Dear Editor:This letter is in response to the article entitled “‘Uninformed left’ accuses president of misusing war.”
The article expressed many opinions focused upon the “leftist” views expressed by singer/actress Barbara Streisand and former Vice President Al Gore. A few clarifications and critiques are demanded in response to the accusations made by Seth Bartee.
First of all, grouping an anti-war opinion into the generic, overused label of a leftist idea is archaic and ineffective. In the modern world, intelligent society has realized the folly of war. The greatest thinkers of our time have declared warfare a barbaric and inhumane act which should be undertaken only under the most extreme and necessary circumstances.
Secondly, pointing out errors in typing or spelling, which are made by even the most practiced writer, secures no sympathy for your argument. Typing errors have nothing to do with the issue of war! Did Bartee ever consider that the memo was from Streisand personally and maybe she is in reality a bad speller?
Furthermore, attacking a well-meaning Streisand does no good except possibly boost Bartee’s own ego. Picking out inconsistencies in a human is like picking out each grain of sand on a beach. It is human nature to act in the moment and use motivations such as emotion and intuition to make decisions; therefore, each circumstance under which a decision or viewpoint is made will ultimately be different than the last. It is useless to compare her standpoint during Clinton’s presidency to her present standpoint involving Bush’s presidency. Those two administrations are under completely different sets of circumstances.
Likewise, Al Gore supported George H. Bush under very different circumstances than those under which he condemns George W. Bush. If everyone recalls, there was the tiny matter of a place called Kuwait and its invasion by Iraq at the time. Also, the United States had the support of the United Nations during the first Persian Gulf decision. Granted, politics are a large factor in the decisions and actions of Al Gore, George Bush and others. But hey, they are politicians. Does the title not give away their motivation?
Failingly, you may mention other aspects such as opportunities passed by and abuses undertaken, but the greatest politicians, both Democratic and Republican, are guilty of these shortcomings. It is possible that Franklin Roosevelt knew about the Pearl Harbor attack and Abe Lincoln freed the slaves as a byproduct of the Civil War, but history still calls these men great.
In conclusion, consider using your time and skill more productively than in nit-picking what an actress said or wrote about such an important issue as the impending war with Iraq. Instead, maybe you should focus on the reality of war and the motivation behind moving forward with President Bush’s plans. The fact that the rest of the world does not agree with President Bush is a good indication that Americans need to reprioritize and look more at issues concerning humanity and less at errors in spelling.

Paul Arab

Author