Letters to the Editors

Israel's tactics play a part in Mideast violence

Re: Where are the Palestinian elections?, Israelis know the folly of appeasing totalitarians and "The peace of the grave," letters, Feb. 3.

These three letter writers blame the Palestinians for the Middle East conflict and continue down the path that guarantees no peace in Israel and Palestine. Israel's supporters have always promoted the illusion that the Palestinians are responsible for the violence in the Middle East. They simply cannot believe that oppressing 3-million people, stealing their land, destroying their economy and virtually enslaving their victims play any part in the revolution that Palestinians are waging against Israel. When Israeli troops and colonialists return to their own borders and stop trying to colonize the West Bank and Gaza, peace will return to the region. Palestinians have shown their willingness to trade land for peace. It was Sharon and his 1,000 armed policemen who invaded the sacred Al-Aqsa mosque and inflamed Palestinian anger, rekindling the intifada. Sharon and his fanatical religious supporters anticipated this and knew that any new violence would be the perfect excuse for reinvading the Palestinian territories and regaining control over the Palestinian population, killing any hope for a viable Palestinian nation.

We Americans have closed our eyes to the real causes of the violence in Israel and Palestine. We have bought the Israeli propaganda that by imposing the most cruel and brutal oppression on the Palestinian people we can terrorize them into submission. We Americans have paid a terrible price for our unquestioning support of Israel. By not insisting on a fair and just settlement, we have exposed ourselves to terrorism and the hatred of hundreds of millions throughout the world. How long can Israel sell us this pipe dream that brutal suppression of Palestinians is the only way to end the violence?
-- Joseph D. Policano, Palm Harbor

Middle East focus perpetuates violence

Re: U.S. raises terror alert amid al-Qaida rumblings, Feb. 8.

We should be prepared to live like this for centuries or until the world gets blown up to extinction.

The United States and Britain have been interfering in the Middle East since 1948. That's 55 years of a problem that can never be resolved until this interference stops.

So many people never get it -- that beating others into submission and trying to force them into cultures and ways of thinking that are foreign to them never works. The fact is, it never will.

The latest call to war will result in more attacks on U.S. and British interests. There will be no end to the cycle of violence as long as this pattern of insanity continues. Someone is needed in Washington who will start taking care of the problems here in America!
-- M. Herington, Clearwater

Change ways, not neighbors

Re: Barak's clear-eyed optimism, Feb. 5.

Robert Friedman says that Israel's Ehud Barak offered Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat a "stunningly generous peace" proposal. He claims the escalating Palestinian attacks on Israelis and the escalating Israeli attacks on Palestinians are a result of Arafat refusing this proposal.

Barak's generous proposal consisted of 80 percent of the West Bank and Gaza broken into three separate enclosures with access controlled by Israeli Defense Forces. Approximately 85 percent of Jewish settlements were to remain under Israeli sovereignty with separate roads for settlers only connecting to Israel proper. Israel insisted on maintaining control of Palestinian border crossings to Egypt and Jordan making a mockery of the proposed Palestinian sovereignty.

Barak says that he would prefer to have Canadians for neighbors rather than Palestinians. Does he think that Canadians will accept having their land expropriated to build Jewish settlements? How does he expect them to act when he closes Canadian schools and universities? Will Canadians be more willing to tolerate having their towns sealed off and curfew declared while Israeli Defense Forces bulldoze their homes?

Changing neighbors won't help. To stop the escalating violence, Israel needs to change the way it deals with the neighbors that it has.
-- Joseph A. Mahon, St. Petersburg

Israelis face terror threat daily

Something must be done to stop the terrorist attacks in Israel. These attacks have had a tragic impact on many people's lives and have been going on in Israel for too long. Every Israeli has to live in danger and can't do many things that we Americans take for granted. Here in America we have it so easy -- we live in a free land where terrorism isn't an everyday issue (excluding Sept. 11, 2001). Kids can have fun and go places without being worried that an Arab might bomb the place they are in or kill them.

My whole family lives in Israel and as much as I would like to see them, I'm terrified to go visit them because of everything that is going on. So many people have stopped visiting in Israel because they are afraid to go there. The decrease in tourism causes businesses to lose money and shut down, one by one. It's such a shame that tourism is decreasing in Israel because it's such a beautiful country.

