June 1993, Page 5

Letters To (and From) The Editors

Letters to the editor are selected on the basis of relevance, accuracy, taste and available space. The editors do not have facilities to respond to individual letters, or to clear in advance published letters, as edited, with the writers.

Library Thievery

In your March 1993 issue I learned of the theft of this publication from certain libraries. I try to circulate my copies of WRMEA by giving them to friends who might appreciate the information they contain-as opposed to the misinformation dished out by the media.

I still have many copies that I have saved, however, and I would be glad to mail them if you give the name and address of a person to whom they should be sent.

My wife and I go to the Lahey Clinic, Burlington, MA, for medical appointments. We usually have long waits between appointments which we fill in by reading magazines brought in by other patients. We sometimes add a copy of your publication to the collection hoping that someone will benefit by reading facts, not the fiction found on the usual newsstand.

Victor J. Woodland, Waltham, MA

Back copies of the Washington Report should be addressed to Catherine Willford, 1902 18th St. NW, Washington, DC20009. She will use them to replace at no charge copies missing from the collections of subscribing libraries. Thanks in advance.

Israel's Aid Totals

I am enclosing for your review a copy o my letter to the Chicago Tribune as it appeared in today's "Voice of the People section. All the information in my letter was taken from your magazine. They telephoned me for verification, and seemed very surprised that the total cost of Israel to the U. S taxpayer was so much more than the figure they originally had reported in their new columns. I was surprised as well as please when my letter was printed.

David P. Yohanna, Chicago, IL

We're printing your letter as published in the Chicago Tribune in "Other People's Mail " on page 30. Some publications prefer printed sources for such information. Washington Report readers can find it in the table of FY 1993 aid to Israel printed on page 15 of our March 1993 issue and reprinted as a box on page 18 of our April/May issue and page 21 of this issue.

George Ball's Book

As an old "Middle East Hand," with many years experience as an American expatriate, I have come to appreciate the opinions and points of view of people outside the United States. The enclosed copy of a book review entitled "Sleepless Afternoons, " by Avi Shlaim, is a case in point. Mr. Shlairn is an Oxford Reader in the London Review of Books. He reviewed The Passionate Attachment by George and Douglas Ball.

I wish to bring this review to your attention, because I believe that the opinions (concerning the Middle East) stated by Mr. Shlaim are valid, and that his inclusion of the United States in sharing responsibility for the present Middle East disaster is balanced. My personal critique of this review would note that no mention of British responsibility is made. Perhaps we can excuse this "oversight," since British influence in the Middle East has long been negligible and is now of historical interest only.

I believe that the review is well written. It includes several bits of subtle (British) humor, e.g. "Reagan spent many sleepless afternoons in the White House worrying about the Soviet threat. " This quote will explain the title of the review.

Robert L. Ackerman, New Alexandria, PA

P. S. The recent terroristic bombing in New York City, and apparent connection with an Islamic group, will undoubtedly be used by the pro-Israeli forces to support their claims. Therefore, at this crucial juncture in Middle Eastern history, it has now become imperative that cool heads prevail with facts and balanced opinions! The Washington Report has been helping to do just that. Keep the Washington Report coming!

Thanks for the kind words and for alerting us to the review by Avi Shlaim, which readers will find in "Other Voices" on page 98 of this issue.

"Vituperator of the Month"?

At an organizing meeting this past Saturday for a new CNI chapter, I met a USS Liberty survivor, Harold E. Six, Sr. He is now a heavy equipment operator in Riverside. He said he wants to learn more about the Middle East, wants to get involved, and is one of your subscribers.

Six told me about the abuse he, Jim Ennes and others receive on the electronic bulletin boards, on the various "Israel" sections, on Prodigy and others. He told me, "You really have to be tough to take it, " and that it is very one-sided. Prodigy will tolerate the most extreme and insulting abuse against all who question Israel, but heavily censors comment from non-Zionists. I want to recommend this as a "hate" story, and that you have Six and his Liberty colleagues do it.

