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Ilya Shlyakhter (notestaff) - letters to editors
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Below are the 28 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Ilya Shlyakhter (notestaff) - letters to editors" journal:
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11:56 am
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local decisions about abortion
Who Should Decide About Abortion?
Re: Anti-Roe and Pro-Rudy" (op-ed, Sept 14)
If to “decide, state by state, about abortion” is better than to decide as a country, isn’t deciding individual by individual better still?
Tags: nytimes, politics, religion, replies
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01:43 pm
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detentions without trial
The ‘Combatant’ and the Evidence
Re "Judges Say U.S. Can’t Hold Man as ‘Combatant’" (front page, June 12):
The Justice Department’s response to the ruling that Ali al-Marri must have his day in court has been to recount the allegations against Mr. Marri. If the evidence against him is so strong, why does the Justice Department seek to avoid the scrutiny of a trial? If the evidence is not so strong, it is all the more important that the evidence be tested in court.
For our Justice Department to imply that “clearly guilty” defendants do not require the niceties of a trial is chilling.
Tags: fairness, nytimes, war_on_terror
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01:20 am
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Palestinians' dignity
A Palestinian Path
Re “Abbas Threatens to Dismiss Hamas Government” (news article, Oct. 18):
When the Palestinians elected Hamas, they hoped that it would bolster their dignity by talking tough to Israel.
Instead, it has painfully exposed their lack of self-sufficiency. A permanently outstretched hand is not a dignified pose, no matter how fierce a face you make.
The only dignified route is to work toward self-sufficiency using all available means — recognition of Israel included.
Only recognizing Israel and using foreign aid to build a self-supporting society will give Palestinians true dignity.
This would not be a surrender of their rights, but a recognition of their responsibilities.
No decent person would disrespect the Palestinians if they took this route.
Tags: dignity, israel, nytimes
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12:05 pm
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israel and lebanon
Supporting Israel
Re "Anti-U.S. Feeling Leaves Arab Reformers Isolated" (article, August 9), describing the problems that the U.S. faces today for supporting Israel:
The problem is not that we support Israel today when it is in the right, but that we supported it in the past when it was in the wrong.
We were wrong to support Israel’s building of illegal settlements. That has created the impression that we’ll stand by Israel no matter what it does. Now that Israel really needs and deserves our support, our ability to give that support is compromised.
Tags: israel, nytimes, replies
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04:02 am
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allocation of anti-terror funds
The Furor Over Antiterror Spending
Republicans have no hope of winning New York in the next election, so President Bush doesn't waste time tending to New York's interests.
The root of irrational policy is the irrational politics of the Electoral College.
Tags: nytimes, politics, war_on_terror
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04:07 am
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israel's barrier
The Two Sides Of Israel's Barrier
The Israeli wall is like stitches on a wound -- a painful, foreign and disfiguring presence that is nevertheless necessary to make the wound heal.
When the wound has healed -- when the region achieves lasting peace -- the temporary measure can be removed.
Those who fight the wall today are like a patient who tears out his stitches before it's time.
Tags: israel, nytimes, replies
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05:47 am
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term limits for presidents
How Long Should a President Serve?
If we let presidents run for a third term, we should require them to resign after two terms and wait four years before running again. This way, we can hold them accountable without giving them the advantages of incumbency.
Also, third terms would be reserved for presidents whose legacies stood up to the scrutiny of hindsight.
Tags: nytimes, policy_ideas, politics
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05:50 am
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teaching evolution in school
Religion, Science and Our Identity
When parents or teachers attempt to show that evolution and religion are not in conflict and that other ways to knowledge exist besides the scientific method, they are ruled out of court on an alleged violation of the separation of church and state. Thus we get the understandable if misguided attempt to insert intelligent design into the science curriculum, to counter the philosophical (and theological) bias of militant secular evolutionists.
Robert Bireley
Chicago, Oct. 1, 2005
The writer is a professor of history at Loyola University Chicago.
