LETTERS
RON PAULWAS RIGHT
To the Editor:

If you watched the GOP Presidential Primary debate on Tuesday evening, you know that the liveliest exchange was when Rudy Giuliani interrupted Ron Paul to challenge his comment that our interventionist foreign policy created the "blowback" that led to 9/11. Paul stood his ground, and added, "They're not attacking us because we're rich and free, they're attacking us because we're over there." Neither Giuliani nor the audience was buying any of it, which is unfortunate, because Paul was right: the main reason Islamic terrorists target the US (and western nations in general) is because we are on their soil and in their hair, and they want us out. There is plenty of evidence to support this claim. For example: The suicide bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, in April of 1983, and the similar bombing of the Marine Barracks in October (which were seen by many as marking the beginning of anti-US Attacks by radical Islamist groups), were motivated by American intervention in the Lebanese Civil War. The shoot down of the Pan-Am flight over Lockerbie Scotland, which killed 189 American civilians, wasperpetrated by a group calling themselves the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution , who claimed they had destroyed the plane in retaliation for the US shoot down of an Iranian airliner by the US Navy guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes, which, at the time, was some 4 km inside Iranian territorial waters. The first NYC WTC Attack, in 1993, was planned by a group of conspirators including Ramzi Yousef, and financed by al-Qaeda. Yousef mailed letters to various NY newspapers just before the attack, in which he demanded that the US stop supporting Israel and end interference with the internal affairs of countries in the Middle East. The attack on the Khobar Towers US Military complex in Saudi Arabia in June of 1996, which was perpetrated by members of Hizballah, was organized by a group of terrorists who wanted US troops out of Saudi Arabia. The bombings of our embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in August of 1998, in which 257 people were killed and over 4000 wounded, were linked to local members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network, whose list of grievances against the US included our participation in the first Gulf War, military operations in Somalia and Yemen, and the US military presence in Saudi Arabia. The suicide bombing attack against the USS Cole in Yemen in October of 2000, was organized by al-Qaeda, and is generally regarded as having been a protest against US involvement in the Middle East. And finally, the motivation for the attacks on 9/11 were explained by Osama bin Laden himself in his "Letter to the American People," which few Americanshave ever read. The letter first appeared on the internet in Arabic, and was later translated and circulated by Islamists in Britain. In the letter, bin Laden lists his motives for why he attacked us, and early in his list he includes: "Your forces occupy our countries; you spread your military bases throughout them; you corrupt our lands, and you besiege our sanctities." Basically, the man was saying (and, I believe, with good reason), "Yankee go home," and I agree with him that we should.

In other words, and as it was put by commentator Lew Rockwell, "It is not caving in to the bees to stop poking a stick into their hive."
        Cordially,
Chuck Esposito

To the Editor:

We would like to express our gratitude to all those who came to hear our little son, Jonathan Eernisse, perform on his violin on Saturday, May 19th, 2007. The audience was so kindhearted and child-friendly. We certainly appreciate the loving responses of those who attended. Your words of encouragement and support, the many notes and gifts to our little boy and especially your presence will be treasured as precious memories for years to come. May God bless you for the outpouring of kindness to Jonathan and our family.
Lee and Becky Eernisse
        Young Harris, Ga.

To the Editor:

Thank you for an intelligent explanation regarding the stamp increase. When I read the ridiculous nonsense (elsewhere) I couldn't stop laughing. Sure, we'll walk our letters to Europe or Blowing Rock or down the road a piece. Good grief- tourists, please forgive us as we are not all stupid. Geez, I must be old as my list goes back to the .03 cent stamp! Keep your paper interesting please.

(Name withheld by request)

To the Editor:

Good news! According to the U. S. Energy Information Administration, if all of us in this country replace our common incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs, we can cut costs for electricity by more than $18 billion a year, eliminate the need for 80 coal-fired power plants and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 158 million tons each year. That's good for the environment. It is also good for our pocketbooks. Yes, the compact florescent bulbs cost more initially, but they last ten times longer! Over the life span of the compact florescent bulbs, consumers can save $50 or more. It seems like a win-win situation. We save money and the environment at the same time.

Michelle Maloney