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RACHEL CORRIE'S LEGACY

Facing a bulldozer, activist tempted foreseeable fate

Editor, The Times:

"Rachel Corrie was killed by Israel's illegal wall," by Steve Niva (Times guest commentary, March 16), doesn't pass the logic test. Standing in front of bulldozer to prevent the demolition of a house is like standing in front of a speeding car on the freeway to stop speeding.

Niva claims Corrie "was clearly visible to the bulldozer drivers," but he declines to say that the bulldozer was clearly visible to Corrie, who was standing in front of it. What kind of argument is that? You don't stand in front of a bulldozer to stop it, unless you want to die.

"Corrie was killed by Israel's wall" makes as much sense as saying a bullet killed the homeowner, not the burglar killed the homeowner. Corrie is at least partially responsible for her own death.

"Most Palestinian homes in Rafah... are being demolished daily by Israeli bulldozers... " If most homes were daily being demolished, it would not take more than a week for every home to be destroyed.

This statement does not make sense at all: "One of the main arguments Israeli officials use... is that no suicide bombers have come from Gaza... " Niva never mentions that Palestinians have targeted civilians while saying "(Israel) has no right to kill civilians... "

I just expect more from an Evergreen State College teacher.
Warren Isbell, Dupont

Back to the terror

I particularly enjoy articles about the heroic Rachel Corrie standing down the bulldozers. I would appreciate it more if there were a story about Rachel Corrie risking her life on an Israeli commuter bus, but of course, that story wasn't written because the feel-good leftists wouldn't risk their lives in such a dangerous situation.

Much more satisfying to stand against a big threatening (and slowly moving) bulldozer, and enabling terrorists to use tunnels to smuggle explosives into Israel to blow up those buses.

The wall may or may not have killed Corrie. The proof of that is thin. But it is very, very provable that Corrie's actions to enable the terrorists to smuggle explosives did help kill people.

I would love to see an article on how Corrie's actions directly led to the murder of civilians. But that story, alas, will never be written, because we don't like hearing that.
Stephen Matlock, North Bend

In selective memoriam

The terror attacks on Israel and Jews around the world is something that saddens me deeply. To glorify a person like Rachel Corrie in "Carrying on the passion of activist Rachel Corrie" (Local News, March 14), is nothing short of deplorable to me and all the victims of Arab Muslim terror attacks.

This article implies that Israel intentionally kills Arab Muslim babies on a regular basis and this accusation is similar to the inaccurate blood-libel charges that have been directed toward Jews for centuries. It is shameful that The Seattle Times would even contribute to this anti-Semitic canard.

Corrie was not merely protecting some Palestinian doctor and his family; she was helping to hide Arab Muslim terrorists and that is why the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) demolished that home Corrie was trying to save.

"Craig Corrie sighs when asked who's to blame for Rachel's death, while (wife Cindy) responds, 'I feel a lot of responsibility on the part of the United States.' " Rachel Corrie's parents were not "pushed" into politically left activism by the death of their daughter. Rather, they have always been leftist political activists. They raised her to share their passion and she died for their and her own leftist cause. They are at fault.
Naarah Hastings, Sammamish

Burnt offerings

I seem to have missed the line in "Carrying on the passion of activist Rachel Corrie" where you mention that Corrie was an American-flag burner.

Everyone is sorry that she died, but then, it was her own fault. Corrie was a naïve little "blame America" leftie. She had no business interfering in Israel's legitimate attempt to protect itself from Palestinian killers.

Though I feel for the grief that Corrie's parents must endure, her parents are apparently as naïve as she was. Corrie voluntarily interfered with an Israeli operation to fight back against Palestinian killers, and her father places responsibility with the United States! Typical left-wing garbage!
Steve Thompson, Redmond

SOLDIERS' STORIES

Green berate

It seems reader John Hession wishes to find fault with a veteran from the Vietnam War, who spoke of things he had either seen or heard about from fairly reliable sources ("Cash and Kerry," Northwest Voices, March 15).

Mr. Hession, I will make three quick comments:

1) You were not there.

2) You were not there.

3) You were not there.

If, in your naivete, you actually believe that an officer in any of the armed forces would volunteer information about atrocities, and war crimes, or that the various armed services would do so, and place such information in the records, rather than trying not to let any information out, you, sir, should present yourself to the Republican National Committee immediately. You are the perfect shill for this administration, because you believe.

I was there.
Denis LaCrosse, Hansville

Account payable

John Hession offers $50 to the charity of the first reader "who can show that (John) Kerry's testimony to the 1971 Senate Foreign Relations Committee was 2 percent true or better, regarding his 'Winter Soldier' investigation." I'm happy to accept the challenge.

In addition to the My Lai massacre Hession refers to in his letter, I would direct his attention to the Army investigation of the Tiger Force patrols that substantiated just the type of atrocities Kerry testified to, as reported by more than 150 veterans, in those Senate hearings so many years ago.

According to an investigative series by the Toledo Blade that focused on the Tiger Force patrols and was based on thousands of records and interviews with dozens of former platoon members and Vietnamese villagers, "grenades were dropped in earthen bunkers where women and children were hiding and unarmed farmers were executed in their fields. Prisoners were beaten and shot." In fact, the Pentagon has recently re-opened that investigation, in part to discover why no charges were brought, even though war crimes were substantiated back in 1974.

Please pass along my regards to Mr. Hession and tell him it was my pleasure to bring up to speed. My favorite charity is the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and I know they will be pleased to receive the $50 from your reader.
Roberta Domos, Redmond

KILLER OPPORTUNITY

Offloading cement packages

The Times reports that our long-time Mafia families are now hiring in Sicily to augment their thinning ranks ("U.S. mob families looking to Sicily for new recruits," News, march 14).

Is there no end to this outsourcing of American jobs?

Dick Hughes, Enumclaw

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