Six said he tried to forget about Liberty, and intimated that he even sought death in Vietnam, as part of suppressing this terrible memory. Now, he has "come out of the closet, " as it were, and wants to tell his story. Six is an outstanding American. It is outrageous that he, you, and others are subjected to insult on these electronic bulletin boards, and in other media, for providing truth and light.

From time to time you have covered the victims of Zionist hate and slander with some real-life stories. But it has grown to such intolerable pervasiveness, that I want to suggest a regular column on same, like "Seeing the Light. " How about " Vituperator of the Month"—to focus on the devil, rather than the victim.

Slander is not only a crime and a sin for the person spewing the poison, but also can be a moral failure on the part of those who hear or see it, and do nothing while knowing better. Nobody will ever be able to lay that fault at your door, but I don't think that the principle is widely appreciated, or even considered. We have all become so used to Israeli lies and slander that they are treated as normal fare.

"The tiny-trumpeting gnat can break our dream When sweetest; and the vermin voices here May buzz so loud-we scorn them, but they may sting." -Tennyson

Thanks to all staffmembers of the Washington Report.

Patrick F. Flynn, Yorba Linda, CA

Harold Six has initiated correspondence with Senators Mitchell and Pell asking for a congressional investigation of the causes of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty on June 8, 1967, in which 34 Americans were killed and 71 wounded, some disabled for life. We reprinted some of this correspondence in our April/May issue, released after you wrote your letter. Some of our readers may wish to write their own representatives supporting this request.

James Ennes, whose article on the 26th anniversary ofthe assault on the Liberty is on page 19 of this issue, has told us from time to time of the scurrilous attacks on surviving crew members as well as attacks on this magazine, and its authors, which are allowed on these computer networks. 7hey are, literally, packs of lies and misinformation. On the other hand, with the curtain of silence being dropped over anything touching on the current level of U. S. government aid to Israel by the mainstream media, such networks, and highway billboards and bumper stickers, may soon be the only places where the truth can be found. We'd love to find more writers able to reveal, perhaps from personal experience, the hate and misinformation being spewed into America's "marketplaces of ideas, " but it is not that easy. Many are so scarred by their own experiences they are reluctant to reveal them.

From ADC Connecticut

Enclosed please find a check in the amount of two hundred dollars.

The Connecticut Chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee at its February board meeting voted to contribute this amount to support your reporting of Middle East issues.

The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs is a standout informational source on the Middle East and other areas which affect us here in the United States.

Sameer S. Hassan, President, ADC CT Chapter, Cromwell, CT

Thanks for the Review

I have just read your review of my book American Presidents and the Middle East in the March issue of the Washington Report and I wish to thank you for its generous praise and the space you devoted to it. I was gratified—almost embarrassed—at your encomiums which I found very precious to me as they came from an established authority and the publisher of a leading specialized journal in our field.

Since the publication of this book of mine I have lectured on U.S. presidential policies at the University of Geneva and in Cairo at the Egyptian Foreign Service Institute. My audiences showed lively interest in the subject matter. The book is also being published in Tokyo.

With many thanks for your good will.

George Lenczowski, Berkeley, CA

For readers who missed the review, this authoritative book is in the AET Book Club Catalog.

Link Israel's Aid to Peace

Enclosed please find $19 for a one-year renewal of my subscription. Keep up the good work! I'm not sure we will ever get peace in the Middle East but we need to keep trying. Seems to me Clinton's administration may be a step backwards. The only answer I see is to put pressure on Israel by threatening to cut off any aid until they really agree to give up land. Of course we will have to assure Israel of military protection.

Douglas D. McConnell, Aptos, CA

Seems to us you've pretty concisely summed up the historical lessons of 45 years of U.S.-Israeli relations.

