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web posted January 26, 2004

Re: Paul Robeson by Steven Martinovich (January 19, 2004)

Thumbs up to Steve Martinovich for his excellent article on the U.S. Postal Service issuing a stamp in honor of Paul Robeson. I have seen this stamp in one of our local post offices here in Pennsylvania, but didn't know anything about the man for whom it was issued.

Why is it that forces in America seeking to honor Black or African-American citizens in U.S. history always seek to hold up some individual with a background of radical, anti-civility for not only their own race, but for seemingly all races.

If Paul Robeson stood for the pro-communist agenda of Stalin and his wicked regime, how in the name of all that is decent can any black American stand the idea of anything which will give a semblance of honor to one whose beliefs were truly dishonorable to the core?

Black American citizens need to begin to question those in the leadership of both political and religious organizations which presume to speak for their people, let alone speaking for America, period.

Racism, as well as the endorsement of Communism and a Socialist agenda by any individual, is a slap in the face to humanity itself, as well as to the memory of all who perished under the oppression of madmen within those evil empires.

William G. Smith
Lancaster, Pa.

Re: Olly olly in freeby Jack J. Woehr (January 19, 2004)

Oh dear. Oh my. Enter Stage Right looks more than a little silly publishing the pro-amnesty piece by J.J. Woehr.

I think if the author (ditto for the chap who wrote the piece that was only mildly supportive of Bush's proposal) had done any homework, he could have saved face. If you read this piece on vdare by Robert Locke, you will begin to have a better grasp of the issue.

The issue of deportation is really a moot point now. After 9/11, deportations of illegals from terrorist sponsoring nations such as Pakistan were stepped up. The result: many illegal Pakistanis simply left rather than waiting to be deported. One can expect the same of Mexicans if a nominally aggressive effort were made by the INS.

BTW: Thanks for the interesting interview w/ Peter Brimelow. I enjoyed immensely.

Regards,
Myles Wilson

Re: The plight of Palestinian Christians in the Middle East

The Palestinian Christian is an endangered species. When the modern state of Israel was established there were about 400,000 of us. Two years ago the number was down to 80,000. Now it’s down to 60,000. At that rate, in a few years there will be none of us left.

Palestinian Christians within Israel fare little better. On the face of it, their number has grown by 20,000 since 1991. But this is misleading, for the census classification ‘Christian’ includes some 20,000 recent non-Arab migrants from the former Soviet Union.

So why are Palestinian Christians abandoning their homeland?

We have lost hope, that’s why. We are treated as non-people. Few outside the Middle East even know we exist, and those who do, conveniently forget.

I refer, of course, to the American Religious Right. They see the modern Israel as a harbinger of the Second Coming, at which time Christians will go to Paradise, and all others (presumably including Jews) to Hell. To this end they lend military and moral support to Israel.

Even by the double-dealing standards of international diplomacy this is a breathtakingly cynical bargain. It is hard to know who is using whom more: the Christian Right for offering secular power in the expectation that the Jewish state will be destroyed by a greater spiritual one; or the Israeli Right for accepting their offer. What we do know is that both sides are abusing the Palestinians. Apparently we don’t enter into anyone’s calculations.

The views of the Israeli Right are well known: they want us gone.

Less well known are the views of the American Religious Right. Strangely, they find the liberation Iraqis from a vile dictator just, but do not find it unjust for us to be under military occupation for 38 long years. Said Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma): ‘God Appeared to Abraham and said: “I am giving you this land,”the West Bank. This is not a political battle at all. It is a contest over whether or not the word of God is true.’

House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) was even more forthright: 'I'm content to have Israel grab the entire West Bank… I happen to believe that the Palestinians should leave.’
There is a phrase for this. Ethnic cleansing.

So why do American Christians stand by while their leaders advocate the expulsion of fellow Christians? Could it be that they do not know that the Holy Land has been a home to Christians since, well… since Christ?

Do not think I am asking for special treatment for Christians. Ethnic cleansing is evil whoever does it and to whomever it is done. Palestinian Christians: Anglican, Maronite Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Armenians, Baptists, Copts and Assyrians have been rubbing shoulders with each other and with other religions: Muslims, Jews, Druze and (most recently) Baha’is for centuries. We want to do so for centuries more. But we can’t if we are driven out by despair.

What we seek is support: material, moral, political and spiritual. As Palestinians we grieve for what we have lost, and few people (the Ashkenazi Jews are one) have lost more than us. But grief can be assuaged by the fellowship of friends.

Prof. Abe W. Ata

(Prof. Abe W. Ata is a 9th generation Christian Palestinian born in Bethlehem. He is the author of 11 books including Intermarriage between Christians and Muslims: The case of the West Bank (Melbourne, David Lovell Publ. 2000)

web posted January 19, 2004

Re: George W. Bush's space program

Is President Bush's proposal to expand the space program a good idea?

A major reason why Americans value the space program is that the sight of human achievement--especially as embodied in the technological prowess of space exploration--inspires them to realize their own dreams here on earth. But by proposing a massive new government program that threatens increased taxes, greater deficits and inflation, Bush is robbing American taxpayers of their ability to realize their earthly ambitions. If Bush wants to encourage achievement, he should concentrate on eliminating the plethora of government regulations, taxes and bureaucracies that are strangling American producers.

If Americans were once again free to keep more of what is rightfully theirs and to invest more in their own ambitions, there is no telling how many would be inspired to achieve their dreams here on earth.

Sincerely,

Yaron Brook
Executive Director, Ayn Rand Institute

web posted January 12, 2004

Re: Principle before party by Tom DeWeese (web posted January 5, 2004)

I agree with Tom DeWeese's criticism of the Republican Party. However, he fails to provide a strategy of how we can oppose the excesses of the Republican Party.

In "Time for Constitutional Fidelity" in Back to the Drawing Board: The Future of the Pro-Life Movement, the Conservative Caucus' Howard Phillips makes a convincing case for abandoning a strategy of Republican loyalty and replace it with a strategy of subtraction. If Republicans are confronted with defeat in close elections, they may decide to act on constitutional principles - or be replaced by candidates who will.

Many of us have labored in the trenches of the Republican Party. There is nothing more frustrating than success at the local and state levels, only to learn later that the deep core of the GOP is so rotten that genuine good fruit is impossible. The root issue is one of foundational integrity, philosophy of government and the inner circle of power at the top -- the same power source, by the way, which controls both parties. The first genuine alternative in our lifetimes is the Constitution Party, founded in '92 and still in its infancy.

Sincerely,
Joe Eldred

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