized by powerful interests who want to discredit the opposition to globalization.
...The organizers of the World Economic Forum are moving the next conference from Davos to New York City at the end of January. I can't think of a more surefire recipe for disaster. I believe we can rest assured that the interlopers will be out in full force. Just what NYC needs, right?
Threats
Is it just me, or are the continued "threats" to the American public just a way for the President and the military to keep us in fear so we don't question any of the ethics of this war or the ever-decreasing civil liberties we once took for granted?
~ Judy W.