The Yugoslav Break-Up

Ever since Yugoslavia first started breaking up into varied special interest factions, the resulting hatred, feuds, bloodshed, rapes, imprisonments, atrocities, mayhem and murder have aroused America's torpid fascination as much as the dirty laundry of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow.

One aspect of the journalistic coverage of the hostilities in the former Yugoslavia, in the region once referred to as "the powderkeg of Europe," could use some explanation. Perhaps you could enlighten me and other readers regarding the practice of referring to one side in the conflict as a nationality and the other side as a religion.

It's always the Serbs against the Muslims. Why would it be inappropriate to say the Serbs against the Bosnians or the Christians against the Muslims? Are those in the journalistic profession afraid of stepping on the righteous toes of those who espouse Christianity?

The followers of Islam are forever being denigrated by the Western press through slanted reporting, negative connotations and loaded words. With any mention of the term "Muslim," most readers envision stereotypical Arab terrorists, turbaned ayatollahs or rock-throwing enemies of Israel.

Could it be too inflammatory to consider the possibility that Christians are capable of perpetrating anything akin to ethnic cleansing? Are references to innocent victims of Serbian-perpetrated genocide as Muslims an attempt to dehumanize them and convince our citizenry of the possibility that their lives are somehow trivial? Please, if you could convince me I'm way off target on this subject, I would be most appreciative.

Joseph F. Pennock, Woodland Park, CO

In this case, with much of the mainstream media on the side of the Bosnian government and its largest component, the Muslims, it really isn't a media attempt to obscure the facts. Ethnically and linguistically the Serbs, Croats and Slavic Muslims are the same. 7he differences are religious and historical. And, of course, there are Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats serving in the Bosnian government and fighting in the same ranks with the Bosnian Muslims to defend Bosnia's borders. So how do you distinguish among the Orthodox Christians seeking to grab as much land for "greater Serbia" as possible, those Roman Catholics who wouldn't mind seeing their areas attached to Croatia if Bosnia is broken up, and those Muslims who, in that case, have nowhere else to go? We guess you call them Serbs, Croats and Bosnian Muslims.

You're a Reliable Source

I've always had the resources to know a good deal about the Middle East—but it's much cheaper to be able to get it from one (reliable) source like your magazine, and check out the information from there. Also it is nice to see it in print in an American rather than a Middle Eastern magazine, and to be able to cut out articles and send them to legislators, or extrapolate facts from articles over several months in a particular area and put it all together.

Sylvia de Freitas, Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Give to an Opinion Molder

I just received my second copy of the March 1993 issue of your excellent publication. Having been a subscriber for a few years I had already received the March issue a few weeks ago.

I intended that this second subscription be donated to someone in Washington or elsewhere who would benefit from the important information contained in each issue with a view to somehow changing public perceptions and public policy regarding the all-too-cozy relationship between our government and that of Israel.

I will make sure that the March issue of the Washington Report that you sent to me is given to someone who will appreciate its contents.

By the way, you might want to do a follow-up story on the spying efforts of ADL. It appears that information gathered by them on anti-Zionist activities and activists goes back many years, appears to come from U.S. government files and is often inaccurate.

Thank you for all your extraordinary efforts in bringing the truth of the Middle East to U.S. readers.

Jan Bauman, Mill Valley, CA

Your opinion molder subscription will go to a member of the White House national security adviser's staff. You can be sure we'll stick with the revelations about ADL's secret activities to gather and misuse information about Americans exercising their First Amendment rights to criticize Israeli policies. 7he information-gathering goes back to the 1940s. Employment of Roy Bullock as a full-time paid informer for ADC began in 1960. 7here will be a lot more to come if the honest cops in San Francisco aren't intimidated by the politicians on their police commission.

Saturation and Soaking

There are virtually no other sources of information which accurately depict the state of events in the Middle East. The American public is saturated daily with misinformation and soaked by politicians on Israel's behalf and to the detriment of innocent people. With the facts found in the Washington Report, I am able to inform others besides myself.

