Responding to Lindh’s response [Archives:2005/818/Letters to the Editor]

Don Barrick
[email protected]
Mr. Lindh has chosen to respond to my criticism of his tirades exposing his hatred, with some interesting, yet flawed commentary. Though an American, from the beginning I was, and still am strongly against the U.S. involvement in Iraq. I am strongly for the construction of a Palestinian State. And I abhor George Bush's “cowboy” attitudes toward “diplomacy”.

What I take umbrage to is Mr. Lindh's wide generalizations, suggesting genocidal tendencies, on the part of Americans. He seems to be incapable of reading my previous letter in its entirety, and would prefer to only pick up on bits and pieces that reinforce his own biases, discriminatory philosophies and hatred. He has ignored much of my earlier message, which pointed out some of the admitted atrocities committed by U.S troops, and revealed by the U.S. media; but he says nothing about the murder of an English/Iraqi woman, or others – Iraqis and foreigners alike – who were not combatants, and whose only crime was trying to feed their families. These murders were committed by Islamic terrorists; where is the attempt to restrain such behavior, or bring them to justice? Why is Mr. Lindh's response so silent, in this area?

My criticism of Mr. Lindh's viewpoints are not directed at political issues, with which he may not understand that we have some common ground. My concern is for his hate-mongering, in which he would seem to feed the fear that the ignorant (including, at times, George Bush,) have used to fuel their own, private agendas. Wahabi philosophies are not endemic in the U.S., as far as can be told. They are the province of Islamist zealots, like you, Mr. Lindh; perhaps if you were to allow someone to read my entire letter to you…
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