The following is a selection of recent letters to the WSWS.
On “The Hamdan dissents: US Supreme Court justice argue for presidential dictatorship”
Thanks for the article on the Hamdan dissents. This is a timely warning, not only to the people of America, but for citizens of all nations. By arguing for the removal of all legal restraints on the powers of the president, Thomas is seeking to establish a principle virtually identical to that which gave Hitler absolute power in Germany. This “Fuehrer principle,” as resolved by the Greater German Reichstag, reads as follows:
“The Fuehrer must have all the rights postulated by him which serve to further or achieve victory. Therefore—without being bound by existing legal regulations—in his capacity as leader of the nation, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, governmental chief and supreme executive chief, as supreme justice, and leader of the Party—the Fuehrer must be in a position to force with all means at his disposal every German, if necessary, whether he be common soldier or officer, low or high official or judge, leading or subordinate official of the Party, worker or employee, to fulfill his duties. In case of violation of these duties, the Fuehrer is entitled after conscientious examination, regardless of so-called well-deserved rights, to mete out due punishment, and to remove the offender from his post, rank and position, without introducing prescribed procedures.”
Professor Jahrreis, a witness for the defendants in the Nuremberg trial of the Nazi justices, explained this principle quite succinctly: “If now in the European meaning one asks about legal restrictions, and first of all one asks about restrictions of the German law, one will have to say that restrictions under German law did not exist for Hitler. He was legibus solutus in the same meaning in which Louis XIV claimed that for himself in France. Anybody who said something different expresses a wish that does not describe the actual legal facts.”
To prove the guilt of the defendants, the prosecutors had to demonstrate a pattern of judicial support for gross human rights violations. They had to show that the defendants consciously furthered these abuses. This they did so successfully. Clarence Thomas would do well to consider the fate of the Nazi justices at Nuremberg, particularly that of Oscar Rothaug.
EG
6 July 2006
On “US and Japan seize on missile tests to tighten noose around North Korea”
So let’s see now, the US administration and their media puppets are beside themselves with angst over North Korea’s half-baked missile development and its unbalanced leader Kim Jong-Il. A quick quiz: How many countries has North Korea invaded since Jong-Il came to power in 1994? Answer: zero. In that same timeframe, how many has the US invaded? Answer: Serbia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Not only did the US invade these countries on the pretext of outright lies, but it used condemned weapons such as Depleted Uranium, which poisons the Earth for all time. Based on the foregoing, which country should be feared the most?
SY
Oshawa, Canada
6 July 2006
On “Major powers complicit in Israeli war crimes”
In addition to the indications in your article that the Gaza action was independent of the capture of Corporal Shalit, it seems Prime Minister Olmert and Minister of Defense Amir Peretz held a meeting with mayors and heads of local councils in the region surrounding Gaza, and it was leaked from that meeting that either Peretz or Olmert said that the Gaza operation had been decided upon earlier and was to be carried out regardless of the Shalit incident.
Also, as a side note, the Israeli military has also been active in the West Bank, and Israeli media (Channel 10 News IIRC) suggested yesterday that a large-scale operation may be in planning for that region as well.
ER
Haifa, Israel
5 July 2006
On “Five more US soldiers charged in rape-murder atrocity in Iraq”
The most probable explanation behind the odd circumstances of the various alleged rape/murder cases is that they were likely part of a black PSYOP carried out with the intent of blaming different rival religious factions. Israel has long shown an interest in stirring Sunni/Shiite hostilities, and the strategy followed in conquering Iraq is very much of the same type. It isn’t likely that this was “just a rape case” but more reasonable that it was an attempted covert sting where some facts became public, and now the story has to go through a refashioning to make it proper for official history as a case of troops “getting out of hand.”
PN
9 July 2006
* * *Please avoid spreading the Pentagon misinformation that the victim of the 101st Airborne killers was a “woman.” This 14-year-old child was born in August of 1991, according to AFP, BBC, Iraqi Health Ministry and other reliable sources. I just read another bourgeois source referring to the child as “one of the women in the home.” Rather, we owe it to all victims of US atrocities to state that she was “one of the children in the home.”
Note that establishment sources are now using the word “teenager,” as they move slightly away from “woman.” Apparently, they hope that the US public will assume an 18- or 19-year-old, as if to take some of the horror from the deed. They persist as I write, in obvious submission to Pentagon liars who somehow hope the crime will be less offensive if the victim were adult.
Just as crimes against children within the US are specifically worded “kidnapping of child” or “rape of child,” etc., this monstrous deed must be stripped of all falsehood.
When such a crime occurs domestically, it is the US press that is loudest in demanding “justice” and capital punishment for the perpetrators. In this case, they are already looking for a way out for this airborne rat, citing “personality disorders.” Opposed to capital punishment as I am, it yet seems too much to hope that we will see the same press drumbeat for it in this case. As we are brutally reminded here, the press’s first duty in our nation is to serve the interests of the corporate-military classes.
JMO
Ventura, California, US
10 July 2006
On “Plan to attack New York tunnels: Yet another dubious ‘terror plot’”
There was a time when I thought Minority Report was just a good and thought-provoking story. Now it is becoming more and more a real story and nobody, least of all the general and possibly gullible public, is in a position to rationally ascertain what are facts and what is propaganda to frighten and condition the public. I start thinking that Minority Report ought to become compulsory viewing in schools with follow-up discussions.
CT
8 July 2006
* * *My biggest worry is that all these terror alerts will eventually become mundane to the population, much like crying wolf, so that a real terrorist act will need to be implemented—soon. Deception can only work for so long until “evidence” is fabricated to give it “truth.” Just ask the CIA.
SN
Powell River, British Columbia, Canada
Thanks for your coverage of our informational picket. Your inclusion of the details of our Local’s struggles is appreciated, and your perspective is refreshing.
Thanks!
KD
Urbana, Illinois, US
9 July 2006
On “Nepalese Maoists agree to abandon armed struggle and join government”
The Maoist leadership, et al, at this point may be trying to make it more difficult for the peasantry or proletarianized peasantry to support the workers in the coming struggle. Surely, it is not all “the Maoists” who are riding to Katmandu to join the government and assist the ruling class. There has to be a distinction between any offer from the leadership here and the rank-and-file.
JB
4 July 2006
On “The Massacre by 50 cent sells 4 million copies: Why does social backwardness achieve such success?” Part One and Part Two
I read this article recently and thought it was a solid expose. I also read the one on Outkast, and it really changed my perspective on them considerably. I wanted to introduce you (all) to some music that is of the “conscious” variety of rap to show how certain groups have developed in a revolutionary socialist fashion. First and foremost, you need to listen to the Coup. Their lyrics do a great job of pointing out the petty nature of “gangster” crime when compared with the monstrous scale of crime that is the capitalist system. They reject religion as a medium of change in one song called “Heaven Tonight”: “I’m not sittin in your pews/unless you help me to resist and refuse, show me a list of your views!” And the refrain is, “Preacher man wanna save my soul, don’t nobody wanna save my life.” So I think that song gives a nice materialist, grounded basis for their struggle. They connect the reality of proletariat life in all its harshness to its roots in the class conflict, and in turn insist on organization and ultimately revolution. I also like Immortal Technique, but he gets a little too violent himself at times. You might also check out Non-phixion: their beats and music are genuinely terrific and they have a socialist message, but their heavily drug-laden lyrics might offend.
EA
Tallahassee, Florida, US
4 July 2006