Make no mistake: America far from innocent

I am a third-year graduate student in the Program in American Studies, and my work focuses on issues of history, memory, and tourism, particularly as they relate to Indian Country in the United States and the American war in Vietnam.

Born and raised in California, I received a bachelor's degree in English, with a minor in NATIVE American Studies..."

Translation: Mom and Dad have money and I find long division really complicated.

Mr Laderman,

I wish that I had the time and the tolerance to rebut your article line by line for the complete and utter falsehood that it is. Your flawed way of thinking on such political matters is based on false assumptions piled up on top of nonsense that has no truth. Ask you sir, what good is logic if the facts used to arrive at its conclusion have no merit? Case in point, your criticism of the Bush Administration's decision not sign on to the Kyoto Protocol ignores the fact that only one country signed on to the treaty to begin with. Furthermore the ridiculous notion that we should listen to other countries on matters such as pollution is laughable. The United States produces goods used to improve the lives of others the world over. Imagine the state the world's population would be in if the United States cut back on food or clothing. Fact: The United States produces 40% of the worlds goods and 25% of the worlds pollution. This means that the rest of the world produces 60% of the worlds goods at 75% of the world pollution. Is it your assertion that we should listen to a group of countries that have this horrible a record of pollution control on how to improve our own system? Using our common sense shouldn't countries throughout the world who TRULY wish to improve their own record on pollution come to the United States and find out how we do business?

Now I just spent an entire paragraph destroying only one notion in your column and I could do the same to almost every sentence in your article but I will only take the time to rebuke one more "gem" from your column article. I find this statement telling about what kind of person you are : "As a nation, we must consider why so many people hate the United States if we hope to minimize the horrific slaughter of American civilians, not to mention the widespread suffering of people around the world." Is this not essentially the same message that the Terrorists would send to us? Your attempt to capitalize on this disaster for politics is completely disgusting. In fact you and people like you are doing exactly what these monsters are trying to do, and that's advancing your own political motivations on the murder of others. AND THAT MAKES YOU NO DIFFERENT AND NO BETTER THAN THEM.

Robert ********
Tampa Fl

That's a pantload and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Right, perhaps you would explain your gratuitous insult? You have a problem with what I have to say then refute it with logic.

If you've got a grievance with American foreign policy, start a thread.

This is a thread about American foreign policy, or did you miss that?

But to imply that Clinton's policies in Kosovo and Serbia led to this is to simply project your own complaints onto the Jihadists.

No moron, (I'm stooping to your level, I should know better) I did not imply any such thing. American foreign policy results in senselessly bombing Kosovo and unfairly stigmatizing Serbia. Clinton is no less of a puppet in that regard as is Bush.

Furthermore I'm not complaining, merely pointing out the truth. If you see the truth as a "complaint" then I suggest you seek help.

Let's look at the fallout from Mr. Laderman's article. These are some of the comments appearing in today's Minnesota Daily:

I am so glad people like Laderman are still telling the truth about foreign policy. In fact, activists all over the country should increase their commitment to educating the population because we have now become unwilling targets to the “fruits” of American foreign policy.

Unless we want the Bush administration playing games with our lives, we have to speak up and take the government back from the hands of special interest groups like the war-mongering defense industry.

Todd Rizvi,assistant professor, medicine

And we have...

America is no angel, but there is a difference between taking justifiable military action for the benefit of the country and crashing a plane into a building. John Keats once said, “In times of moral crisis, to do nothing is the greatest sin of all.”

Today at noon, there will be a “Rally around the flag” at the Northrop Mall. It is a rally to show support for our president, armed forces and America in general.

Hank Long, student

Finally,

Therapy for Laderman: An airline ticket to New York. A dusty construction hat and pair of boots. A pair of gloves. A thousand tons of steel and concrete. A doll. A torn briefcase. A broken fireman’s helmet. An arm. A torso. Blood.

Never forget those like Laderman think New York had it coming.

Bruce Carpenter, contributor

We must have read different columns.

Not likely; but we're surely answering different questions. You asked how they differed. There are significant differences. I have no doubt that Buchanan loves the USA, in no small part because of the ideas articulated in our nation's founding. The grad student may in some sense love the USA too, perhaps for what it can become, despite what he sees as defective underpinnings. Are they the same kind of love of country? Not in my book. Your "same dog, different day" characterization paints too broad a swath for me to agree.

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