Letters Letters
Saving the venerable NYPL… cooperation, not capitalism… a jewel in the dross… you could look it up…
Jul 1, 2014 / Our Readers and Ange Mlinko
Letters Letters
Snowden’s “Why I Did It” When I saw the front page of the May 26 issue, I was glad I’m letting my subscription expire, as it saves me the trouble of asking for a refund [Edward Snowden, “Why I Did It”]. To glorify the traitor Snowden should be beneath your magazine. Snowden is also a coward. Daniel Ellsberg, who released the Pentagon Papers, had the courage of his convictions and stayed in the country to face the music. Verlon Grafton morristown, n.j. Snowden’s statements at the National Press Club in Washington underscore his earlier claims that NSA surveillance is relatively useless as a tool for counterterrorism. Rather, mass interception is being applied to conduct economic espionage and diplomatic manipulation—and (most important) impose social control. Snowden implies that the NSA’s surveillance apparatus isn’t being wielded to protect America from terrorism. It’s being used as a mechanism in service of the powerful. The United States is now a surveillance state where corporate and government spies collaborate to monitor citizens. If academic researchers like Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty are correct in their groundbreaking analysis of growing economic inequality, the end game for society will be pretty grim. As our social fabric disintegrates and the climate becomes less hospitable, the immiseration of the average person will lead to widespread mobilization. The US elite are well aware of what happened to French aristocrats in the eighteenth century. To save themselves from a similar fate, they will switch the cogs of the surveillance state into high gear, and the United States will witness the sort of oppression that is the hallmark of a police state. Bill Blunden san francisco It depends on one’s point of view whether Snowden is a “hero” or merely self-indulgent. Either way, I have absolutely no interest in reading why he did it. As a longtime progressive, I have also become increasingly stressed that he has apparently become the most recent representative of progressive politics in the United States. ALEC and the AEI are, no doubt, most amused. Lou Sandler terre haute, ind. Outstanding Thank you for this outstanding issue, featuring Edward Snowden, Elizabeth Warren, Robert Reich and Eric Alterman. Yes, “there’s no place like Washington,” as Alterman says in “Obama’s Pundit Problem”; but there is, thankfully, also no publication like The Nation—and no one like Alterman to speak truth to power and to those of us without power who long for the truth. He’s the only journalist I trust; he takes up and articulates my causes—always something I believe in, know to be true, and care about, but am too… impotent to take on. I depend on him and on The Nation. Ann Benton Kudos to Eric Alterman for speaking truth to pundits like Maureen Dowd. Her use of the president’s first name from his youth, as in the cited headline (Is Barry Whiffing?), has always struck me as belittling, meanspirited and unbecoming in a supposedly serious writer. It was overdue that Alterman, a professional colleague, spoke out. He reminded us as well about how complex a president’s tasks are, carried out in the face of unending Republican recalcitrance (and/or racism). Thank you, Mr. Alterman. Charles B. Greenberg murrysville, pa. Too bad that the writings of Eric Alterman on the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement [“Letters,” May 26] and the FLAME ads that often appear in the magazine are nearly indistinguishable. Eric has been so helpful on so many other subjects; it is a real pity to see him so wrong on BDS. It reminds me of the defenders of South Africa and the “constructive engagement” of Reagan. Michael Koivula springfield, ore. More Steps to Equality I agree with Robert Reich’s “10 Practical Steps to Reverse Growing Inequality” [May 26], but I differ with his prescriptions for reform of the estate tax (step 7). An exemption limit of $1 million causes real hardship for middle-class owners of such assets as small businesses and real estate. I’d opt for $5 million, even up to $20 million, indexed for inflation. I also propose steeply progressive rates. Taxing a $50 billion estate at 35 percent won’t end dynasties. Anything over $100 million or so should be taxed at 90 percent or higher. Also, don’t get rid of the accelerated basis. In fact, revise the treatment of all capital gains so that they’re taxed the same as ordinary income, but the basis is indexed to inflation. Then we don’t need the homeowners’ exclusion and all the other gimmicks. The current system rewards speculators, who hold assets briefly, and penalizes the middle class, especially homeowners, whose assets appreciate over decades and then are subject to disproportionate taxation. For example, my mother bought a house in 1952 for $15,000; it’s now worth $600,000. If it didn’t get an accelerated basis, the estate would end up underwater for taxes, even though the property has barely appreciated in constant dollars. Bo Curry redwood city, calif. Inequality’s “diabolical trend is threatening the foundations of our society”—and also the climate system. The global economic contraction that started in 2008 produced the only significant overall carbon reduction ever, strongly suggesting that reduced material and economic throughput will need to be part of how humanity saves its planet—and itself—from ecological and civilizational catastrophe. Vastly greater economic equality in a world of reduced per capita stuff will be essential. We will need to “share the carbon.” We must be more CO2scious and CO2equal. Gregory Wright sherman oaks, calif. Put Down This Magazine! Years ago I was reading John Hersey’s Algiers Motel Incident, and he said, “If you haven’t read The Autobiography of Malcom X, put this book down now and read it.” I did, and what a life-changing revelation that was. Now I say to Nation readers, if you haven’t read Elizabeth Warren’s A Fighting Chance, put this magazine down now and read it [Warren, “‘Yes, I’ll Fight,’” May 26]. Senator Warren cares about people. Frank A. Walter portland, ore. Great Men I don’t ever write fan letters. But Ariel Dorfman’s tribute to “Gabo” brought tears to my eyes [“Memories of García Márquez,” May 26]: for the great writer and friend who has died, but also for the greatness of Dorfman, who has risked his life again and again in the cause of liberation. The world would be a much more shabby place without such people. Sam Eisenstein pasadena, calif.
