LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Israel's Treatment Of Gaza Is Brutal

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Hinkle substitutes inflammatory rhetoric for facts and reporting. The dead and mangled people of Gaza were forced to be shields, he claims. The primitive rockets coming out of Gaza are part of an existential threat to Israel and have nothing to do with the 1.5 million people pushed into what can best be described as a concentration camp. Criticism of Israel's violation of international law is part of a "wave of anti-Semitism worldwide." Why talk about the facts when one can wave the bloody shirt?

Usually Hinkle is opposed to defining deviancy down, but not here. The fact that Israel claims the rights reserved for democratic states that adhere to Western standards of liberty is suddenly irrelevant and the billions in aid from the U.S. every year is inconsequential. Does Hinkle believe the U.S. is funding the repression in other countries? We have seen these rhetorical techniques before -- they are common to totalitarian states. Hinkle should set a higher standard.

Frank Allen. Richmond.

Arab States Use Palestinians as Pawns

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

The re-creation of the state of Israel by the U.N., not the West, was done with major support from Soviet Russia and the U.S. Israel is a secular, democratic state founded by secular Jews . The religious elements within Israel were and are in a minority -- and indeed, certain of them are anti-Israel because of the country's secular character.

Turkey is another democratic, secular country in the region that clearly bridges the gap between the West and the East. It is a creation of the breakup of the Ottoman Empire after WWI. It also continues to be involved with battling forces (Kurd) that look to undermine and destroy its integrity.

Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan, and Iran also are examples of countries whose existence and/or borders are rather recent, and one could say the result of Western influences. The situation in Israel, with Hamas and Hezbollah on its borders, is one of ideological extremism on the part of the latter two terrorist organizations. These organizations are surrogates for others (e.g., Iran) attempting to gain hegemony in the area.

The issue is not the interests of Palestinians. Jordan threw the Palestinians out. Egypt limits Palestinian access across their shared border. As horrible as the situation is with respect to Israel and the Palestinians, no state can abide a neighbor whose stated objective is its extinction.

Richard Carchman. Columbia.

We All Should Wish New President Well

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

The older I get the more conservative I become.

However, I looked at Jan. 20 as a day of hope.

Our president, Barack Obama, enters office in a difficult and trying time, and I wish him only the best. However, there are people who wish him ill.

How can you call yourself an American if you want our president to fail? If he falters, then we as a country falter. This is not about a difference of opinion. This is about putting aside our differences to make things better. And right now, America needs a lot of better.

Obama is an inspiration to billions around the world. He represents the American dream. We should be proud of what he represents, even if we are not in unison with all of his policies. And we should let history judge Obama after his term ends, not before.

I wish Obama and the United States of America the best, and I hope eight years from now I can say, he was a great president.

I hope.

L. Bert Stanley III. Goochland.

Let's Hope for Change For All of America

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

The government is taking everyone's money and not helping the homeless. I want the people in authority to be fair. My hope is for the people to stand up against all evil and tyranny. As Americans, we should support one another and lift one another up when one is down. God created all people, so we should not discriminate against anyone. This is my hope for America.

Israel Allen, Armstrong High School.