Regarding The Black Golden Spigot, - by Gilles d'Aymery and Swans' work on Iraq. Dear Editor: Your Web site is one of the most comprehensive I have seen on the history of our twisted relationship with Iraq. What I believe to be underplayed is the cadre of chicken hawks, led by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz, and their contribution to the demonization of Hussein by re-directing our national outrage over 9/11 to Iraq. Perle, of course, is chairman of the presently influential Defense Policy Board, and Wolfowitz is a deputy secretary of defense. Their propaganda has been so successful that a majority of Americans are willing to send our young men and women to war, and the so-called loyal opposition of the Democratic party is, for the most part, too frightened to even protest. Sam Seymour Markham, Illinois ********** Just to say how much I appreciate receiving the monthly Swans, and I particularly liked Gilles d'Aymery's latest article "The Black Golden Spigot." He wrote in the article's notes, quite rightly to my mind, that states cannot have "friends:" These things have to do with personal, individual attributes. I have always objected to the personification of abstract entities such as the state, particularly when it is used as an instrument of tyranny. Lew Rockwell has published an article of mine today on this very topic, so here I am shamelessly plugging it. It can be read at http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/wall3.html Richard Wall Estoril, Portugal ********** Dear Sir, Regarding the present situation, this can be described as a crisis point and possible turning point in human history. Do we turn to a world of alternative technologies like solar-electric power and hydrogen, start solving the world's problems for the majority of her population and turn away from the IMF/World Bank Free Market which only impoverishes the world's people at the expense for profits for the Corporations? Or are the backers of GB II allowed to create their world empire and global dominance? Never in my lifetime has it been so open. The troops and occupations are to ensure the flow of wealth to GB II's Empire. One reason for this is the colossal American deficit which can only be sustained by a flow of money into America. Meanwhile strategic areas must be seized, or made the victims of "regime change." We have a list, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, even China. Then there's oil, the control of the world's reserves will put them in a position of enormous power, but the crucial factor is Iraq being the strategic key to the Middle East; whoever controls that can dominate all the surrounding countries. So it all depends on us, whether GB II's ghouls and Master Tony succeed in getting public opinion to go along with this, or do we stop them. Richard Roper Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England ********** Richard Roper also sent a few comments in regard to Milo Clark's article, "Hope": I'm very sorry but there is NO REASON FOR OPTIMISM. The Bush Imperial Presidency WILL NOT MOVE ON. You will need considerably more than your keys. It is part of an Imperial Project, aiming at world domination with a single economic empire. This is laid out in the SACP document (Second American Century Project). But it's far older, being the vision of Sir Halford MacKinder and his Geopolitical Theory which got taken to America. This was built around the idea that a single world empire in economic/ political influence terms was about to emerge, so you better get in there. ********** Regarding Christopher Hitchens And The Uses Of Demagoguery, by Edward S. Herman. Good Show, Dr. Herman on the false left, mainly Christopher Hitchens. Noam Chomsky, Alexander Cockburn, Marc Cooper, and Neil Young were either threatened or offered a lot of money. The normally disjointed left is further divided by these ideologues. Why is it that the war on Iraq debate is being carried out by mainly Republicans (with the exception of Byrd, Kucinich, and Kerry)? Michael Parenti called them all frauds. I have to agree. Mike Lutgen Parsippany, New Jersey ********** Regarding Orenda, a poem by Sandy Lulay. What a touching poem! I'd like to share it with my friends and the 50 or so political networking groups I am involved with. It's simply and only for including deep gestures to, toward and for allowing room for pause of a deeper thing in the midst of the madness of the present totalitarian overthrow mindset, where poems like this do address and/or answer to that something that does live in the depths but is unfortunately buried too far for people to even realize it is there. I hope I have gotten the message across in regard to my reasons for wanting to disseminate substance like this. Of course, by all means, the author's name and all relative information will be included. I don't think I have to say how utterly wonderful and full of depth content and substance this poem really is, let alone the uplift to humanity it does or would give, because it IS true that the truth shall set you free, or is the only thing that liberates. This poem is definitly a liberator! Sandra Blenio Clearlake, California Gilles d'Aymery responds: Water is to life what poetry is to human sensitivity. We can't survive without both. Please, by all means, do not hesitate to disseminate the URL to this poem or any other piece published on Swans. If you wish, please add the first few lines of the poem (or any article you feel worth disseminating) or offer a short synopsys of your own. We want people to visit Swans so that they may have the opportunity to browse the site and discover our work. If you feel that our work is important, then, to disseminate it through the URLs will be the most helpful action you can take to assure the future of our project. We will need to start raising some funds early next year if we hope to be able to pursue the endeavor. So, recommending Swans to your correspondents and having them become direct regular readers is paramount. Long live poetry! ********** Regarding Swans' projectDear Editors, Excellent work! Please e-mail me regarding each new edition. Best wishes, Michael Zahn New York, New York [ed.] Music to our ears... Thank you! ********** We appreciate and welcome your comments. Please, remember to sign your e-mails with your real name and add your city, state, country, address and phone number. If we publish your opinion we will only include your name, city, state, and country. We are for real. Please be for real. Thanks. (Letters may be shortened and edited) |