Email 3

From SG

You fucking moron.

Watch yourself.

*

An interesting site that I shall visit again...

However, you are opinionated and arrogant. You flame those that argue points and issues made.. or you patronise them. Think about it. Much of what you say is true...... but some of it is propoganda also - just in a different guise.

*

Actually I take that partially back...

I have no doubt that some of what you are saying is true..

But some of it is as crazy as abductions by aliens...

____

Steve's reply

I would like to correct some of your mischaracterizations of me and what I am about.

First, I am not a moron. I am a fairly intelligent American who just happens to disagree with many of my government's policies and actions.

I am opinionated; I don't think I am arrogant. But, like a physician who studies for many years, and develops skills and accumulates knowledge that the average person does not have, I have information that you and most Americans do not have, because I have studied United States' foreign policy.

I do not flame those who email me. To the contrary I try to explain my attitudes and my positions. I try to inform. I don't believe in calling people names. Although I do not think people are stupid, I do believe most Americans are misinformed about what their government does in their name, and too easily allow themselves to be misled by their elected leaders, by the corporate media, and by TV pudits.

What is on my website is no more propaganda than the information that the majority of Americans are exposed to every day when they turn on the news. What is on my website are opinions from a wide variety of individuals - writers, historians, teachers, Supreme Court Justices, Presidents, generals, politicians, activists - who say things that violate the beliefs that many people in this country hold dear. While, many of these beliefs are based on facts; many are myths.

I do not write the material on the website. I put up the words of others who have more knowledge then I, and who can write better than I.

You think the stuff on the website is crazy because you have been brought up - like I was - to believe that what you are taught, and what you see, hear and read in the news is true. Well, often it is not.

The people who run our country have an Agenda. That Agenda involves ensuring that American corporate interests thrive and generate big profits all over the world, at any cost. It has been this way since the beginning of this country. Our military is used to help advance this Agenda, and our police are used to suppress dissent in this country so the corporate Agenda can be promoted without interruption. As a direct result of these U.S.-taxpayer funded policy decisions, people throughout the world suffer greatly and their lives are made miserable, so that American corporations can generate great profits and so the U.S. can maintain its economic and military dominance over the world.

The scenario that I paint in my website - about unjust and criminal United States' policies in the world - is based on published facts. But, most Americans get their information from the corporate media. They are fed a steady diet of misinformation, half-truths and outright lies. It's no wonder that you think I am a moron, a propagandist and maybe even a traitor. But let me assure you I am not.

Instead of thoughtlessly condemning me, why don't yo ask yourself this question, "Why would these people want to kill thousands of Americans and themselves? They certainly wouldn't commit suicide and murder innocent people out of jealosy - because Americans have more cars or bigger TVs. There has to be another reason. Maybe the answer is that they were willing to give up their lives and to kill because they wanted revenge, for the pain and suffering their people have suffered at the hands of the U.S. for many years.

My heart aches for the innocent people who died on Monday. But, my fear is that during the months and maybe years of retribution being planned by our government, and that many Americans now applaud, many more innocent people will die - outdside the U.S. - and a cycle of violence will emerge that will engulf all of us.

My one wish is that people who come to my website learn somethng that makes them question the policies of this country's leaders, so they can begin to read on their own, and then begin to ask some very hard questions of the politicians they have voted into office.

Without the knowledge that the US government has acted unjustly for many years in the Middle East and elsewhere, Americans will never understand the world, its people, and their feelings toward us. The purpose of my website is to shed some light, and to inform.

Steve

***

From B

I am certain you can be proud of the hand you and your organization played in the greatest catastrophe, an act of war, the United States has ever experienced.  It is important that all agencies of the government receive oversight.  However, what you and your confederates (the likes of Frank Church) have done to handicap and handcuff America's intelligence capabilities is directly responsible for this cowardly act.  There is no doubt that you went to far.  The only question now is, are you capable of recognizing your responsibility?

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Steve's reply

Why in the world do you think I would be "proud" that terrorists killed innocent people and caused so much pain and suffering? Just because I present material on my website that you disagree with and that dissents from the mainstream view of United States policies and actions in the world, you accuse me of abetting murderers, and even suggest that I am a traitor to my country. Your accusations are just plain ignorant. You don't know what you are talking about.

America was built on freedom of speech and the right to dissent. You should go back and reread your American history; this country was born out of dissent. You would still be wearing a powdered wig if colonial revolutionaries in America had kept their mouths shut and had not challenged the British.

