‘Lawrence of Arabia’ made me remember history
Recently one evening, I once again stopped my TV channel surfing, to view and to listen to Lawrence of Arabia, that big spectacular 1962 movie that deserved and earned several Academy Awards. This movie made me remember some history and relate it to current events in the Middle East, where the indebted [bankrupt] overextended American Empire is engaged in three foreign conflicts [Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya].
In 1918, 93 years ago, Great Britain (with the aid of its Commonwealth and French coalition) defeated and destroyed the Ottoman [Turkish] Empire, liberating the Arabs and Muslims, gloriously and victoriously occupying Baghdad, Damascus and Palestine, creating new countries by drawing lines on maps and agreeing with tribal bribes, threats and treaties.
Look at the UK now. How did it all work out? Will we continue to follow the British and the Soviet Union into the abyss? The Cold War ended over 20 years ago. How do we now continue to buy and justify Pentagon-PAC-rat pork and NATO, by competing in compassion and patriotism contests? As entities, the State Department, the Pentagon and NATO must make diplomatic and military missions to maintain and justify their foreign intervention with their expenditures, their expansion, and their very existence. When will this end? When will our peace dividends belatedly begin?
– Leon Harrison
West Carrollton, Ohio
Zeppelin (article) rocks!
Just want to say that this article was one of the best I’ve seen in DCP. Hope you were able to catch the [Dayton Philharmonic] concert..
– Randy Brown
[RE: “The songs remain aflame,” by J.T. Ryder, 3/29/11]
This letter is in response to the deadly protests in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan which appear to be as a result of the antics of Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida. Mr. Jones, When did God die and leave you in charge? The name of your self-proclaimed religious organization is now the poster for hypocrisy. How about changing the name to Hawk World Outreach Center because that is exactly what you intended; to aggravate a group of people who are already seething with anger at their oppression. You sir, are what is wrong with religion today; do as I say not as I do.What would Jesus do? Or didn’t you even consider how Christianity came about?
As for the murderers in Mazar-i-Sharif, how dare you take it upon yourselves to defend your “sacred” religious beliefs by killing innocent people who meant you no harm and were there voluntarily. Perhaps it was the Christian belief in charity that motivated them to serve. Now you have taken them away from us and discouraged others from serving the needs of the Afghan people in spite of the differences in faith. What would Muhammad do? Or didn’t you even consider this as well?
The inciting of hate and the reactionary killing must stop before it is too late and the world descends into more chaos and confusion on the way to unraveling completely. Both Jones and the murderers need to request some sort of forgiveness by extending whatever they can to the families of the survivors. Follow your true religious precepts; don’t use them for your own self aggrandizement.
– Joe Bialek