Letters to the Editor

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

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NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

‘Only a Day Now…’


There is not a more astute political commentator to be found in print journalism than one of The New York Sun’s very own: Mark Steyn [“Only a Day Now…” Opinion, November 1, 2004].


As illustrated in his latest column and through a myriad of others, he is both very politically astute and hysterically funny. In this article, he is able to deconstruct the inner core of Senator Kerry by exposing him in ghostlike fashion: all vacuous form and absolutely no substance.


This brings to mind the latest charade out of the Muquata in Ramallah. The Arabs are famous for spinning events to suit their agendas, much like the Democrats. Remember the Iraqi “information” minister? Never mind that Yasser Arafat is no more mentally alert than the character in “Weekend at Bernies.” The Arabs are content to make him appear “statesmanlike” no matter what the “facts on the ground” are.


In the same vein, the liberal press and the Democrats are content to fabricate truths out of whole cloth in their desire to present Mr. Kerry as the next Winston Churchill, even if it kills them. The problem is that such spinning with the truth could end up getting real live Americans killed.


ADINA KUTNICKI
Ridgewood, N.J.


Conscription and Mr. X


What I hear from Edwin R. Thompson, who attacks Mr. X for advocating conscription and for Mr. X’s “cavalier contempt for individual rights,” tells me that Mr. Thompson simply doesn’t get it [“What I’d Really Like to Hear,” Letters, October 28, 2004].


Ignore the fact that most of Mr. Thompson’s arguments against Mr. X’s position on conscription – and it should be noted that Mr. X advocates a two-year compulsory service for both men and women, while allowing them to choose between military service, homeland security/immigration service or national service, e.g., working in schools, assisting police departments, etc. – focus solely on military service.


Ignore the fact that most of Mr. Thompson’s arguments against such compulsory military service, e.g., that President Bush and the Pentagon are against it, that in a high-technology military, a short, two-year conscription would only produce unqualified soldiers, and that the anti-war Democrats proposed this conscription merely to drum up sentiment against the war – are, in my opinion, absolutely correct.


Focus instead on Mr. Thompson’s assertions that to advocate a military draft “is to make a mockery of the principle of the right to life” and that “an individual’s life is not the property of the collective, to be disposed of for any allegedly worthy cause.”


There are certain duties and obligations that a citizen of a country must fulfill in order to enjoy the rights and benefits granted to him by that country. And although some of these duties and obligations will appear, from time to time, to be “unfair” – for example, I find the death tax which, upon an individual’s death, imposes a tax on his saved lifetime earnings, to be patently unfair given that all of these earnings were already taxed during his/her life – they are nevertheless a by-product of a free and democratic society.


Furthermore, while I agree with Mr. Thompson’s overall objection to a compulsory military draft – mainly because I believe that if a country can survive with a volunteer army, then it’s neither effective nor prudent to force compulsory military service upon its citizens – I disagree with his objection as it relates to other types of compulsory service, e.g., working in schools and hospitals, assisting police departments, etc.


Requiring 18-year-olds to serve their country for a fixed period of time, and giving them a choice with respect to the type of service they would prefer, would not only benefit society in general – in that it would provide additional manpower and assistance to vital services – but it would prepare the next generation for the realities of life in a democratic society and instill in them a sense of duty and responsibility toward something greater than themselves, and I can vouch for that from personal experience.


Although the logistics involved in setting up such a program and the program’s advantages vs. disadvantages would, of course, need to be thoroughly studied and weighed, the societal and personal benefits of such a program should not be overlooked or minimized.


Having said all that, I would like to use this opportunity to mention how sorry I am that Mr. X felt compelled to hide his identity. I share many of Mr. X’s views – at least those expressed in his letters – yet I feel no compulsion to hide it from the world. I know that Mr. X and I live in a city where the overwhelming majority of people hold opposite views, but I also know that, every so often, unfortunately, not often enough, I run into people who respect my intellectual integrity and moral commitment to this country, even though they disagree with my views. At times, they’re even prepared to listen. But in any case, living for so many years in “hostile territory” has taught me that if I am proud of my beliefs, then there is absolutely no reason why I should always have to deal with the world. From time to time, let the world deal with me.


RONNI SHALIT
Manhattan



Please address letters intended for publication to the Editor of The New York Sun. Letters may be sent by e-mail to editor@nysun.com, facsimile to 212-608-7348, or post to 105 Chambers Street, New York City 10007. Please include a return address and daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited.

NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.


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