Hear All Sides

I WAS disgusted by John Pilger's article (Echo, Sept 21) calling America a terrorist and warmonger.

Does he want Israelis swept into the sea and obliterated and the same fate for the Kurds and Marsh Arabs of Iraq, which would certainly happen without US protection?

Does he know that Saddam Hussein has spent billions on new palaces and mosques while his people starve? Saddam could end their suffering now if he chose to do so. The truth is he wants to show starving children to the world to discredit the West and give his people an enemy to hate instead of himself.

Does John Pilger not know why America went into Vietnam: it was because the communist north invaded the south and, judging by the fact that the Marxist killing fields of Cambodia took the lives of two million and the same number have died in Marxist North Korea, perhaps this justifies America's attempt to prevent communism from taking over the whole of the Far East.

John Pilger neglects to acknowledge the billions of dollars worth of aid America has freely given to countries around the world.

Why is he silent also on the holy wars going on in Kashmir, Macedonia, Kosovo, Chechnya, Indonesia, Malaysia, Israel, Nigeria, Xinjiang province in China, Sudan, Ethiopia etc, all waged by Muslims?

It is communist policy to blame the West for everything, in order to bring down capitalism. Who does John Pilger imagine will supply aid to countries in crisis if this happens? - B Adams, Spennymoor.

AFTER two weeks politicians are finding a balance, but beware a new McCarthyism.

In the first week, the eloquence of the "Queen's band" rang out over the ocean of political correctness, in sympathy - not for war. Only in week two dare peace speak its name.

Bush's "with us or against us" threatens all discerning thinkers. I am with US but not with a blank cheque. Action against terrorists if necessary, but it must be joint and clinical with broad Muslim support, not a war between the religious fundamentalisms of Bush and bin Laden.

The higher objective must be to address causes. We need to help the US to see that hatred is not down to envy or freedom-hating. It thrives on misery and injustice - served with Western complicity - on a much vaster scale than the horror of New York. An independent audit of misery and a plan for its relief, would be a good start. - Mike O'Carroll, Northallerton.

THE recent terrorist attacks on New York and Washington were calculated to destroy life and to spread fear. The terrorists were enormously successful in both of these objectives.

We sympathise deeply with the families of all of the victims. In addition, we call upon all people of goodwill to do something that will limit the success of the terrorists: speak up for the ethnic minorities throughout our area whose colour alone exposes them to attacks from those thugs who would use the terror in America as an excuse for the expression of their racial hatred.

It isn't enough simply to sign a book of condolence. We must each do what we can to stop the destruction of life and the spread of fear in our own towns and villages. - Jim Naughton, Consett St Patrick's Justice and Peace Group.

THE development of vast military resources could exacerbate the situation, solving nothing. It is counter-productive to harass the innocent Muslim populations because their help is needed to expose any would-be terrorists among them.

Far better to direct men, money and materials into an intensive intelligence gathering operation to pre-empt the possibility of another strike.

People with an overpowering urge to self-destruct are unlikely to be impressed by any threats. The only hope is to find and contain them even if their sad maladies prove to be untreatable as a consequence of a lifetime of brainwashing.

While belief is important to many people, there will always be some who drift off into a mental state of dangerous fantasies.

Regardless of our beliefs or lack of them, parents and educators need to be on guard to the early signs of such a condition. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance. - Maurice Jordan, Newton Aycliffe.

THE recent events that have occurred in America are a lesson to all nations on this planet, whatever their religious or political beliefs. How vulnerable we are to the fanatical terrorist.

It is sad to think that a minority of so-called religious leaders uses its holy book to twist its words to incite their followers to commit the most horrendous atrocities on innocent people.

As long as humans walk this planet it will never be a perfect world, but I hope I am proved wrong. - A Walton, Newton Aycliffe.

I THINK it outrageous that someone in Britain should say (HAS, Sept 20) that the policy of the US in the Middle East has been "disastrous to say the least" without giving evidence of how it has been "disastrous".

What has Britain and the United Nations done which wasn't in the interests of the Middle East, peace justice and freedom for all as far as possible and the securing of the world's oil supply on which we all depend? - R Lewis, Birtley.

AS events unfold in Afghanistan, and the prospect of a major conflict looms, we shall hear more from nutters like bin Laden about the dangers of a nuclear strike on Britain and America.

In the spirit of the new times, therefore, there seems to be a strong case for removing the threat of a nuclear attack from Afghanistan by a selective use of the United Kingdom's nuclear submarines.

The annihilation of the World Trade Centre was the greatest assault on western civilization since Pearl Harbour. Its effects have been devastating.

We cannot afford any delay in restoring the status quo and in recovering our pride. - Aled Jones, Bridlington.