English

Letters from our readers

The following is a selection of recent letters sent to the World Socialist Web Site

On “US exploits Georgia crisis to push through Polish missile deal

It is beginning to look to me as though the people of South Ossetia and the people of Georgia were sacrificed in order to create an environment that would enable the US to push through the missile shield deal with Poland. Clearly, Georgia would not have attacked South Ossetia without a green light from the US, and the US must have anticipated the Russian response. The ruling elite think of us all as merely pawns to be sacrificed on their “grand chessboard.”

BM

21 August 2008

On “US oil pipeline politics and the Russia-Georgia conflict

I was not aware of all these developments concerning the ongoing conflict in that part of the world. It was a thought-provoking article. Keep it going!

LB

Montreal, Canada

21 August 2008

On “How the American ‘free press’ toed the government line on Georgia

But it’s the sheer one-sidedness of the reportage in the Western news media that is most disturbing. It all reminds of one popular anecdote about press freedom during the Cold War (can you see the irony?): A group of Soviet reporters had been invited to New York, where they were proudly given a number of newspapers to read—a clear attempt to showcase press freedom in the United States. But it all backfired spectacularly when the Soviets noticed, not just the breathtaking uniformity of the reportage, but the fact that much of the published material consisted of official platitudes—complete with direct quotes from White House sources—so much so that one of them remarked: “At least we can justly claim that back home, we have no choice but to toe the party line; what excuse have the Americans got?”

FBR

Thailand

22 August 2008

On “NATO meeting in Brussels: US steps up pressure on Russia

You write, “The statement issued by the foreign ministers of the 26 member states affirmed ‘the principles of Georgia’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity’—a diplomatic formula rejecting demands, supported by Moscow, for independence for the contested breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.” This says all there is to say about the unbelievable hypocrisy (apart from its criminality) of the Bush regime and its bought-and-paid-for NATO flunkies. Where was their outrage about the “independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Serbia both during the bombings of the 1990s and their endorsement of Kosovo “independence”? Where was their hand-wringing about the “independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Iraq, a country that had done no harm and threatened none, that they invaded and destroyed? Where the outrage when the “independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Lebanon was violated by Israel? If the majority of the population were awake, instead of dreaming in some kind of stupor, there would be outrage at NATO’s sudden acquisition of respect for a country’s “independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Of course, Georgia has long been a puppet regime belonging to the United States. The same can also be said for the bought-and-paid-for NATO members. Nothing emerging from that tainted and outdated Cold War relic can be respected or believed. However, the captive news media in the United States is prattling and bombasting its assigned script without shame.

CZ

San Francisco, California, USA

20 August 2008

On “Jerry Wexler, producer of Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, dead at 91

Hiram Lee’s obituary of Jerry Wexler was a fitting memorial to a legend of American R&B as it became rock & roll. It shows that WSWS and Trotskyism live and rock steady in the 21st century. Marxism lives and rocks in 2008 thanks to the WSWS.

LL

20 August 2008

On “Clinton panel rejects call for mandatory reporting of hospital errors

I read with interest your article on mistakes and errors made by hospitals and the former President Clinton’s failure to act upon legislations that would help to reduce these deaths. The reasons were outrageous. My husband died this past February 2008 from such lack of care. I have grieved now beyond imagination for six months, and now it is time to call attention to this national disaster that is happening all across our nation.

PW

20 August 2008

Loading