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Posted May 18, 2001
Antiwar and Mr. Raimondo,
Thanks for the excellent analysis of Gore Vidal and his cheap treatment by Ronald Radosh.
While I do not consider McVeigh an anti-hero or a "martyr" for freedom – he is a cold-blooded terrorist who killed children – I think the comparison between his cold-bloodedness and that of the federal government's is valid…
…Vidal is right. FDR did conspire to get Japan to fire the first shot at Pearl Harbor. He knowingly and unconstitutionally (as an American Fascist) sacrificed the lives of some 3,000 American soldiers. Today, "conservatives" such as Newt Gingrich, Ralph Reed, Trent Lott, and so on, see FDR as a hero. Sad. So much history has been lost or erased…
~ Michael Chapman, Alexandria, VA
"Free Trade" Agreements Misnamed
[Regarding Justin Raimondo's column, ""Quebec Crackpots":]
With several other students, I was in Quebec …protesting against the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the hemispheric sequel to NAFTA. …When we got back, the news media had already tired of it, and all that remained was for the armchair activists to refute our protests…
…The name "free trade" is obviously used to throw people off. …In fact…the FTAA and its predecessors restrict trade that would otherwise happen. These agreements say that countries can trade with the US unless they: have health programs to provide their citizens with cheaper alternatives to expensive medicines made by American corporations; attempt to protect public safety or the environment by banning toxic chemicals made by American corporations; encourage the growth of domestic industry and local development of their resources; or enact any other government policy to provide for the common good of their people, if it would possibly reduce profits of American corporations.
In short, virtually all the provisions of the FTAA serve to limit trade between countries…
…No country has ever achieved a decent standard of living for its people without limiting foreign competition until it could develop its own industry and resources.
…We close off our markets to countries unless they allow Americans to own their resources, produce their goods, and manage their economies. It's economic colonialism…
~ Stephen Preston
Contrary Opinions
[Regarding Kris Plasun's Backtalk email, "Where Are the Back-Talkers?"]:
What sort of opinion does Mr. Plasun desire? Blasting sovereign states to smithereens using radioactive munitions is O.K? Aiding and abetting narco-terrorists in their quest for free reign for their criminal acts is O.K.? U.S. spy planes cozying up to other nations' borders with the express purpose of provocation is O.K.? Embargoing weak countries for the express purpose of slowly killing the weak and poor is O.K.? …Our soldiers can kill with impunity when called to serve but all others must follow the rules of war or face the consequences of being branded a "war criminal" is O.K.? If this is the sort of opinion Mr. Plaus agrees with, why then [read] Antiwar.com? Any mainstream "news" source will provide him with all the contrary opinion he needs.
~ D. Stojanovic
Antiwar Is Not Enough
All you talk about is war and killing. Has the thought occurred to you that being antiwar is not enough, that being pro-peace – real peace – is the next step?
~ Barry Newman
Sometimes it's simpler to describe what you oppose than what you support. Antiwar.com opposes war and interventionism and supports international liberty and peace. It would be nice if the columnists could write column after column of good news and practical suggestions, but, unfortunately, accurately reporting on current world events requires talking about war and killing. If you have concrete suggestions as to how the site can become more "pro-peace," please let us know. ~SK