Letters from Our Readers

Jahan Chowdhry, BAR Comments Editor

22 May 2019

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This week the most talked about topic was war. Readers wrote in about “Where Have All The Anti-War Warriors Gone?” and “Freedom Rider:U.S. Wages War Against The World.”

“Where Have All The Anti-War Warriors Gone?” by Dr. Kweli Nzito asks why there is little resistance to Washingon’s war agenda within the nation.

Ti O’Driscoll writes:

“Millions of anti-war folks around the world (including myself) protested in the streets for months yet failed stop the 2nd Iraq war. Today, practically every "progressive" I know has bought into Russophobia and CIA sourced Venezuelan lies. It's pretty clear that a) mass demonstrations against war are a waste of energy and b) even anti-war "progressives" have been brainwashed.”

Kenneth Betts writes:

“Never before have western governments been given so much power by the voters, the law makers, and the constitutional courts, to suppress descent to the extent of detention without charge and torture.
“For example this is what reporters face for anti-war stories and the courts have been all too happy to oblige:
‘Livolsi, his Discloseco-founder Mathias Destal, and Radio France reporter Benoît Collombat could face up to five years in prison and a €75,000 fine for merely handling classified documents without authorization under a 2009 law that prohibits ‘attacks on national defense secrets’ after the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), France’s domestic intelligence service, accused them of ‘compromising the secrecy of national defense.’"

Youri Smouter writes:

“Some have become controlled opposition due to insincere wealthy ‘liberal’ donors like Patrick Lannon, Rockefeller, or Soros funding 'progressive' media like “Democracy Now!” or Pierre Omydiar the Paradise Paper/Ebay man of The Intercept. Some have jumped the shark because Human Rights Fraud -- or ‘Human Rights Watch’ as they are called -- and Shamnesty International, or ‘Amnesty International’ as they are known, have decided Venezuela, Syria, Nicaragua, Ukraine, and Libya are good wars. Then when that's not enough you got people watching or reading Qatari funded media like al Jazeera, Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor that will inform you why war on Iran is imperialism but say Syria really does have 'moderate rebels' and people wearing White Helmets helping out against Satan incarnate Assad and his Russian/Iranian backers. Hey, some folks are just American or Western Firsters who want socialist reforms at home but are imperialists overseas. Call these guys out, especially the Trotskyists who also are 'selectively' anti-war/imperial. Of course, many are suffering from Anti-Russia/Putin derangement syndrome alongside their Anti-Trump derangement syndrome which is an even more shameful act then their lesser evilism and controlled opposition campaign they usually engage in like propping up Obama when they should've support Dennis Kucinich or Mike Gravel and marginalizing the Jill Steins of the world.”

In “Freedom Rider:U.S. Wages War Against The World” Margaret Kimberley reports on Washington’s war march against Iran and Venezuela and calls on peace forces to stand in opposition.

Wallace Nixon writes:

“Aggression and imperial designs have always been part of U.S. foreign policy. The destabilization of Haiti has lasted 200 years, against Cuba about 60 years, against Iran about 40 years, against Syria about a decade and now Venezuela about 20. The most glaring result of U.S. actions is the lowering of living standards in all of these countries. And we wonder why there is so much poverty among ex-slaves? Since our arrival on these shores we have been kept under almost total surveillance and police and vigilante control, forced to work under any conditions just to be employed and buried alive in penitentiaries. After two cosmetic presidential administrations under Obama, America now gives us Trump, the most openly racist president in 100 years. Can we truly speak of racial progress? What kind of future can we honestly aspire to when we are afraid to fight back and afraid to go away. We are in a life-threatening dilemma involving our slow but steady dehumanization. NO president or candidate for that office will attempt to bring about meaningful change.”

Excellent discussion on war and peace this week. The first duty of progressive forces in this country remains opposition to imperial war.

Jahan Choudhryis Comments Editor for Black Agenda Report. He is an organizer with the Saturday Free School based in Philadelphia, PA

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