The following is a selection of letters recently sent to the World Socialist Web Site.
On “Israeli war crimes aimed at ‘cleansing’ south Lebanon”
Dear Mr. Van Auken,
It’s really a pleasure to write to you, sir, and I do assure you that we need to demonstrate to the whole world the real image of the Zionists and, of course, I do not mean the Jewish people, but I mean some of them who represent Zionism.
MGS
13 August 2006
On “The politics of the latest terror scare”
You are to be congratulated as the author of the one article I have seen so far which questions the reality of this “terror plot.” We don’t yet know who was responsible for 9/11, but at least something happened then. Whereas in this case, nothing did. I am not suggesting that law enforcement officials should wait until disaster strikes to arrest people, but they should only do so on the basis of hard evidence.
No one has as yet produced a liquid explosive or the recipe for a liquid explosive which was to be used in the bombings. From the descriptions given, it appears that the arrests were based upon a wish-fulfillment fantasy of a circle of angry Muslim friends. But wishes are not crimes. The government has to show actual intent. Nonetheless, the names of those arrested have been published around the world and journalists, such as Rana Foroohar, have treated them as if they are guilty. Not to mention the stringent regulations placed on airlines passengers!
Notwithstanding Bush’s recent statement—a classic case of Jungian projection—it is patently obvious that the worst “fascists” and enemies of freedom are the governments of Britain and the US.
CM
15 August 2006
* * *How does one navigate through a storm and get to the truth? Everything I read makes doubt the greatest “virtue.” How does one get to the truth of what is really going on? Should I believe this article—after all, it is from a Socialist magazine (and Socialists always tell the truth), but then in a world of doubt, what is truth? Yet without truth our minds remain in a steady state of nothingness. It sure is a tough world to be living in. Read and make up your own mind. God Bless.
RM
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
15 August 2006
On “Contradictions, anomalies, questions mount in UK terror scare”
It’s most heartening to see that WSWS has adopted a skeptical approach to this latest fairy tale of terrorism coming from the CIA-MI5—or whomever it was behind its concoction—and didn’t wait for some safe distance before openly speculating on its fraudulent nature. It seems that the financial oligarchs at the top of global capitalism can’t help themselves when it comes to “crying wolf” every time they need a terrified and chastened public to agree to another war or another step down the road to a police state proper.
My only fear is that the oligarchs, and their political underlings, Blair and Bush, realise “crying wolf” won’t be an option another time, it’s all wearing a bit thin, and the next terror threat they create will be all too real.
This, of course, has happened many times before and didn’t just begin on 9/11.
JJ
17 August 2006
* * *I presume you will have seen the piece by the usually well-informed Syed Saleem Shahzad in Asia Times On-line which suggests that those arrested in connection with this in Pakistan are associated with outfits trying to depose Musharraf. So the arrests allowed Pakistani intelligence to kill two birds with one stone—curry favour with Washington and settle some internal scores, plus, I suppose send a shot across the bows of British-based anti-Musharraf elements of Pakistani origin.
If this is correct, there really was something in this for everyone!
RE
17 August 2006
On “An officially induced panic: UK terror scare sparks wave of mini-scares”
Surely, the last thing a plane with a bomb on board is going to have is a note stating this is the case. It’s pointless. It’s clearly hoax time and the perpetrators—terrorists and people with a warped sense of humour, plus those with a genuine grudge against the airline (and there must be many)—are going to have a lot of field days.
The ludicrous position conspirators Bush and Blair have put themselves in by their inconvenient measures could quickly bring the airlines to a halt. It is impossible to prevent passengers taking trouble stuff aboard even if you sent them aboard naked, so we will just have to live with reduced air travel. Not a bad thing. Or start behaving decently to the Muslims in the Middle East and drop all that warmongering Reid’s crap about giving in to the Muslims. Anyway, we’ve been giving into the Israelis for long enough, for God’s sake.
VL
18 August 2006
On “Sri Lankan government justifies the massacre of school students”
Thank you for covering what really happened. It’s really sad how the government/press cover the truth up so well. Glad to know that the truth does eventually surface. Peace be with all the innocent families affected by this war.
LK
17 August 2006
* * *A good and incisive article which tells the real truth on the tragedies that have overtaken the country for decades. The mass murder in Mullaitivu, coming on the heels of the one in Muttur, are but just two of the most pervasive amongst them.
The real question is: why is the international community so dumb and mute not to take action against the government under international humanitarian law by instituting Special War Crimes Tribunal such as was done in Rwanda by an equally racist government? The international community did not also hesitate to take action against Milosevic and his criminal associates for the mass murder of 5,000 Bosnian Muslims. So why this quiet about Sri Lanka where more than 80,000 Tamils have been murdered, many of them children, infants, women and the aged and a million people ethnically cleansed?
The governments in Sri Lanka have been denying political justice to the Tamils/Tamil-speaking and, since 1983, have also denied even basic criminal justice. So is it surprising that the warring goes on while those in power are conveniently in place “warming their bottoms”?
The “Peace Process” is made defunct. So is the CFA. All seems lost in “Paradise” while the bloodletting goes on.
SM
19 August 2006
On events in Sri Lanka
I just want to thank you for reporting the truth of what is going on in the North and East of Sri Lanka. I am impressed to see the editors and writers of this site being Sinhalese and you guys have not manipulated the news or did not lie or do propaganda work for the government.
Your news is up to date and accurate of what is really happening there. I just want to thank you all very much for your true journalism.
MS
21 August 2006
On “Günter Grass and the Waffen SS”
Outstanding article about the crude and absurd attempts to discredit Gunter Grass and destroy his reputation. I don’t think intelligent people who read Grass before will cease to do so now, and I’m surprised Grass’s revelation generated so much hysteria (but perhaps I shouldn’t be).
It just seems that worldwide the right-wing establishment is getting increasingly panicky—any little straw they can clutch at and they go frothing at the mouth. And I think—I hope—fewer and fewer people are paying them any attention. Man, I loved some of the quotes you pulled from these clowns: “[People] from now on will regard him as a caricature of his former self and assign him a place in the hall of shame” and “This is like someone who preaches one thing and then does completely the opposite.”
The latter quote is outstanding for all the reasons you mentioned. It is ridiculous to accuse someone of lifelong duplicity because of something he did when he was 17 and living under the umbrella of an insane era—something that he is still deeply ashamed of more than 60 years later. I hope the German people and the worldwide literary establishment continue to support him, and that people are not intimidated by this contemptible slander. We need the courage of artists like Grass and Pinter to stand up to the hysterics of the Right.
KSK
19 August 2006
On capitalism’s true face
To workers, socialists and those who want a better future:
Hello, everyone—I am writing this commentary to thank the staff in WSWS for keeping me informed about current events, for giving the lie to the reports made by the “mainstream media” (the capitalist-established media), for fighting for workers rights and for a socialist future.
First of all, your articles on the Israeli aggression are right. I believe that nothing justifies the killing of innocent civilians and that people can see through the lies and bias of the corporate media. Second of all, socialism is not dead, as long as there are working people socialism will remain alive and our only hope.
And finally, I’m writing to ask you to not forget the heroic Palestinians. Do not let the aggression against Lebanon distract you from efforts to bring about the birth of a Palestinian state. Thank you, and as Che used to say, we will prevail.
TC
14 August 2006