Allene Buchanan, Glendale, CA

A Fellow "Pollinator"

I became interested in your magazine thanks to a "pollinator, " Robert Gwinner, an inmate here like me. The Washington Report sent him some back issues and he passed them around to politically aware type convicts. A good job on everyone's part, I'd say. It inspired me to take out a three-year subscription. I have not had any disappointments, whatsoever.

Initially my interest was in the political/ religious area, particularly the way of Islam and the impact of its rich cultural contributions to the West. The more I read, the more rewarding my research. In each issue, many articles appear that continue my growth, and widen my perspective and world view. Yours is the most affordable subscription on the market, and your facts and your research save me and many others, I'm sure, valuable time when you need to obtain information fast! I've been in prison for 18 years now—just the body to be sure. I can find no better calling than to grow and educate myself in areas where I need to be brought up to par.

So take my friendship, and thanks. My best wishes to a staff of people who put together one of, or, better, the best magazine I've ever had the joy to read. I anxiously anticipate the arrival of each new issue in the mail! God Bless.

Thomas L. Waters, London Prison Farm, London, OH

May the Lord Help You

The Washington Report means a lot to me. You are doing a great job. May the Lord help you in continuing to open the eyes of the North American people to the truth of what is happening around them and in the world and not only what the special interest groups want to feed them.

Adib N. Saba, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Making Lawmakers Listen

I have been reading the Washington Report for several years. I've also been wasting my time writing Washington lawmakers about aid to Israel. I believe we still would be borrowing billions to send Israel, even if Americans were in the condition of Somalia.

I'm sure the Reader's Digest will be taken to task for its March issue of "Foreign Aid Folly," and its report on aid to Israel. It reported Robert Loewenberg, president of the Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies in Jerusalem, said the aid is hurting Israel. He said, "Aid has become a dreadful kind of corruption to our culture. Only the shock of being denied aid may spur the government to implement reforms that are long overdue. "

I want the people of Palestine to know that our American views are not reflected by our lawmakers. If most Americans knew of Palestinian suffering under occupation they would be angry! Americans as a whole believe in human rights.

We and the Palestinians also have something in common. We both live under occupation. The media destroyed the chance for President Bush to return. Pro-Israel groups helped elect President Clinton. He will make sure the media reports how wonderful it is that we have a president who cares as long as he keeps sending money to Israel, and never criticizes anything Israel does.

If we all went to Washington in large numbers, someone might listen to us. Look at what these special interest groups do. Maybe we, too, could make a difference. Let's wake up America! Let's leave something for our children besides a big debt, and despair.

Diane Johnson, Circle Pines, MN

Remember, too, that members of Congress maintain offices in their home districts. It's usually difficult for an individual to schedule an appointment (unless the individual is a donor to the member's campaign committee). But groups often schedule appointments.

A very pertinent question to ask your representatives during such a visit is what did he or she do to merit contributions from pro-Israel PACs (check our charts to see who has taken such contributions and how much) and whether your representative will promise to take no more from any lobby or PAC representing foreign interests. Members always are interested in how the wind is blowing in their districts, and right now it's blowing strongly against foreign aid to Israel.

Lighting the Road to Palestine

I have no doubt in my mind that one day we will have our Palestinian state. The road is very dark and long, but there are a few lights along the way. One of those beacons is the Washington Report. Thank you so much for lighting my way in the United States.

Waddah Haidar, Dearborn, MI

You're the Best!

Your publication is simply the best I've read (regarding Middle East issues) for many years. It's refreshing to see you portray the Palestinian side, since so many publications only show the Israeli rightwing point of view. You present information which is usually not available to people residing in the U. S. I thank you for that. Your book club catalog is also greatly appreciated.

