Posted February 14, 2002

Humint

[Regarding Justin Raimondo's column of February 8, "9/11 Cover-Up?":]

Interesting work. I too have maintained that the Agency has a lot of money but has thrown it at high-tech gadgets and not on humint intel.

Hell, if Johnny Walker could penetrate the group why could not the Agency?

~ Dave B.

Get Back

Raimondo has, for some time, been one of my favorite writers. However, his last couple of diatribes has really turned me off. They have been attack articles on other columnists. It reminds me of the politicians who attack their opponent, but offer no program of their own. I would like for Raimondo to get back to his own opinions with supporting data. That is where he is at his best.

~ J.P.S., California

Military Review's National Socialism

The only error in Justin Raimondo's column of February 11, "National Review's Military Socialism," is that he used the word Military instead of National in the title.

~ Tony W.

Warfare-Welfare State

Excellent, excellent, article on R. Lowry, National Review, and their poor understanding of economics and the warfare-welfare state. It's a very simple thing: Every dollar spent in the public sector is one less dollar spent in the private sector. By the way, how did Dick Cheney and Brown & Root get that multi-million dollar contract for the military barracks in Saudi Arabia?

~ Michael Chapman

New Superhero

Justin writes: "It's instructive – and not surprising to libertarians – that the one legitimate goal of this war, getting Osama and wiping out Al Qaeda – has been thoroughly botched. Everything but that has been accomplished..."

That's true. But do you know something? Batman would have got it right. Batman would have gone to Afghanistan, apprehended Osama, and the others responsible, and would have left us with little doubt that he'd seized the right people. And afterwards, Batman would have left Afghanistan as he found it, with terrorists in tow. If I ask Batman to "Kill 'Em – and Get Out" I can trust Batman to know which 'em I'm referring to, and I can trust that he'll "get out" even if I didn't specify this in my request. If I thought, for a moment, that Batman would kill the wrong people, occupy Afghanistan permanently, declare a War On Everything, allocate $48 billion more in new Bat Cave spending, and on top of it all, let Osama walk – well, sir, I'd be sorely tempted to find myself a new superhero.

~ Lee M.