None of the biology teachers I've had, or the biologists I've known, have been crusading atheists. They gladly shared their knowledge and methods with those who asked; they never promoted any worldview.
Scientists gain satisfaction from discovering new knowledge, not from persuading others to accept knowledge already discovered. Religionists gain satisfaction from getting others to conform to their worldview.
Maybe that's why our Constitution separates only religion from the state.
Tags: evolution, nytimes, religion, science
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06:16 am
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notions of dignity
What Motivates Suicide Bombers?
There are many ways to achieve dignity. You can invent things and take pride in your inventions. Or you can dominate others by force and feel temporarily superior. Which of these ways is most glorified by our culture?
In the ''Iliad,'' dignity meant getting your fair share of the loot. You would hope we had come a long way since then, but apparently not.
We need to work toward making it self-evident that dignity lies in creating things, not in being king of the hill.
Tags: dignity, israel, nytimes, related_material, replies, war_on_terror
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06:46 am
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laura bush talks naughty
Laura Bush, Comic: They're Not All Laughing
Re ''Desperate White House Wife, Episode 1: The Ranch Hand'' (White House Letter, news article, May 2):
How ironic that an attempt to ''humanize'' this presidency with some informal humor had to be ''written by a longtime Washington speechwriter'' and required ''several days of rehearsals''!
Tags: bush, hypocrisy, nytimes, politics
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06:52 am
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religious displays in public buildings
The Commandments and the Court
I'm less bothered by government endorsement of religion than by the hypocrisy of having our government buildings shout ''do not kill'' and ''do not bear false witness'' while we start needless wars based on trumped-up evidence.
If government displays of religion had been pushed by Mother Teresa, I might accept them, but they're pushed by people who often contradict the very messages they want prominently displayed.
Such religious displays would actually serve a useful purpose if seen for what they are: not affirmations of righteousness but testaments to hypocrisy.
Tags: hypocrisy, iraq, nytimes, religion
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06:58 am
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medical malpractice
The Future of Medical Malpractice
The Democrats' opposition to malpractice reform runs counter to core Democratic values. To those struggling to make ends meet, even a small decrease in cost of health care can mean the difference between getting treatment or not.
It is unconscionable to price the poor out of health care to give others a theoretical chance of collecting for pain and suffering. To those priced out of health care, the right to malpractice awards is useless!
If malpractice reform fails, at least let people opt out of the right to sue in exchange for cheaper health insurance. If most people decide to opt out, the whole malpractice debate will become moot.
Tags: health_policy, malpractice_reform, nytimes, policy_ideas, poverty
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07:08 am
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bush's choices on iraq and afghanistan
Bush at War: Eye on the Ball?
The question isn't whether we definitely had Osama bin Laden cornered in Afghanistan at Tora Bora. It's whether we've done all in our power to capture him. Had we sent our entire army after Osama bin Laden -- as we did after Saddam Hussein -- would he be still at large?
It's obvious even to nonmilitary observers that we didn't pursue Osama bin Laden with nearly the same vigor as Saddam Hussein. Now, who was more dangerous?
Tags: iraq, nytimes, war_on_terror
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07:09 am
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buying imported drugs
Why Shouldn't We Buy Imported Drugs?
If it's wrong for retailers to profit from hurricane-caused scarcity of necessities (''With Storm Gone, Floridians Are Hit With Price Gouging,'' front page, Aug. 18), it's wrong for drug makers to profit from government-caused scarcity of drugs.
Yet the Food and Drug Administration supports drug company attempts to restrict imports, citing safety concerns.
If people forgo medicine because of high prices, isn't that unsafe?
Tags: health_policy, nytimes, poverty
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07:11 am
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why the u.s. should support israel
If the Israelis Pull Out of Gaza
International legitimacy and the moral high ground are not security guarantees. The United States should formally commit to defending Israel once it leaves the West Bank and Gaza. Congress should authorize the automatic use of force in case of an Arab attack on Israel. This will enable Israelis to support full withdrawal and will force the Arabs to compromise by ending their hopes of destroying Israel.