Kristen Lee Ohanyan, Ogden, UT

Wide and Deep

Along with a (very) few other independent magazines on Middle East affairs, I enjoy the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs wide-ranging, in-depth and almost unique perspective on issues poorly covered by the mainstream media and by my religious community's (American Muslims) publications. I think you're bringing a lot of diverse people together to discuss a topic few have ever been concerned with before. I'm gratified to know that thousands are working on U.S.-Middle East issues—it gives me hope!

You should be harsher on Middle Eastern governments—most are lousy. During the Iran-Iraq war it seemed as if you sided with Iraq. I want to hear more about social issues in the Middle East, especially gender issues.

Nahid Khan, Pullman, WA

A Tale of Two Andreas

I want to thank your features editor, Andrea Lorenz, for speaking to my students on "Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Women. "

Her conversation with us was a thought provoking kick-off to a wonderful conference on "Understanding Arab Perspectives. " My students devoured the copies of the Washington Report she sent. In fact, the room was draped with bodies as they read the articles. Intermittently, someone would call out a page for everyone to read!

Because of the success of this class and conference, I plan to hold another conference next spring. I hope Andrea will be available again.

Andrea Johnson, Assistant Professor, Alverno College, Milwaukee, WI

Get Iraqi Facts Straight

I much enjoyed your executive editor's reminiscence of Iraq in the February issue of the Washington Report. His sweep through ancient history was magnificent. However, I must take issue with the penultimate sentence that "Iraq is now in the 25th year of the reign of Saddam Hussain." Do you base this on the perfectly valid view that Saddam was the power behind the throne when Hassan Al Bakr took over in 1968? You write earlier that Saddam "assumed the presidency from Hassan Al Bakr in 1969, " when it was in fact in 1979.

There are some other items. The start of Ottoman rule was 1634. The regent, Abdul Illah, was King Ghazi's cousin. Tikrit is on the Tigris. President Abdul Rahman Arif was President Abdul Salarn Arif's older brother.

May I also say how delighted I was to see that my book on Saddam (Instant Empire, Mercury House, 1991) is now listed in your Book Club Catalog with such a generous description.

Simon Henderson, London, England

More Facts About Iraq

I am a regular reader of the Washington Report and a retired member of the Iraqi foreign service. I don't recall meeting your executive editor, but I have come to know him intellectually through his writings. Certainly, I appreciate his great efforts to inform uninformed, or rather misinformed, Americans. It is a great contribution both to America and the Middle East. I am aware of how intricate the task is from my own past service at the Iraqi Embassy in Washington.

I read with great interest his personal reminiscence of Iraq. I would like to convey my gratitude for the kind characterization of the Iraqi people. The superb article gave a full account of the history of Iraq in the last 5,000 years, from the old civilizations to the present unhappy state of affairs. Nonetheless, Iraq's recent history is somewhat complicated.

You may wish to know that Abdul Illah was not Ghazi's brother, but his cousin on the father's side. Ghazi was married to Abdul Illah's sister, thus the Regent was the maternal uncle (Khal) of Faisal Il. Abdul Qarim Kassem was the prime minister from July 1958 until his death. He never proclaimed himself a president. The presidency was entrusted to a three-member Sovereignty Council (Majlis Al-Siyadeh), comprising a Sunni, a Shi'i and a Kurdish leader. No real power was delegated to the Majlis, but all decrees, laws and regulations were proclaimed in its name.

Again, my thanks and admiration for a job so well done.

Name withheld at writer's request.

The exquisite courtesy of the several Iraqis who wrote to set us straight on 20th century events and relationships reminded us of why we began our unrequited love affair with their ever-fascinating country 30 years ago. Nevertheless, clearly it's safer to deal with ancient rather than contemporary affairs, since the ancients so far haven't contacted us to set their part of the record straight.

The Proper Description is SHAME

The situation in Bosnia is reminiscent of the pogroms of Jews early in this century, when Europe and the West at first denied and then passively observed the atrocities, being content to rely on diplomacy to reverse the increasing tide of slaughter. The same powers are in a similar predicament today, unwilling to take the only decisive action that can end the carnage. The diaspora of the Jews has been replaced by the diaspora of the only European Muslim nation disappearing before our eyes. Has the world forgotten Armenia? Some Armenians certainly haven't, as attempted and successful assassinations of Turkish diplomats 60 years after the "ethnic cleansing" attest.

