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Letters from Our Readers
Jahan Choudhry, BAR Comments Editor
23 Sep 2020
Letters from Our Readers
Letters from Our Readers

This week climate change, US foreign policy, and Mexico’s new government were on your minds. We share comments from “Will A Biden Foreign Policy Make a Difference to The World?,” “Freedom Rider: Democrats’ Climate Change Lies,” and “Mexico: First the Poor.”

In “Will A Biden Foreign Policy Make a Difference to The World?” Ajamu Baraka argues that the Democrats winning this election will not change US foreign policy and its racist wars against the Global South. 

Paul Billings writes:

“Terrific piece. The US emerged from WWII as the world's leading military and economic power. Since that time US hegemony has been predicated on: 1) unrivaled military power, 2) control of world's energy reserves (primarily in the ME), and 3) maintaining the dollar as the world's reserve currency. All of the pillars supporting US power are now threatened by decades of neoliberal economic policies and spending large sums of public money on bailing out Wall St, the Pentagon and war. Indeed, US post-911 wars have cost US taxpayers $6 trillion, while killing/displacing circa 37 million people according to Brown University’s Cost of War study.

During his 5 decades of ‘public service,’ Joe Biden has been a dependable representative of the State, carrying water for the Pentagon, Military contractors, large banks and Wall St. Biden’s fealty to the lords of corporate capital is apparent from the fact that the Biden campaign has gotten the majority of Wall St. campaign donations, including Michael Bloomberg’s $100 million pledge; no doubt because the financial elite are confident that Biden/Harris will be more dependable supporting their interests (read GREED) that the ‘erratic and uncouth’ Donald Trump. In a recent op-ed, Biden made clear his approach to dealing with the Islamic Republic of Iran, pursuing a similar trajectory to that followed by the US since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

“The upcoming November ‘election,’ featuring Donald Trump, a NYC fascistic buffoon and conman vs Joe Biden, a veteran shill for the financial elite is indicative of the continuing decline of the ‘Empire’ and the pervasive rot that infects every facet of American society, which has been accelerated by the Coronavirus pandemic. After ‘investing’ $ trillions in the Pentagon and strategic debacles in Afghanistan (longest war in US history), Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen, the US is incapable of changing these policies as doing so is an admission of failure and by extension, military weakness. Bellicose and jingoistic posturing by Trump, Biden and other members of the ruling class in no way alters this reality.”

In “Freedom Rider: Democrats’ Climate Change Lies,” Margaret Kimberly writes that neither of the two capitalist parties are in a position to stop climate change.

Chad Jessup writes:

“The proclamation that climate change is responsible for the "...accelerated wildfire season [bringing] historic levels of devastation" is just propaganda pushed on to a bunch of gullible city slickers like the author of that article and the believers thereof.  You city slickers ought to get out in the country and see what is going on for yourself.

“The primary overriding cause of these fires is forest mismanagement which permits unchecked undergrowth to proliferate; thus, when lightning or arsonists strike, the entire ecosystem goes up in flames.  If thinning, controlled burns, and logging were more intelligently administered, there would be far less devastation.  Less money for the war machine and more money for our countryside is an important aspect of that move.

“Here is where I like to give a shout out to the Indians of old who managed the forests with fire and did a great job of it!  I find your acceptance of bad science from a bunch of old, white guys (who thought Indians were too stupid to do that) from the political left who occupy the ivory towers of academia quite ironic.”

“Mexico: First the Poor” by Roger Stoll examines the efforts of the country’s new leftist president to fight poverty and expand access to education.

Martin Zehr writes:

“Thank you for the effort to include an article on Mexico. It remains a fulcrum for the Right here in the U.S. The issue of the cartels has developed as a result of American government collaboration. I reserve my own judgement of AMLO given the past records of prior Mexican presidents on this issue that has impacted indigenous societies in Mexico so profoundly.”

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

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