Why commit to a possible future war? Because ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will aid the war on terror. Images from the conflict feed the recruiting of Al Qaeda. If committing to an unlikely future war helps us win the present one, we should take the risk.
Tags: israel, nytimes, policy_ideas
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07:21 am
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tracing sources of nuclear material
Tracing Bombs
A March 23 letter mocks the notion that ''if terrorists know a bomb can be traced, they will be less likely to try to use one.'' While suicide bombers won't be deterred by the prospect of revenge, those who send them and those who provide them with weapons will be.
Naming the culprit can also help enlist allies in our fight; many Arabs doubted Osama bin Laden's involvement in 9/11 until a video showed him boasting of the deed.
After the Iraq weapons of mass destruction fiasco, accurately naming our enemies is especially important.
Tags: iraq, nytimes, policy_ideas, war_on_terror
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07:25 am
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amnesty for insurgents
Saddam Hussein in Custody: A Chapter Is Closed
With Saddam Hussein captured, we should offer an amnesty to at least the rank-and-file members of the insurgency who turn in their arms. Offered from a position of strength, the amnesty would be much more likely to help end the insurgency than if offered later in less happy times.
Tags: iraq, nytimes, policy_ideas, related_material
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07:26 am
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justifications offered for the iraq war
No Illegal Arms, No Casus Belli?
Re ''A Reckoning: Iraq Arms Report Poses Test for Bush'' (news analysis, Oct. 3):
President Bush is right that the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein, the failure to find weapons of mass destruction notwithstanding.
But without pre-emptive strikes based on flawed intelligence, it would be an even better place.
Tags: iraq, nytimes
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07:30 am
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nuclear arms
Curb the Spread of Nuclear Arms
In ''Nuclear Breakout'' (editorial, July 27), you missed an important step in curbing the spread of nuclear weapons: dismantling America's own nuclear arsenal.
It's hypocritical to call on others not to acquire nuclear weapons while we insist on keeping our own. If the United States -- with its dominant conventional army -- can't give up its nuclear deterrent, how can it ask weaker countries to give up theirs?
More important, are there still circumstances in which the United States would use a strategic nuclear weapon? In recent conflicts, we made a point of trying to avoid civilian casualties. Clearly this would be impossible with a Hiroshima-type attack.
Why, then, are we keeping these weapons?
Tags: hypocrisy, nytimes, war_on_terror
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07:31 am
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outsourcing of jobs
India, Jobs and Peace
Re ''More 'Can I Help You?' Jobs Migrate From U.S. to India'' and ''American Official Praises India's Move to Defuse Tensions With Pakistan'' (news articles, May 11):
You report that India is attracting American jobs, and that India is moving to ease tensions with Pakistan. Could these events be related? The more American jobs move to India, the more India has to lose from an escalation of tensions. Also, higher employment means that people can find fulfillment in work rather than in pursuit of nationalist ambitions.
The United States should seek to employ more people in troubled countries, as a way of stabilizing these countries and giving their governments a stake in stability. Perhaps we could offer free English classes to increase the number of employable people. Wouldn't it be great to read someday that North Korea is reducing tensions in order to attract American jobs?
Tags: dignity, nytimes, policy_ideas, war_on_terror
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07:34 am
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"do no harm" in foreign policy
Clouds of War, Hopes for Peace
In ''The Long Bomb'' (column, March 2), Thomas L. Friedman is saying two things: that war in Iraq will be a good thing if done right, and that the Bush team is unlikely to do it right. Why doesn't he add the obvious: if we can't do it right, we shouldn't start.
If a surgeon bungles his preparations and is not fit for the operation or the post-operative care, should he still proceed?
Those who would cure the world through drastic surgery should learn the medical maxim ''First, do no harm.''
