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Posted July 4, 2002
Gored by His Own Horn
...I'm more ambivalent over the demise of Politically Incorrect.
It did allow some interesting people on that would never get on otherwise. (Face it, Justin, that one-time appearance is one more than you've gotten on Nightline, PBS's NewsHour and the Sunday AM talk shows combined.)
I used to enjoy it when Werner Klemperer or Harlan Ellison appeared. (Werner is not longer with us, though.)
I watched it the last couple of weeks. Can't say that I'll miss it. His comments on the Middle East were not to be consumed on a full stomach. And it is oddly appropriate that Maher would be gored by his own horn in the midst of pro-war frenzy.
But the debate on TV, particularly broadcast TV, has gotten a little more narrow....
Sane and Decent
It was good to find your internet posting (Ran HaCohen's "How Jews Can Support Israel") and see that there are some sane and decent people left speaking out for and from Israel. Somehow we read nothing of efforts like yours in the U.S. press....
Bush's Threat
Bush's threat to Arafat reminds me of the previous South African government attempts to get the cooperation of the legitimate leadership in the so called Homelands. The threat was the same, cooperate, or we replace you. The result was most legit leaders got replaced, not so much due to high moral considerations, but because most had a reliable gut feel as to how much they could cooperate, and still remain leaders.
It is a safe prediction, that Bush will soon miss the days when he could at least exert some influence on the people of Pakistan.
Trusted Source
Loved Justin's June 28 commentary. Now that 9/11 has exposed the once unimaginable corruptness -- in our own government as well as that of Israel -- to longtime TV media slaves, such as myself, I just can't get enough of the truth. ABC, CNN, MSNBC have all fallen by the wayside. Antiwar.com is my trusted source for relevant news. You are a true godsend.
Spanish Culture
In your article on the Internet [George Szamuely's "Puerto Rico Libre -- and Good Riddance"] you state that the US presence has all but destroyed the Spanish culture of the Puerto Rican people. Where are you from?
I was born there, and, yes, I was raised in NY, but I can tell you that I've visited the Island many times, and the Spanish culture is alive and well. Why do you think the people there hang on to their native language? Definitely it is not out of nostalgia, but because it is part of whom they are.
Last time I visited the town in which I was born, I was surprised to see 2 flags in the town square: The Spanish flag, and the Puerto Rican flag. I inquired about this and my aunt said that the townsfolk are proud of their line of descent. More than 90% of the town is of Spanish descent, and a smattering are of of Black or Arabic descent, people who have been on the Island for over 200 years or more.
While I do agree that Puerto Rico's status should be settled, it is the Puerto Ricans living on the island who must vote to resolve this issue once and for all without the input of non-Puerto Ricans who think they know what is best for Puerto Rico.
As I said before, good article, but I think you needed to do some more homework on the topic.
Behind Enemy Lines
...The few people who anticipate the dangers in the current crisis claim that the sudden and unplanned withdrawal of the mission in Bosnia may trigger new hostilities there between the locals. Maybe, maybe not. The real danger is this: the Muslims of Bosnia and the Albanians of Kosovo are birds sitting on a branch, and the tree is that generalized tumour known as the international community. These people's survival depends absolutely on this branch. Without it they crash completely. The US veto has made their situation critical, even desperate. ...
Within a few days, we may be witnessing a bloodbath of foreigners in those parts, including above all American personnel. ...
The American government had made up its mind that it would not ratify the Tribunal, and it used the UN mission in Bosnia as a counterweight to achieve its goal. ...By Friday June 28, the UN had not backed down under US pressure. At that point in time, the US should have withdrawn from the stalemated debate and taken the next step: order the recall of the American personnel from Bosnia in time for them to leave before the midnight deadline, when the mandate expired.
To leave personnel behind enemy lines once their mandate expired, and to leave them in the midst of a very hostile and desperate population, one with major grievances against the US government, where there are hundreds, probably thousands of members of the same al-Qaida organisation which destroyed the World Trade Center -- I mean, that's criminal negligence on a global scale. ...