THE DAILY STANDARD welcomes letters to the editor. Letters will be edited for length and clarity and must include the writer’s name, city, and state.
*1*
In regards to Victorino Matus’ culinary ash heap, we have a restaurant here in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, founded by my father in 1933. (Save Our Steak) Our restaurant features at least four of the “ash heap” entrees. Because of our longevity we have become somewhat of an eclectic restaurant–to quote one Chicago restaurant critic “where would I find Lobster Thermidor, Oysters Rockefeller, and Schnitzel ala Holstein on the same menu?”
We also still feature a Chopped Steak on our menu.
–Michael Radigan
Ray Radigan’s Restaurant
*2*
Last week, I flew to Washington on business. (David Skinner, Behind CAIR’s Hate Crimes Report) I was selected for secondary security screening on the way down and on the way back. I am an observant Jew and I wear my yarmulke all of the time. After having read David Skinner’s article on CAIR’s bias report, I think I am going to file a grievance through the ADL. Clearly I was being profiled. Although, it could have been my beard making it seem like I was a Muslim masquerading as a Jew–in which case, perhaps I should file my grievance with CAIR.
–Eric S. Zaiman
*3*
There is one cost driver that Terry Eastland did not mention in his article on The Cost of College Namely, the fact that colleges, both public and private, have a monopoly on the ability to grant degrees, which are the current ticket to the professions.
If this monopoly were broken, then the cost of the admission ticket would come down–in the same way as prices charged by tradesmen came down when old guilds lost their power.
–Mark Goldstein
*4*
Anyone who has taken Economics 101 knows why college is so expensive: Consumer demand! The economic forces that dictate the price of college are the same that determine the cost of television sets and Big Macs.
Adding to the problem is the fact that industry and government are demanding that virtually all Americans spend at least four years at a college as a prerequisite to entering the work force. And on top of that, they demand almost nothing in the way of standards from the institution itself.
If private industry and civil service demanded that all Americans eat a Big Mac a day, the price of Big Macs would go through the roof, and quality would most definitely deteriorate. If we want to see the price of college drop to reasonable levels, then we must stop demanding college degrees, and allow people to seek education wherever they can get it. They should then be hired on the basis of their education (proven with standardized tests perhaps) and ability. A system like this would make higher education much more consumer driven, and much more responsive to the needs of industry. If people were not forced to go to college, not only would prices drop, professors would do more teaching, class sizes would shrink, and politics would leave the classroom.
–Bill Dienstag
*5*
Larry Miller misunderstands the purpose of the United Nations. (Well, It Was a Good Idea in ’46) The United Nations was established in order to prevent the United States and the European states from ever again effectively going to war, including wars of legitimate self defense.
Indeed, the Geneva Conventions, a sort of U.N. Roberts Rules of Order as to how war may be fought, while supposedly applicable to all the nations in the world, really only effectively apply to the Western Judeo/Christian states. The Geneva Conventions and the U.N. prevent civilized countries from any sort of military action whatsoever, while permitting the most barbaric states full freedom of action. Worse, the U.N. provides an open forum for justifying, excusing, or simply encouraging the most hideous and murderous atrocities by those rogue nations, while condemning or preventing military or security action by Western nations.
The United Nations was a good idea at the time–after the worst carnage in the history of the world had left Europe and much the world in ruins, the world order in complete disarray, and over 60 million people dead. But now it is just a dead hand promoting state sponsored terrorist murder and mayhem.
–Kenneth Besig
*6*
Jonathan V. Last’s subtle conclusion, that the birth of democracy in Iraq will be constrained by cultural differences is a point that is almost universally accepted. (Paternalism and Abu Ghraib) While it is true that President Bush has not explicitly acknowledged this, that does not mean he hasn’t realized it.
Yet if Last carried his argument to its illogical conclusion, then German anti-Semitism would have sabotaged any post-war attempt to create a stable democracy in that country. Furthermore, Japanese society in 1945 was not exactly a shining example of tolerance and pluralism. The Japanese called Americans “gaijin,” or barbarians. The Arabs call us “infidel,” a word similar in more ways then one.
The similarities of this analogy are exceeded only by their differences, yet the existence of free, moderate democracies in Germany and Japan are proof that we can succeed in Iraq. It is also proof of something far greater; that those liberal democratic values that so many have misnamed “Western” exist in the hearts of all men. The authoritarian values intertwined in Arab culture are the same that promoted Nazism, and Japanese aggression. It was our commitment to creating a free democratic society for our former enemies, and our patience in awaiting the birth of that society which enabled us to overcome those cultural, and societal obstacles.
Bringing democracy to the Arab world will no-doubt be a long and difficult task. We may suffer further terrorist attacks, we may spend trillions of dollars on the effort, we may lose the lives of many more American soldiers, and finally all of our allies may abandon us. But so long as people prefer the rule of law to corruption, as long as people prefer liberty to tyranny, and as long as people yearn in their hearts to be free, our efforts will be inspired by justice, and guided by the aid of something more shattering and powerful than any weapon–the human spirit.
–Brian Burchette
*7*
Jonathan V. Last asked why Americans were able to take the pictures of mutilated contractors in Falluja “in stride.” I didn’t; I am still deeply offended by what happened to our people. However, I do have a possible answer.
Our media sanitizes such news about Americans. For example, I read an account of the incident on the website of the major newspaper in Johannesburg, South Africa. It reported that at least some of the American contractors were still alive when, begging for their lives, they were doused in gasoline and burned to death. This was not reported by any media outlet in the United States. If Americans are not given the whole story, how can we be expected to do anything except take the news “in stride.”
–Jim Nowicki
*8*
It is a pretty easy leap to say that we are responsible for the morals of our own country and though we might attempt to force an occupied people to behave decently, ultimately we are not responsible for their character.
Yet, I don’t believe the Bush apologies were actually aimed at the Arab world. The Arab world seems passionately to hate us already and it is hard to believe the practices by American military jailers will more than marginally and temporarily inflame their passions.
I believe ultimately that Bush’s apologies were for American consumption, an attempt to convince America that we really are not this way and to allow everyone but a few unfortunates, directly in the line of fire, to keep their jobs.
–Melvyn Polatchek
*9*
In his article concerning the abuses at Abu Ghraib, Jonathan V. Last makes an incorrect assumption. He states that when the mutilated bodies of four Americans were strung up for public display in Iraq, the proper conclusion to draw was that such an action was the result of only a handful of wicked men. But, how would such a conclusion explain the hundreds of Iraqi men, women, and children who stood and cheered as the innocent men were hung up? This demonstration of support for the Iraqi murderers appeared larger and more intense than the cheering which followed the destruction of Saddam’s statue in Baghdad. I surely don’t see any Americans lauding the actions of a few misguided U.S. soldiers, and I would never expect such a despicable reaction from Americans. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the Iraqis. Culture matters and people are different. It’s a shame that President Bush has staked this great nation’s credibility on the ability of Iraqis to become civilized overnight.
–Joseph Williams
*10*
For some men, seeking public office is a way to serve others, to fulfill that desire to lead, accomplish and overcome. (Hugh Hewitt, Little Red Corvette) They want to leave a powerful legacy behind them as much out of personal pride, as a sense of duty to their forbears. Theirs is a commitment of strength, tenacity, and confidence that for better or worse will affect history.
Then their are men that have a list of accomplishments that they seek to achieve. For glory, for public admiration. These men are often more polished. They don’t come to be presidents, but to be king and hold court. The presidency is merely another tick on their résumé. Leadership is their pretense. Fame is what they covet and common weakness of character are always their downfall.
Which do you think Sen. Kerry is?
–Lauren Birthisel