Tags: iraq, nytimes, related_material
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07:36 am
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getting iraqi defectors to tell us what they know
Calling Iraqi Defectors
Re '' 'Sodom' Hussein's Iraq,'' by Thomas L. Friedman (column, Dec. 1):
A potential Iraqi defector may decide to withhold his information, for fear of consequences to his country. Any revelations will trigger a devastating American invasion costing thousands of Iraqi lives. The war will destabilize the volatile region and turn Iraq into a de facto United States protectorate for years. The conscientious defector may doubt the sincerity of American commitment to ordinary Iraqis, given their suffering under United States-backed sanctions.
To win the cooperation of concerned Iraqis, guaranteeing the safety of their immediate families won't be enough. We must guarantee, to the extent possible, the well-being and dignity of the Iraqi people. A new United Nations resolution is needed, specifying our plans for a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. Otherwise, an Iraqi ''Sakharov'' may worry that ''severe consequences'' mean just that for his country.
Tags: iraq, nytimes, policy_ideas
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07:55 am
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costs of spam email
The costs of spam (editorial, Aug. 6) go far beyond the ''twinge of disappointment'' you feel after realizing you've been had. Spam costs Internet users 10 billion euros a year in increased connection fees, according to a 2001 European Union study. It also costs businesses in lost productivity, and becomes more than a nuisance when important messages get lost amid mountains of junk.
We can counter spam by not responding to its dubious offers. If you respond to spam, you encourage spammers to continue harassing others. Spammers pollute our electronic environment and waste its limited resources; let them face the same ostracism as ''traditional'' polluters.
Tags: hidden_costs, nytimes
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08:02 am
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universal health insurance
Before We Lecture Cuba
Re ''Cuba's Other Face'' (letter, May 23):
The letter writer notes Cuba's low infant mortality and illiteracy rates. I'd like to add that all Cubans get free health care. By contrast, in the United States some 40 million people lack health insurance.
Before lecturing Cubans on how to run their country, shouldn't we close this shameful gap in our own backyard?
Tags: health_policy, hypocrisy, nytimes, poverty, replies
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08:05 am
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criticizing a wartime president
War and Dissent
Re ''Democrats Starting to Fault President on the War's Future'' (front page, March 1):
You quote Trent Lott, the Senate Republican leader, as saying, ''How dare Senator Daschle criticize President Bush while we are fighting our war on terrorism?''
The war on terrorism will take many years, and we will never be sure that it's over. Should all criticism of the president stop indefinitely? Will that help us in the long run?
Tags: nytimes, self-censorship, war_on_terror
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08:09 am
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social security obligations
Social Security's Deal
A Dec. 30 letter calls Social Security a ''welfare program,'' implying that benefits are a free gift and not an obligation. I thought it's paid to people who contributed to the fund from their earnings. They lived up to their part of the deal. Shouldn't we live up to ours?
Tags: fairness, nytimes, poverty
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08:10 am
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paying for terrorism insurance
Terrorism Insurance
Re ''Life Insurers Seek Study of Terror Aid'' (Business Day, Oct. 18):
The government should assume some life insurance liability for future terrorist attacks, because that would give all taxpayers a direct stake in preventing terrorism. People would be more willing to accept the inconveniences of extra security; it's their money on the line. Federal agencies would devote more resources to security; their budgets will pay for any failures.
Let's bring home the point that terrorism is everybody's problem.
Tags: nytimes, policy_ideas, war_on_terror
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08:22 am
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stem cell research
Stem Cell Research And Bush's Choice
Re ''Stem Cell Science and the Preservation of Life,'' by George W. Bush (Op-Ed, Aug. 12):
We routinely destroy the ''genetically distinct and valuable'' life of animals for research, food or sport. We have no problem with ending the lives of adult mammals, which are infinitely richer and more complex than the frozen existence of doomed clumps of human cells. What do these clumps have that complex animals lack?
Tags: health_policy, hypocrisy, nytimes, religion, stem_cells
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