We would still have slavery and child labor if people had not dissented from the mainstream view of their time.

There is a saying, " When everyone is thinking the same, no one is thinking." You are not thinking; you are only reacting, to the tragedy, and to the talking heads on TV who are all saying the same thing, with no dissent, no questioning.

Ask yourself this, "Why would these people want to kill thousands of Americans and themselves? They certainly wouldn't commit suicide and murder innocent people because Americans have more cars or bigger TVs. There has to be another reason. Maybe the answer is that they were willing to give up their lives and to kill because they wanted revenge, for the pain and suffering that their families and loved ones have suffered at the hands of the US. But, without the knowledge that the US government has acted unjustly for many years in the Middle East and elsewhere, Americans will never understand the world, its people, and their feelings toward us.

You obviously do not agree with the information on my website. You may believe the US government does only good in the world. If you are like most Americans, your get your knowledge of US policies, and about the world, from CNN or your local newspaper, in which case you know very little. Based on the information I have carefully read in hundreds of magazines and books over years, my understanding is more balanced than yours and my knowledge is more complete.

Don't be upset with me; I am only the messenger. Contact your President and your elected representatives and ask them to call a meeting to re-evaluate U.S. foreign policy. Tell them to stop taking the credit for freedom and democracy around the world, while they support dictatorships and authoritarian governments that oppress people.

There is a lot of pain in the world; much of it caused by U.S. policies abroad. Our government will stop making enemies when it adds some compassion to its policies. But unless the American people become better informed, and demand that US policies be more humane and just, they will continue to be surprised when acts of violence are visited on us.

I pray for the victims of this horrendous disaster, and I hope it will never happen again. Those behind this tragedy must be found and punished, if it is at all possible. But what is sure to happen is that thousands of innocent people in the Middle East or elsewhere will be killed from the sky by American bombs. Instead of dealing with the cause of this dreadful act, we will become killers of innocents, and a cycle of violence may be born.

*

I'm glad you replied, but still believe you are severely misguided. However, I do defend your right to be so and publish what you believe tobe real. The truth is, you write out of ignorance. Contrary to what you think, I have several hundred "history" books and hundreds of magazines on my shelf - each one read. I have never watched CNN except during Desert Storm and the latest attack and do not subscribe to the local newspaper. I do not allow my children to watch TV except for a few hours on the weekend and seldom partake myself (sorry - no "talking heads" for me). I consider myself very well versed, and do know what I am talking about. You only believe that your "understanding is more balanced" and your "knowledge more complete." Do you believe that if you were a citizen of Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran or scores of other countries (many in the Middle East) that you could publish this type of material and have any hope of living to continue to publish. Really, you fail to fully and completely understand what brought us our constitution and the freedom and civil liberties we enjoy today.

America and its citizens are compassionate and just - we are not perfect and there are many who are hateful. Certainly the CIA and other governmental agencies have made many mistakes that have killed innocents. Certainly our government is not blameless in making poor policy decisions and failing to recognize what should have been apparent - wouldn't it be great to have a crystal ball?

The United States has many enemies and most of the places they live are not places I would want to live. Conflict is based upon differences of opinion and lifestyle and the things that have led individuals to choose the path they are on. Why is it that America is home to huge populations of immigrants, in some cases more than live in their own countries? How much blood has been spilled to give you the right to live as you do today? Had George Washington (and his contempories), Abraham Lincoln (remember him - he suspended habeas corpus), and Franklin Roosevelt not had the eyes, ears and full functionality of their intelligence networks and other others they depended on, you're right - you would be wearing a powdered wig, maybe have your own slaves, maybe be speaking German, or perhaps not be here at all (do you have blonde hair and blue eyes?). Quite simply, what I am saying is that all government agencies (CIA included) did, and do, need oversight, but none needed eviscerated. Because of "group think" like yours, the success of this attack was inevitable. We do not have the capability to learn about plots like these. Our satellites and technology are great, but we do not have the ability to gather "human" intelligence - nothing from the field - seems we were being too mean and some of us didn't like that. You see, the ability to counter act, "fight fire with fire" has been taken away from us. There are "infernos" all over the world, many a danger to us, our way of life and peace around the world. Unfortunately, the people who have to fight them only have water pistols, and then not even enough people to use them. Those who think like you are the people who put them in their hands, taking away anything else they could have used. I'm sure you'll be happy to give them all the water they need (from a long distance away) AND expect them to be successful. On September 11, 2001, they were not successful, but through no fault of their own.