The people in Israel are living in danger and fear. They are afraid to do the simplest things like go to the movies with friends or even observe holidays. In March of last year, a group of Jews in Israel were having a Passover Seder and a terrorist came in and started shooting at them simply because they were Jewish. Israeli kids are told by their parents not to kick a Coke can on the street or open a package because there might be a bomb in it. It is so sad that Israelis can't live normal lives without worrying so much about what might happen to them.

The terrorism in Israel should be stopped. It's ruining many people's lives; they live in constant fear. What we Americans take for granted in our everyday lives, the Israelis have to avoid. It is so depressing and atrocious that it should be stopped as soon as possible.
-- Ilana Goldenberg, Odessa

No way to live

The war between Israel and Palestine has to stop. People may be fighting for what they believe in, but things have gone too far. Innocent men, women and even children are dying. Bombs have been found in buses, and soldiers are stationed all over. Children are scared to leave their home. Adults are afraid to take the bus to work. This is no way to live.

If this war isn't stopped now, it may never stop; when today's children grow up, they may continue the war because that's how they grew up.

Palestine and Israel are fighting over land and holy places. Israel has offered to give Palestine some of their land, but the Palestinians refused. They wanted it all. If we can't stop fighting, the sites both countries want will be destroyed. We should be able to share the land and live together peacefully. Maybe we should take all the time we spend fighting and arguing and spend it trying to live peacefully. We have to end this war right now, while we still can.
-- Jessica Wasserman, Tampa

Let's take the path of peace

Re: A sea of pilgrims, Feb. 11.

I look at this photo of Muslim pilgrims on their holy journey, and I wonder: What would it take for Americans to recognize these men and women as our brothers and sisters, to love and honor them and their culture enough so that we'd take the time and money we are turning toward war in their world into efforts for peace?

If we Americans undertook a similar pilgrimage, a time of reflection to focus on our deepest strengths and resources of faith, what actions would evolve? Would we still allow ourselves to be goaded into unilateral aggression against Iraq without any real plan for healing, even if we "win?" Even while Osama bin Laden taunts us into action to justify all manner of terrorist retaliation?

The way of war leads to more war (and wounds -- physical, economic, social and spiritual -- that last for generations and may turn our world into a cesspool of violence). The way of peace, however, may lead to creative and courageous solutions we haven't yet imagined. There are ways to deal with injustice that are not in themselves unjust.

We are all pilgrims, persons who are "passing through." Will future generations be glad we passed this way?
-- Nancy Corson Carter, St. Petersburg

A no-win situation for INS

Re: INS saboteurs, editorial, Feb. 5.

It seems the Immigration and Naturalization Service is in a "no-win" situation with your editorial department.

Before 9/11, the agency was castigated because they were too lax and issued visas for Saudis without making the proper checks. Now that the INS has instituted a rigorous policy to assure that foreign immigrants living in the United States have properly entered the country and are working or studying as they stated in the reason for their visit, the agency is accused of "incompetence" and pursuing "too rigorous" a policy.

You can't have it both ways.
-- Manuel J. Garcia, Dunedin

Our unprotected shores

How in the world does a Cuban patrol boat breach the national security that has been elevated to just one short of the highest level without detection and dock at the Hyatt Marina Resort in Key West? I served in the submarine service in Key West from 1956-1960 and find it incredible that such a feat could occur then or now. It still maintains some military status, I believe.

There is little wonder how subversives could find a way into this country. How many millions of dollars have we committed to protecting our shores? Perhaps we need to spend another dollar or two?
-- Tom S. Brown, Largo

A bumbling homeland security plan

Our government has told us that the danger of a terrorist attack has risen to the second-most critical stage, that an attack on U.S. civilians is imminent. They then, with a straight face, advise the American public to buy duct tape and plastic wrap to protect themselves in the event of such an attack.

I would be beside myself laughing if this was a joke. How can this administration fail to provide any funds for first-line responders (local police and fire personnel) at home, further weaken our homeland defense by sending our National Guard troops overseas and then give us this advice?

One can only conclude that homeland security is in the hands of the Keystone Kops in consultation with the Three Stooges.
-- Richard Driscoll, Clearwater

A scary new slogan

The indifference shown by our government toward real homeland defense, that is to say the integrity of our borders, has come home to roost. Across America, people can now take the same steps toward their personal homeland defense as they do with home repairs. In fact, my wife invented the new security slogan years ago when she asked, "Honey, where's the duct tape?"

May God protect us all. It's for sure the folks in Washington can't.
-- Andrew Nappi, Hudson

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