Posted March 27, 2002

Tonsor

My only complaint with Justin Raimondo's . . . column [of March 25] was his mentioning "the first and loudest complaints against the neocons and their agenda" without specifically mentioning Stephen J. Tonsor, the brilliant professor of European intellectual history from the University of Michigan, a man who would be a giant figure of the post-war American conservative movement had it not been lobotomized by National Review. Tonsor was the first to attack the neoconservatives at M.E. Bradford's Philadelphia Society debate in 1986, an attack Paul Gottfried documents in his classic The Conservative Movement.

Keep up the great work.

~ Charles L.

Alarm Bells

[Regarding Justin Raimondo's column of March 25, "Our Hijacked Foreign Policy":]

'Right-wing form of social democracy'? Wait, I've heard of that particular combination before. Wasn't National Socialism a right-wing form of social democracy? That kind of puts Robert Kaplan's preoccupation with Pagan ethics into some perspective, doesn't it?

If alarm bells weren't going off in my head about the NeoCons before, they sure as hell are now.

~ CD, Japan

Spook of Nonaggression

Justin Raimondo says, "The paleocons, for their part, abhor war, albeit not on pacifist but on decentralist and libertarian grounds."

What a load of crap! Paleocons and cryptocons can always be found in the vanguard of warmongers.

The libertarians are possessed by the spook of nonaggression which means wage war when, for example, some bogus terrorist conspiracy is hatched. What kind of abhorrence does that stand for? None whatsoever. They're not in the least bit averse to war, and stand ready always to smote a foe as long as that foe is some third world country and as long as they stand on the side of overwhelming might thanks to their undying support for the build-up of all military means necessary to carry out the letter of their beloved principle. Bloody hell!

To ascribe any tendencies towards decentralism to paleocons is a laugh.

In terms of political power, there is no stronger supporter for the centralization of power than the paleos, if Alexander Hamilton counts for anything. He's about as centralist and paleo as you can get. I suppose JR would ensconce Hamilton in the neocon camp in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to salvage his absurd claim.

~ Alan K.

Salute

In 1996, a Chinese general allegedly (it was "leaked") asked some visiting Yankee dignitaries this question: "I doubt you are willing forgo Los Angeles to protect Taiwan…"

The American press had a field day denouncing this "nuclear blackmail". Six years later, we are told (via another "leak") that the Americans have taken up the Chicoms alleged gauntlet; yes, they are determined to protect Taiwan at all cost.

I have to agree with Kenneth Williams (Backtalk, March 23) that the Americans are the most generous and giving people in the world.

Who else but the Americans who have helped . . . the Shahs, the Pinochets, the Suhartos to quell their banditos and are now helping the Israelis, Turks, Indians, Indonesians to fight their Palestinians, Kurdish, Kashmiris, Acehnese "terrorists"?

And who else but the Americans who are willing to "risk LA" to protect the "right of self determination" of the Taiwanese "freedom fighters" on an island 8000 miles away? America, I salute you.

~ Deng Xi Chang, Hong Kong

Grotesque Constructions

This is just a complaint about one of your headlines, "Three-Year Anniversary of NATO Bombing." This is the sort of thing that one expects from CNN, not from your excellent organization. Since the word "anniversary" contains the Latin form of "year," it is redundant to say "three-year anniversary." An educated person would say simply "third anniversary."

Your usage of the word may lead to grotesque constructions, such as "six month anniversary," which is frequently heard on television. Please do your bit in setting a high standard for writing in our splendid language.

~ Peter Yff

Get the Truth Out

Several people have written you asking what to do. Essentially, not enough caring people know the truth to stop the Government. The only action you can take is to get the truth out. Right now that translates into getting everyone you know to read Antiwar.com. If they don't own a computer, then print the stories so they can read the truth themselves. When enough caring people know the truth the madness will stop.

~ M.S.

Letter to AVOT

Here's my letter to AVOT (Bill Bennett can be reached at . . . Empower Amerika, 1701 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 300, Washington D.C. 20006-5805. 202-452-8200. FAX: 202-833-0388):

Dear AVOT:

Please add me to your enemies list. I am the enemy of fascism in all its forms.

My friend Arthur Kinoy and others put an end to your precursor, the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) and the good Democrats and Independents of this Nation will make you a pathetic laughingstock similar to alcoholic schizophrenic Joe McCarthy and self-loathing homosexual Roy Cohn. There is, of course, nothing wrong with being a homosexual. Cohn, a secret homosexual, used political power to attack and ruin people on the basis of sexual orientation.

This is a surprisingly similar character flaw to Bill Bennett who openly declares himself to be an intellectual on his website, but; is a closet anti-intellectual. Actually, he is just a blowhard.

For your viewing pleasure, my website is bushcheats.org and my new one openly devoted to being critical of the war and AVOT is: georgew.bush.name.

I'm encouraging all good Americans to join me in kicking your ass.

~ Jim Monroe