It is not hard to see that you think of this as a "wake up" call to the awfulness of our way of life and terrible government. The truth is, you have never once personally witnessed "loved ones ... suffered at the hand of the US" - not in the measures, ways and means you write. Only as a cause, only as what you have read and been told. I have seen many, many, many of the compassionate acts of our country and its citizens (see the attachment).

I pray for peace, I wish this conflict not be needed - too many lives gone and many more will be taken. Unfortunately, I know that there are barbaric people, barbaric governments and many who want to kill you, me and our families merely because we live under the American flag. As long as there are humans on the planet, we will be fighting wars. I only wish that we could gather back our ability to be watchful and defend ourselves - mindsets like yours are huge impediments and caused them to be lost years ago.

You too are in my prayers.

P.S. Who should take the credit for freedom and democracy around the world and why haven't you moved there

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Steve's reply

This will be a discussion with no satisfactory conclusion. We could trade thousands of words and in the end still have the same differences of opinion. You may be more of a patriot than I, if patriotism means applauding one's country's military exploits regardless of consequence. But, "... there is another form of patriotism that searches for excellence in social, economic and moral spheres rather than in weapon systems." (Thomas Bodenheimer and Robert Gould, from their book Rollback) That's the kind of patriotism I support. I'd prefer that we take the $40 billion allocated to this war of retaliation and help improve the healthcare, education and housing of the suffering people in the Middle East, rather than buying planes and bombs to kill them. The perpetrators and their backers must be found and punished, but innocent Arabs / Muslims should not pay the price for where they were born or the ethnicity and religion of their parents.

The two attached articles explain my point of view better than I can. You might find them interesting, even thought-provoking.

I pray that our government's crusade for revenge and "self-respect" will not result in the loss of too many innocent lives in far-away places.

***

From DM

I am always amazed at the left wing view, that holds a system that has
nurtured more good and material happiness to man then any other in contempt,
while passing in silence or distorting beyond belief the left' own record
of misery and death. It is an idealogy that feeds on itself, but is deluded
beyond any reason-----and this is natural, I suppose. The left in the United
States and Europe were busy exalting and excusing the regimes in Moscow and
Peking and other third world countries, while their people suffered mass
murder, landscapes destroyed and contaminated and their ways of life and
traditions destroyed....I understand why the Stalins and Maos and Pol Pots
of the earth did it, for their own exalted, evil power to control and
destroy. But the free left of the west did this for nothing more than a
vague sense of your own superiority, and perhaps a vain hope for some power
should the West be overwhelmed.....I could only hope that these
self-righeous left wing authors would have been subjected to the same show
trials and tortures that many of their Communist brethern suffered in
Poland, Czechoslovakia and a myriad of other "progressive" nations, once the
Communist dictaterships had descended on them.
___

Steve's reply

I would llike to reply to your points.

1 - "Our system that has nurtured more good and material happiness to man then any other."

Our system that has nurtured more good and material happiness for some (mostly the better-off in the US), but has caused suffering and misery for others. As we continue to push structural adjustment policies in Third World countries - which require those governments to severely reduce health and education programs for their mostly very-poor people, in order for those governments to be able to get IMF / World Bank loans (funded to a great extent and controlled almost-totally by the US) to repay US banks for loans made to previous US-supported dictators, who purchased weapons made by US arms manufacturers, in order to control their own people who wanted freedom and democracy - then, we continue to cause immeasurable harm to those in the world least able to find remedies, or even to survive. Our system is great for the rich and the well-connected; it stinks for the have-nots, whether in the US or elsewhere. The recent tax cut is a great example of welfare for the rich at the expense of the social support programs needed by the middle-class and the poor. The US is the only industrialized country that does not provide some form of universal health coverage to its citizens. The wages of the average worker are at 1973 levels relative to inflation and purchasing power. It now takes two family members to support the same family of four that was supported by one wage-earner in the 1970s. Not everyone is "having a good day" in America, or around the world, because of US policies.

2 - "I am distorting beyond belief the left's record of misery and death. "

Let's see what terrible things the left in the US has done in this century. If it weren't for the terrible "left", there would not be:

The GI Bill

era: 1950's
This act of Congress enabled millions upon millions of Americans to get
college educations, something that most Americans had never had the
opportunity to do previously. An entire generation of leaders, scientists, and
business people owe their education to the GI Bill.

