Not indifferent after all
Reader comment on item: Hugging Iraq's Leaders
in response to reader comment: Muslims have to stand up and be counted.

Submitted by Lee D. Cary (United States), May 5, 2006 at 17:07

The US is not the West, as you write. Are we leading the West? That remains to be seen. They don't seem to be keen on following, as you observe. I heard someone say that Europe died at Auschwitz. I'm still chewing on that notion.

I have similar thoughs ref. the U.N. I've decided that the US gov't long ago saw the main value of the U.N. as (1) a place to closely measure the intentions of other gov'ts, (2) a source for mid-level intelligence gathering an recruitment of foreign nationals for same, and (3) an occasional opportunity to put a happy face on some inter'l ventures (refugee resettlement, for example). All this for a reasonable outlay of funds (that have yielded US taxpayers--exactly what, I, also, wonder?) And we shouldn't forget the entertainment value of seeing Kofi Annan deny with an almost straight face his knowledge of Kojo's activities. One of the major ironies of the U.N. is that it was born with high hopes and optimism out of the ashes of WWII; formed the nation of Israel to partially atone for the world's guilt about the holocaust; and now sits by as Iran gears up to destroy Israel (We must take the words of Iran seriously, I believe)

"I would let Tehran know the consequences of a nuclear attack on the US or any other nation ," you write, to which I echo agreement, Pat. But I'm not sure they care. I wonder if they're not as crazy as they act. Iran has been killing Americans in small numbers for decades. Ironically, the inept Carter (inept in my opinoin) was the only President to make an attempt (inept, too) to strike back. There's every reason to believe that their march toward nuclear weapons will eventually lead to the transfer of a portable device that will be handed over to others, not directly traceable to Iran, who will detonate it here. I'm with you on defending ourselves first and foremost--the "first" part of that defense may be preventative. But as I survey the political landscape today, I'm not sure this crop of politicians would have known how to respond to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. (But as we debate ad nauseam in the Senate, Israel will act. As have no choice.)

I enjoyed reading your response.

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