Lady Margaret Thatcher is absolutely correct when she portrays the Bosnian catastrophe as the height of evil. While the symbol of shuttle diplomacy exhibits an aura of urgency and concern, the reality is that diplomacy and sanctions were never likely to resolve these issues. Sanctions have not worked anywhere, not in Rhodesia, Nicaragua, nor in Iraq, where they were jettisoned in favor of war as the only means to halt a ruthless, if not irrational, dictator. The Bosnian situation is not that different.

If the West is genuinely interested in substance over symbolism and in ending the conflict, military action is the only language the Serbs, Croatians and Bosnians will understand. The entire diplomatic effort has been manipulated by the Serbs to their advantage. The nations of the West have willingly acted as the puppets of a radical Serbian leadership that has had only two ambitions-territorial annexation and revenge for perceived past crimes. Nero fiddled while Rome burned and Clinton and Major send faxes to each other while the disappearance of Bosnia creates new work for idle cartographers.

Passivity in the face of evil is acquiescence. It renders the observers accomplices, and equally as culpable as the perpetrators. The time for decisive military action is now, while there is a Bosnia left to save; otherwise its European neighbors will have a major immigrant problem and today's Western leaders will be portrayed in history as vacillating and indecisive Chamberlains who refused to make the difficult decisions of their time, but were all eager to storm the beaches of a Grenada or Somalia where resistance was non-existent.

It seems that President Clinton has spent more political capital in attempting to gain acceptance for gays in the military than in using the military to save a nation. In the end, both Bosnia and the military may be irrelevant: the former because it has ceased to exist and the latter because it no longer serves a purpose, but is only an empty symbol, standing idly by while Sarajevo and Srebrenica enter the annals of historical infamy.

The Muslim governments, and the Gulf states in particular because of their vast resources, have shown timidity and a lack of cooperation and coordination among themselves. None of them has had the courage to stand up and demand forceful action of the West. Yet, when their own lands were in danger the public coffers were opened and their alarm resounded around the world. Turkey, particularly, should bear a predominant share of Muslim guilt through acquiescence, as the Bosnian nation is the creation of the Ottoman Empire and many Turks are ethnically related to Bosnians, even today. Turkey's membership in NATO and its desire for membership in the EEC have no doubt muted any willingness to adopt a more independent position. The essentially Christian West and Muslim East have shown a hypocritical attitude toward this crisis, and only one word can characterize their inaction-SHAME.

Nazim Karim, Laguna Niguel, CA

The Syrian Problem in Lebanon

I have always praised your successful reporting regarding the Middle Eastern issues in general, and the Israeli-Palestinian issue in particular. Please keep up this informative and objective monitoring of this issue.

However, I think you have, unintentionally I hope, neglected a very important issue that is taking place right now, and in the heart of the Middle East: the occupation of Lebanon by Syria.

This issue is of utmost importance because we are witnessing today a re-run of what happened in 1948. You should be more concerned about this problem, at least to keep up or remain up-to-date with the new generation of your loyal readers.

Even though I am sincerely interested in the Israeli-Palestinian problem, I think one article per issue regarding the current occupation of Lebanon by a neighboring Arab country is reasonable to expect of objective or successful journalism. Let's read more from your magazine about this crucial point.

Dr. Melhem R. Ghaleb, Galveston, TX

We think what you really are saying is that the foreign occupation of Lebanon can be ended separately from the occupation of Palestine. We certainly are willing to provide space for those who espouse the view, but we think history does not support it. Whether or not the seeds were planted with the arbitrary borders assigned Lebanon by the French, we think the serious destabilization of Lebanon began in the spring of 1948 when hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees poured across its borders. We don't see how Lebanon can be secure until the Israeli-Palestinian problem is settled and Palestinians finally can choose whether to go home, go elsewhere, or settle in Lebanon and obey its laws.

