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Letters from our readers

 

On "Letters on the death of Kennedy"

 

Michael H writes:

 

"To unbefuddle them without including the argument that the assassinations, 9/11 and much else (e.g., AIDS, swine flu maybe) are ‘inside jobs,' which is what you (and many others, like Noam Chomsky et al.) would like to do, is a tall order. Don't you think it would be easier to finally call a spade a spade? Yes, of course, these were conspiracies! Of course it is just the ruling elite shooting at us, again and again, but you could help put this in context."

 

Thank you for not buying into and promoting conspiracy theories such as those mentioned. Such things only serve to confuse and take focus away from the real problems we face. The real situations behind and around the aforementioned problems are bad enough without assigning comic-book super villainesque powers to those in power who deny services, care, and generally botch things up despite access to massive resources. 

 

"Calling a spade a spade" does not involve believing any wild story that comes down the pike. To put the proper name to things, to apply the actual solution to the problems we face requires a level-headed examination of the facts involved. Provable facts which stand up to scrutiny, rather than rumors the questioning of which lead to accusations of collusion.

 

Christie MS
Oregon, USA
29 August 2009

 

On "Ted Kennedy and the decay of American liberalism" 

 

Apropos Ted Kennedy, a comment from the past:

 

Mark Twain's advice for good manners at a funeral

 

Do not criticize the person in whose honor the entertainment is given.

 

Make no remarks about his equipment. If the handles are plated, it is best to seem to not observe it.

 

If the odor of the flowers is too oppressive for your comfort, remember that they were not brought there for you, and that the person for whom they were brought suffers no inconvenience from their presence.

 

Listen, with as intense an expression of attention as you can command, to the official statement of the character and history of the person in whose honor the entertainment is given; and if these statistics should seem to fail to tally with the facts, in places, do not nudge your neighbor, or press your foot upon his toes, or manifest, by any other sign, your awareness that taffy is being distributed.

 

If the official hopes expressed concerning the person in whose honor the entertainment is given are known by you to be oversized, let it pass-do not interrupt.

 

At the moving passages, be moved—but only according to the degree of your intimacy with the parties giving the entertainment, or with the party in whose honor the entertainment is given. Where a blood relation sobs, an intimate friend should choke up, a distant acquaintance should sigh, a stranger should merely fumble sympathetically with his handkerchief. Where the occasion is military, the emotions should be graded according to military rank, the highest officer present taking precedence in emotional violence, and the rest modifying their feelings according to their position in the service.

 

Do not bring your dog.

 

Sheffield N
29 August 2009

 

On "Japan's elections: the Communist Party's role" 

 

Hi comrades,

 

You write, "For all its anti-imperialist posturing and pacifist phrase-mongering..."

 

The JCP no longer has any anti-imperialist posturing. They have been impressed by Obama's bogus "anti-nuclear" speech, and hail Obama.  As for the Iraq war, they praised French and German imperialism for "opposing" war.

 

Huzimoto S
28 August 2009

 

On "Was there a high-level MI5 agent in the British Workers Revolutionary Party?"

 

Interesting article on John Lennon's politics made even more interesting now that the right wing health care protesters in Florida are trying to turn one of his songs into an anti-health care anthem. Search "Health Care - Victory" on Youtube to see what I mean.

 

John must be rolling over in his grave. How can we stop these right wing idiots?

 

Marie
30 August 2009

 

On "The Illusionist: The filmmaker, in fact, can't have it both ways" 

 

I always look forward to reading David Walsh's and other WSWS reviewers social perspectives on films that I access through the IMDB. They offer perspectives not seen in the other reviews. I was surprised David missed or chose to ignore the class issues touched on in The Illusionist. The illusionist belonged to the peasant class, became infatuated with someone from the upper class and was humiliated in the process. His "magic" didn't work in the face of power but he found a way to overcome this when he grew up and exerted his power and control over an aristocratic figure who sought to re-assert his power over the illusionist. 

 

Perhaps David could take a second look at the film and comment on the class elements the filmmakers inserted in their work. He doesn't usually miss a fine opportunity like this to write about the class struggle. 

 

The best,

Austin W
Toronto, Canada
30 August 2009

 

 

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