Views in brief
Resources for BDS activists
IN RESPONSE to "The Ben & Jerry's hypocrisy": To increase the pressure on Ben & Jerry's to halt operations in Palestinian Occupied Territories, we at Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel would like to collect plans, news items, etc. to publicize on our website, and build further interest.
We have leafleting and other materials we can provide. So if you're planning a local Free Cone Day event, please contact us via our website.
Marc Estrin, Burlington, Vt.
How violence infects our lives
IN RESPONSE to "How our universities teach violence": This is an excellent article.
Our society is certainly built on a foundation of violence. Everything is a "war"--war on terrorism, war on poverty, war on drugs. This has diminished the reality of the word. Most Americans--most people in the world, for that matter--have no idea what it is like to be in a war zone, or truly realize the horrors a soldier witnesses. I am appalled that we spend billions training our young people to hate and kill, and then limit how much we spend turning them into loving humans again.
I am a Army veteran. I was spared having to serve in a war zone. However, I know many Vietnam veterans who have suffered with post-traumatic stress disorder for decades. I am disgusted that a whole new generation of soldiers is being affected by this. I am even more disgusted that they don't get the kind of help they need, and may suffer for the rest of their lives.
I have spent a great amount of time studying trauma. I suffered with my own for 51 years. I only released its energy in 2012. I now have a peaceful soul. I don't know if this is possible for all trauma victims, especially if they are also affected with a physical injury. I wonder if any soldier carrying PTSD can ever live a "normal" life. Nightmares and intrusive thoughts are very, very powerful.
Diane Fisher, Santa Cruz, Calif.
A correction on the Vietnam antiwar movement
IN RESPONSE to "Behind a 'diplomatic solution' in Syria": In his comment, Andrew Pollack notes that some elements of the movement against the Vietnam war argued for negotiations and (he seems to be saying) in so doing, did not argue for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces and an end to the U.S. aggression. Furthermore, this claim seems to put forth the idea this was the only genuine support for the Vietnamese.
This is not my memory. In fact, the NLF was involved in the Paris peace negotiations from the very beginning. In addition, support for negotiations did not preclude a demand for an immediate withdrawal of all U.S. forces.
At this point in Syria, it seems that none of the opposition forces--progressive and otherwise--are in favor of the current attempt at negotiations. Therefore, it would seem that Pollack's comparison to Vietnam does not hold up, where the NLF and its allies were united behind the decision to negotiate.
Ron Jacobs, from the Internet.
Hateful Republicans, ineffective Democrats
IN RESPONSE to "State of the unequal union": Good article, hitting the important points clearly.
What will it take for the U.S. public to realize there's nothing for them in the Democratic Party? The more progressive reps--Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren--rarely get enough leverage to push through any significant changes, yet the mainstream left (The Nation, The Progressive, et al.) keeps pinning their hopes on them.
It's high time to move out of the Tweedledee-Tweedledum trap. Maybe something akin to the old Popular Front (minus the Stalinism) is in order.
Grant Fisher, Atlantic Beach, N.C.
Bargaining away our pensions
IN RESPONSE to "Beaten by blackmail and betrayal at Boeing": Outstanding article. I give pats on the back to all of those workers that voted "no." Those that voted "yes" are betraying the hardships that older generations went through.
Howard Johnson, Mesa, Ariz.
