Not the full story
Carolyn LaFave’s interview with Huwaida Arraf of the ISM was very straightforward, but Arraf stated the biggest piece of propaganda in modern history (“Bearing witness,” Metro Times, July 23-29).
Palestinians would kill every Jew and destroy Israel if they could. If there were no roadblocks, innocent civilians would be killed every day. The Palestinians are training their babies to hate Jews and Israelis, and their “government” doesn’t even recognize Israel’s existence.
Arraf and many other misled people do not know that the Arabs in the area have been killing Jews since before the creation of Israel. And they did not accept their own country in 1948. And they did not establish “Palestine” when Jordan controlled the entire West Bank area and there was no Israeli presence from 1948-1967. Why all those missed opportunities for a good life, Ms. Arraf?
Jews have been persecuted for centuries. The last thing we want to do is oppress another people. However, until the time when all Arab nations respect Israel, Israel will protect its very existence until the end. —Michael Kahan, Bloomfield Hills
Thrown out like trash
I worked for Newsday next to George Cantor on the Tigers 40 years ago, and shared a dinner table with him a number of times (“Bad news News,” Metro Times, July 30-Aug. 5). After 43 years at Newsday, now owned by the Chicago Tribune, it’s clear that newspapers are no longer in the newspaper business. It’s not enough to make a profit and continue to make a profit doing good work; the point of the newspaper now is to make more money so the stock goes up and pleases stockholders. Cut expenses and ambitions? By all means.
That means, of course, discarding somebody really good, who is paid what he’s worth, for someone who will work for half the price and is half as good.
That’s tragic, as George Cantor’s situation displays. —Steve Jacobson, Long Beach, N.Y.
Twisted logic
Let me see if I have this straight: The News periodically sells the DVDs and CDs it receives? The ones that have legends on them such as “May not be sold. Remains property of The Corporation,” and then they take the gains from the illegal property conversion and get credit (tax and otherwise) for being charitable?
I know, it’s nitpicking, but that’s what I do best!—Äny Salyer, Troy
More on Dean
Jack Lessenberry, I hope you’re not going to join the chorus of right-wingers ordered by their think tanks to propagate the falsehood that Dean spells a McGovern-type disaster for Democrats or that he’s too inexperienced in business to handle the big management job in Washington (“Whose flag shall we fly?” Metro Times, July 9-16). Good grief! Compared to whom? Certainly not dimwit Bush as “governor” who left Texas in chaos and bankrupt and is doing the same for the U.S. economy. Maybe you’d be happier if the talk of no election (with another invasion in process) became a reality and we all lived another four years in misery with the imposter Bush and his enablers dragging us further into the sewer. As one Dean supporter said, he’d vote for road kill to oust Bush. So would I. —Marie Arvette, Phoenix, Ore.
Hit the bench
Chris Handyside’s article pitting Detroit against Omaha is one of the most biased and ridiculous pieces of opinion writing I have ever read (“Detroit vs. Omaha,” Metro Times, July 16-23). That he refers to sports broadcasters as inspiration for the article should be enough to have him banned from writing about music or any other art form. Of course the White Stripes sell more records than Bright Eyes. The White Stripes are on a major label and enjoy massive airplay on MTV as well as on corporate radio stations across the nation. Bright Eyes are on a small independent label with a tiny marketing budget, and get no airplay on MTV or corporate radio. Writing about music like it’s a competition is stupid in the first place. —Ryan Davis, Seattle, Wash.
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