Letters to the editor, Sept. 3, 2010
On Afghanistan and the N.Y. mosque
Did anyone at the Dispatch read Froma Harrop’s column before it was slapped into Monday’s edition? It seemed to be disconnected babble with a lot of name-calling included. Where to start?
First, not only have our “military interventions to turn the Islamic cultures into Jeffersonian democracies, not quite won the hearts and minds of Americans.” Well, yes. Our military has had the cuffs put on in Afghanistan. Office types in Washington are telling our troops when they can fire on an enemy and when they can’t. Even when fired upon, the troops on the ground don’t get to decide when they should take out the enemy. We folks at home do not like the high casualty rate which is the result of this type of warfare.
I had to grab my sides, when I read her quote attributed to Left-wing columnist Frank Rich, “So virulent is the Islamophobic hysteria of the neocon and Fox News right, that it has rendered Gen. Petraeus’ last ditch counterinsurgency strategy for fighting the war, inoperative.” Everyone in their right mind knows Obama did that, himself, when he announced a down-sized and belated troop surge and a pull-out date at the same time.
Al Qaeda is laughing at us on their web sites. It is even more interesting to hear the Left show concern for “Gen. Betrayus,” oh, excuse me, now he is their knight in shining armor since he was tapped to take Gen. McChrystal’s place. McChrystal was smart enough to get himself pulled out of Afghanistan and retired in grand style. I wonder if the exit date was the final straw? Incidentally, did you notice the “deer caught in headlights” look of Gen. Petraeus when he was interviewed on his new assignment?
How did Sarah Palin’s name get dragged into the column saying how she doesn’t give a damn about Afghanistan or the brave Americans fighting there? Of course, she cares. Her son is in the military serving our country and the military has always been dear and close to the hearts of conservatives.
At the beginning of her column, I got the impression Harrop was for the mosque at Ground Zero. After wading through her column, she gets around to the mosque again and she says, “why not move it elsewhere.”
Summing up, they have a right to build the mosque, but perhaps the location they chose is insensitive, in light of the 9/11 attack. The “American Street,” (American people) and Muslims are experiencing contempt for each other because of U.S. government policies. I think that is what she was trying to say. I’m not sure. Say, doesn’t that sound real similar to the comment made by Feisal Abdul Rauf? He is traveling the Mideast on the U.S. taxpayer dime to drum up “support” for the mosque and maybe, just maybe they won’t hate us so much. Do not bank on it.
Nancy Dittman, Barstow
