Letters to the Editor, May 7, 2004

By today over 300 murdered Muslim bodies have been recovered in Nigeria after Christian militias attacked Muslim villages and burned mosques. Thousands have been uprooted.

The reason I'm sending you this is that all the major US media, TV and newspapers have ignored this story compared to the incessant stories about the court ruling on stoning of a Muslim woman for adultery which was overturned by a higher court and the woman set free. In Islam to charge anyone of adultery has the strictest criteria due to the seriousness of the crime on an individual's life and reputation--according to Islamic Law--FOUR ADULT WITNESSES MUST HAVE SEEN THE ACTUAL ACT which obviously is almost impossible act unless the fornication is in public. Stoning is NOT a punishment for this crime in Islam only whipping the persons in public after such four witnesses swear to the truth. If the witnesses are lying they are punished and they've committed an egregious sin as well.

Another recent massacre of over 2000 Muslims by Hindu Fundamentalists in Gujarat India was also ignored by our media. Many of these dead families were burned alive in their make shift homes. Till this day India has not punished anyone.

I am nearly speechless at the current protestations of US leaders that the relatively minor abuse of captives which has recently dawned on them is "shameful" and "against everything the US stands for."

This from the government of the only nation to destroy defenseless civilian cities with nuclear weaponry! This from government of the only nation to devise and widely use "electric chairs" to torture to death condemned prisoners!

At least two of the latter, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, were never even accused of anything more than speaking the truth about the former.

This is not "ancient history." Both occurred during the lifetime of many who still live today and are still justified as entirely appropriate by at least some.

And now, if one reads, hears or watches even "liberal" (which some take as synonymous with "good," others as "bad") US journalism, one is barraged by concern over US loss, US dead. Where is the concern for Iraqi loss, Iraqi dead?

The situation is similar with Afghanistan, where the recent death of a man who apparently had some promise in US sports reaped more coverage, much more, than the deaths of entire Afghan families.

And in Israel concern lies with Israeli loss, Israeli dead. Where is the concern for Palestinian loss, Palestinian dead?

Whose losses are greater? Count the bodies and consider on whose ravaged lands they lie!!!

Apologies for "abuse" and worse are useless! They do no good! They are not needed! But perhaps action is!

Just a brief thank you for James Zogby's editorial. These are very dark times for the Palestinian and Iraqi peoples. Any veneer of civilization is torn away from the USA and the Coalition by the latest events. George Bush will apologize on two Arabic TV channels? Who's kidding who? Even if he did it on al-Jazeera TV it would in no way lessen the guilt for crimes against humanity in Iraq and Palestine.

I don't think we should sanction terror but in the meantime state terrorism is getting away with far more than a handful of irrational killings. One can nevertheless understand the resistance of the oppressed and dispossessed. Those that don't shout "Not in Our Name" have no right to talk about civilization, democracy, violence and peace.

It was the USA itself that wound up Bin Laden against Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, just like they wound up Saddam and that esteemed son of Masada, Ariel Sharon, and his predecessors. They are going to harvest something else than land and oil but I hate to think of the suffering and hate which may not just sweep these criminals away but maybe drag many, if not all of us, with them.

Continue to expose the crimes and spread the word of those who want a better, even if imperfect, tomorrow.

All this "civilization" talk being touted around by leading warmongers is utter nonsense. The war in Iraq was completely unnecessary, entirely avoidable, blatantly racist, immoral, aggressive and illegal. It is not "civilised" to raze a defenceless civilian town by aerial assault so 'liberating' i.e. killing thousands of helpless fellow human beings. The pain and grief of the victims is in no way lessened by the hi-tech delivery of death. It is not a Buck Rogers computer game.

The fact is (regrettably) that most US Presidents like to have a war - even if they only get to invade Grenada. Many voters like it too - as long as there are few US casualties. The others after all don't count - they are 'gooks', 'Untermenschen' etc. After all why waste 500 billion US$ a year on 'defence' (sic) if you are not going to attack someone?

Certainly Bush looked absolutely elated when the bombers went in. He loved it! It was his mast! erpiece! As predicted a brutal Israeli style occupation has followed with indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force in civilian areas and the appalling killings of families at road blocks etc. Who cares? Not many of the 'chosen' people for sure.

And let us not forget: Iraq was illegally invaded against the will of the international community after the presentation of entirely false evidence by Powell (as he now admits) to the UN. The Iraqis are therefore legally fully entitled to resist, as are the Palestinians and as were the French in World War II.

Just as in Vietnam the US government has used its vast wealth to destroy a poor country, slaughter many of its inhabitants and to torture and abuse prisoners. This is not UnAmerican at all but a typical and inevitable result of government policy supported still by a majority of citizens.

And can we remember US shock when a US prisoner was paraded on TV and its insistence that others honour the Geneva Convention? What complete hypocrisy - the US operates double standards in Iraq and, lest we forget, Guantanemo. So much indeed for Human Rights!

I would hope the following article (among others at our site) would provide some small measure of comfort that in America there is strife against the unassented leadership of our country, and the many terrible offenses caused by that leadership. I believe also, some small measure of encouragement might be found in Americans finding (in agreement) what are the causes of the troubles of these very difficult times. In any case, in the spirit of brotherhood, love, and friendship, I will provide one link to our most recent newsletter (we have a readership from around the world), and my offer that you may publish, link, translate, or do with the material there and elsewhere on our site, however you see fit:

Hiding the Real Cost of War?

Philadelphia-based investigative reporter Tom Flocco's front page title story is buttressed by the sobering photographic comparison of Italy and the United States in regard to how the issue of war dead and public memorial services for them is handled---or denied. Flocco knows pain when he sees it on the faces of bereaved American military parents. He lost his own young and gifted son a few years ago in a tragic freak accident in Mexico. Readers of LibertyPost.org will discover him as a first-rate investigative reporter willing to take personal risks in the production of quality work--and as one who understands the mystery of personal suffering as an instrument used to draw the individual closer to God and to a reassessment of the larger meaning of human life.

http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=48359

Mark Dankof