You're Not Alone

While waiting to enter medical school next September I promised to do all I can to help the cause of truth-telling on Middle East affairs to the U.S. public. Here are three recent letters I have written to editors. If you wish to print any in your "Other People's Mail" column, you are free to do so. But, most of all, I wanted to give you copies of these letters to let you know you are not "in the trenches" alone! Keep up the excellent work! Every day more and more innocently ignorant Americans are "seeing the light." And that is the most powerful investment your magazine offers, NO ONE does it like you guys. You're the best!

Tom Rifai, Farmington Hills, MI

Thanks and watch next month's "Other People's Mail."

Sharing Your Magazine

I have shared your magazine with friends for some time now, especially with those making the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Recently I bought a gift subscription for the headmaster of my high school, the Roxbury Latin School.

Enclosed is a letter I wrote to the conservative newspaper at Harvard in response to a typical Israeli fluff piece. The material I sent the editor was from your magazine.

Their caption introducing my letter seems to imply that I am the biased one rather than they. It may open up more discussion but I may not see it, since I am carrying out my threat not to renew my subscription to their publication.

Dr. George E. Maloof, Daly City, CA

Perhaps you should renew your subscription just to keep them honest. Since they reprinted your letter, it shows they read it, and so did their readers. All anyone can ask is equal time. With it, the person with the best cause wins.

No Acknowledgment

In the March issue of the Washington Report you mentioned a letter I had written to Senator Gorton. I thought you might be interested in his latest letter to me, as well as my latest letter to him.

The senator has never answered a question I have asked, nor, as you notice, did he acknowledge the work sheet concerning costs which I had sent him. Nor has he acknowledged other facts showing his statements were not based on fact.

John S. O'Connor, Seattle, WA

Staff assistants to members of Congress count the letters on both sides of a question but, unless a staff member singles one out for some reason, few are seen by the members except as a daily pile of mail on a table, from which the "canned" replies are addressed according to the subject of the letter. That's why so many of our readers are surprised to get a letter proclaiming the legislator's love for Israel in answer to a critique of its policies. Until recently, few congress members even had an alternate version other than "I'll take your views on the Middle East into consideration, " because they didn't need it. The inability of congress members to read all their mail is a simple function of the number of minutes in a day, and the conflicting demands on their time. That, frankly, is why it's better to send short letters (so that there can be no doubt as to which side of a question you're on) and more of them.

Why not, when you've done a letter to one of your three representatives in Congress, send copies to the other two, plus the same message to the secretary of state and the White House. That's five letters a month. It's not much more trouble to send five four-paragraph letters than one 20-paragraph letter, but it may be five times more effective.

How to Rebut FLAME Ads

Are you able to respond to FLAME ads? Enclosed is a copy of one. They are very effective at "simplifying" facts for the mainstream media.

Could you run counter-ads in Harper's that would also be able to accept tax-deductible contributions?

Answering these ads would provide a great service to educating the public. Jewish friends have professed admiration for the "education" they receive from FLAME!

Karin Brothers, Atlanta, GA

See our "Myths and Facts " and "Quatsch Watch " columns, which frequently examine questionable statements in the ads placed by FLAME and a similar group called CAMERA. Very few mainstream publications will accept advertisements that challenge Zionist mythology, as many of our readers learned last year when they tried to place our advertisements exposing the true cost of U.S. loan guarantees to Israel.

You're Better Than Medicine

The Washington Report is informative and presents an alternative to the mainstream media. It also helps me maintain my sanity—to know other people "see the light" and are providing answers for what would often seem to be an unresolvable situation in the Middle East. It's my medicine—the Washington Report always makes me feel better!

Sandra Shatilla, Montreal, Quebec