Labor Laws

era: 1930's-present
An end to child labor, 40 hour work weeks, the right of employees to
collectively bargain, overtime pay, workplace safety, all of the things we take
for granted today are thanks to liberal laws passed in the first half of this
century. It was the conservatives who fought tooth and nail against the end of
sweatshops and exploitation.

Environmental Laws

era: 1970's-present
The environment has gotten much better in the last 30 years thanks to
liberals. Bald Eagles fly once again thanks to endangered species laws, most
rivers and lakes are clean again due to anti-pollution laws, and frequent
smog days are a thing of the past in most big American cities.

Food safety laws

era: 1910's-present
Ever read Sinclair's "The Jungle?" That's what things were really like before
food purity laws were on the books. Today cases of food poisoning are rare,
and consumers know that whatever they buy is safe to eat.

Workplace safety laws

era: 1930's-present
Long hours in unsafe conditions are much rarer today than in the past.
Tragedies such as the Triangle Shirtwaist fire and child labor have been
eliminated by liberal and progressive legislation.

Social Security

era: 1930's-1970's
This program has provided three generations of Americans retirement
benefits, and nearly eliminated poverty among the elderly. The program is
weakening now, but for 50 years it did its job.

Medicare

Civil rights movement

era: 1950's-present
Liberal ideals drove the biggest change in American society since the Civil
War, the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. All Americans who
believe in freedom and opportunity cannot help but be inspired by the valiant
struggles of MLK and others. Also recall if you will that the major opponents
of civil rights were conservatives.

Women's right to vote

era: 1920's-present
Before 1920, half of America's population could not exercise the essential
duty of citizenship.

Universal Public Education

era: 1890's-present
The reason America is so strong economically is because we have a
well-educated citizenry. Public schooling is the true melting pot of America,
where every student, regardless of economic background can be taught the
basics of citizenship. It is no coincidence that in the last 20 years, as
conservatives have greatly weakened the public school system, that
American students have scored lower on tests and our civic society has
started to unravel.

Product Labeling/Truth in Advertising Laws

era: 1910's-present
"We take it for granted that if a claim is made publicly for a product, it's
reasonable to assume it's true. Plus, every time we check the ingredients on
a can or package of food, we should mentally call down blessings on the
liberals who passed the necessary legislation over the anguished howls of
the conservatives, who were convinced such info would be prohibitively
expensive, and too big a burden on business."

Public Health

era: 1910's-present
Government funded water and sewage systems are an important part of
modernity. In addition, organizations such as the National Institute of Health
and the Center for Disease Control play an important part in maintaining the
national health and preventing epidemics through research, vaccination
programs, etc..

There is no comparable list for the "right".

3 - "The left in the United States and Europe excused the regimes in Moscow and Peking and other third world countries, while their people suffered mass murder and destroyed their traditions."

Some on the left did; most did not. Every 'Lefty" is neither a socialist nor a communist. But, if you would like, I could provide you with a comparable list of atrocities committed by the right, from Guatemala to South Africa to Indonesia. Let me know. The list is quite a bit longer than Moscow and Peking.

4 - "Leftists in the west supported communist governments in the USSR and China for a vague sense of your own superiority, and perhaps a vain hope for some power should the West be overwhelmed."

Some in the West may have felt that way, but my reading tells me that the vast majority of those on the left were looking for a system that was more humane, one that produced less suffering than western-style 'free market" capitalism. They didn't find it, but the left is still looking for a capitalism with a human face, one that doesn't force "the many" into desperation in order that "the few" can prosper.

5 - "The self-righteous left wing authors that I have put up would have been subjected to the show trials and tortures in communist nations, once the Communist dictatorships had descended on them."

I wonder how many right-wing American patriots, writers, commentators and policy-makers would wish to place themselves at the mercy of some of the military dictators they supported, as these "patriots" tried to exercise American-style rights in the countries they helped "democratize". They would not last very long in the fascist totalitarian hells they created.

We obviously have very different ideas about what America stands for. I don't believe in the concept: "Our country, right or wrong". I believe in the ideal: "Our country ... when right, to be kept right. When wrong, to be put right.". I am also an American patriot, and I'm doing my part to put this country right in my own way.

Steve

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