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We get a lot of letters, and publish a representative sampling of them in this column, which is updated as often as possible by our "Backtalk editor," Sam Koritz. Please send your letters to backtalk@antiwar.com. Letters may be edited for length (and coherence). Unless otherwise indicated, authors may be identified and letters may be reproduced in full or in part.

Posted July 27, 2001

General Clark

In response to Pyotr K.'s letter ["Distorted Presentation," July 25], I would like to say that I was one of the attendees of Gen. Wesley Clark's talk at the Pentagon Centre Borders Books, and I second everything that George Jatras wrote about how biased his presentation was.

I'd also like to add that Clark came across as a truly arrogant and rude person. He confirmed the opinion I have had for a long time about military commanders, that they have egos as big as all outdoors. They fancy themselves to be great "heroes," and expect to be treated with fawning respect and admiration by everybody, and thanked profusely for "saving our freedom." They need to be brought down a notch, and I think that's what those of us opposed to NATO aggression against Yugoslavia did to Clark at his presentation.

I don't think he's used to being challenged on his beliefs. This would account for the rude remarks and tone of voice he used against Mr. Jatras and myself when we asked him critical questions. Toward the end of the presentation, I stated my opposition to the US playing the role of Policeman of the World, and sticking our noses into other countries civil conflicts and internal affairs. That's when he brought up W.W.II and the Holocaust. He asked me, in a condescending tone of voice, if I would have liked for the US to have stayed out of W.W.II and not tried to stop the Holocaust.

"We could have prevented World War Two," I said, but that was all I was able to say, because the moderator of the discussion cut me off, telling me I wasn't showing proper respect for Clark. I was planning to saw that we could have prevented W.W.II by staying out of W.W.I in the first place, and not supporting the crippling economic sanctions against Germany which led to the rise of Hitler.

It is my sincere belief that in this American Empire, where the media and the Republi-Crat duopoly are controlled by New World Order capitalists, most agents of said New World Order are not used to having their policies challenged or critiqued in any substantive way. The only way they ever get challenged is through grassroots action, such as happened that night at Borders. When challenged in that way, it becomes clear that they can not defend their positions.

~ Nancy Hey

G-8 in Genoa

I am with the protesters, but only because I do not want to be ruled by globalists. My government is bad enough without adding those I do not know and do not want to know. I am against the UN and being ruled by the UN. Those are the globalists I fear.

~ G. Levasseur

Our S.O.B.

Thank you for posting Representative Ron Paul's thoughts ["A Bad Omen," July 17] regarding the hypocrisy of leaders of great powers using courts to legitimize their abuse of smaller countries, while guaranteeing that they will never stand trial for their own offenses. Another contradiction in the US's pursuit of "justice" in the past couple of decades has been its encouragement of amnesty or peaceful retirement for some of the worst offenders of human rights. In the interest of "reconciliation," murderous officials of former regimes in South Africa, Haiti, Central America, Argentina, Chile, The Philippines, etc. have been forgiven their transgressions and given a chance to prove themselves capable of being good citizens in new circumstances. The US has provided, or arranged, refuge for Somoza, Marcos, Duvalier, the Shah, and others, yet the US insists that Milosevic stand trial. The problem for Milosevic, to invert the State Department's appreciation of the elder Somoza, is that he is not "our son of a bitch."

~ Lloyd Gaarder, Sioux Falls, SD

AntiAlbanians.com?

This is a message of complaint.... Even though most of [Antiwar.com's] articles ... on the Kosovo and Macedonian conflicts seem to focus strictly on Western involvement, it seems to me that a racist -- yes racist -- view of the Albanians is unjustified.

Perhaps, dear authors, if you ... experienced the atrocities the Serbs committed, or the ... racism of the Macedonians, you ... would change your views. So please, ease off the Albanians, and by all means do ... blame only those responsible for the wars. What do you think ... kept Milosevic in power ... since 1989? And at whose expense?

... Your rationale is flawed and based on the opinions of a burned out colonel, whom the Pentagon didn't award the stars, and the "research" of a biased professor in Canada, or just plain weird conspiracy theories.

But do what you want. Be biased, racist or whatever you want to be. Clearly, I'm not going to change your mind. Oh, in case you are wondering: yes, I am an Albanian.

~ Yogi

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