Jun 18, 2014 / Our Readers
Letters Letters
Bitcoin, bitcoin, going so fast… students keep up the pressure… teachers held in the rubber room… for women only… Cold War déjà vu (all ov...
Jun 3, 2014 / Our Readers
Letters Letters
You say you want a revolution… working for kids—all kids…
May 20, 2014 / Our Readers and Gary Younge
Letters Letters
Everything is Piketty-boo… …and when did he know it?… teaching in Seattle…
May 13, 2014 / Our Readers and Alexandra Hootnick
Letters Letters
Al Jazeera—just the news… BDS: Palestinians’ “best hope”… younger than springtime…
May 6, 2014 / Our Readers and Eric Alterman
Letters Letters
City Power! As a progressive city councilor in the second-largest city in Oregon, I found Michelle Goldberg’s “Power to the City” [April 21] especially timely. Eugene is a midsize city at the epicenter of a county that suffers from chronic lower-than-average wages alongside relatively high housing costs, leaving many working families struggling in near-poverty. In March, I co-sponsored a proposal for a paid sick time ordinance that would provide workplace protections and financial security for approximately 25,000 mostly low-wage workers in our city. It is modeled after a similar ordinance in Portland, implemented in January. We are hearing from union grocery store workers who can’t take sick time until they have been ill for three days, hospital workers who don’t earn sick days and workers who fear losing their jobs when they have to care for a sick child. A city ordinance would provide much-needed protection for these vulnerable workers and improve public health overall. Based on data from Portland, Seattle and San Francisco, it would not have a negative impact on employment or business. I hope we are just the first of many to take this step and build on this movement for progressive public policies that protect workers and public health. Claire Syrett Eugene City Councilor eugene, ore. May Flights of Angels… A few years ago, I met Jonathan Schell at an event at the University of California, Irvine [“Jonathan Schell,” April 21]. I bought his book The Unconquerable World, and he autographed it for me with the words “In hope.” It is one of my prized possessions. As our planet is faced with the twin perils of nuclear proliferation and climate change, we can ill afford to lose his wise and prescient voice. Joan Mortenson huntington beach, calif. World’s Oldest Work Right on, Katha [Pollitt, “Sex Work: The New Normal?” April 21]—if it’s fine to be a “sex worker,” then it’s fine to be a john. I’d like to see some neo-femo-lefto discussion of that. Chris Nielsen seattle Nothing is more annoying and demeaning to a prostitute than comparing the work to waitressing or domestic work. Prostitution is nothing like normal work. Nor is it like being a BDSM mistress, stripping or even working in porn, because, of these types of sex work, prostitution is the least safe. There are no protective labor laws, no witnesses, nothing to prevent us from being robbed, raped or murdered. This glamorization of the “happy hooker” is perpetuated by clients, pimps, madams—even dreamy-eyed writers who fantasize about it but don’t have the courage to escort. I’ve read feminist accounts of how “empowering” sex work is, and I can tell you that it is not. Elaine So I felt dehumanized as a waitress—or working my first job at KFC. Countless sex workers I know feel the same. I feel far more empowered and in control being a sex worker. That it is illegal is what raises the fear factor. Lilithe I’m a retired sex worker. I’m forever grateful to the clients who helped me support two children when I was divorcing an abusive man, and couldn’t make a living wage that allowed me time to parent, even with a master’s degree and a decent CV. We “elite” sex workers do care about coerced and exploited people. Juliana Piccillo I wish someone had validated sex work as a career choice when I was young. I suffered the horror of the majority of middle-class women, convinced that my best option was to sell my body to one man for “security.” Hotfishnora1 Return to the Cold War? Thank you, Stephen F. Cohen, for being the voice of reason on Ukraine [“Why Cold War Again?,” April 21]. Sadly, most of our mainstream media are again cheerleading us toward Strangelove II. Jack Burgess chillicothe, ohio “Why Cold War Again?” should be required reading. From the beginning, NATO was never about “defense.” It was about US hegemony and the care and feeding of the military-industrial complex. Jordan Bishop ottawa In the UN, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has a very small circle of supporters, including North Korea and Iran. In France, Russia’s annexation of Crimea is backed by Marine Le Pen. Hungarian neofascists wear T-shirts saying, “Crimea belongs to Russia! Transcarpathia belongs to Hungary!” And in the United States, Putin also has a whitewasher: Stephen F. Cohen, who blames the US government for driving Russia into a corner. I gather Professor Cohen does not watch Russian television or read the Russian press. He does not pay attention to the suppression of “disloyal” media outlets or the falsification of elections. He does not want to see that Putinism means chauvinism and Soviet-style hatred of the West. The Baltic countries are lucky to be members of NATO and the EU, which makes them safer from the Kremlin’s thuggish “protection” of Russian speakers. US administrations have certainly made mistakes in dealing with Russia, but it is wrong to blame them for forcing Russia to behave badly. Even Belarus and Kazakhstan do not demonstrate Cohen’s degree of pro-Putinism. Gennady Estraikh new york city Cohen Replies Yes, I read and watch Russian media—and American as well—but clearly in ways unlike Gennady Estraikh. I do so for information and my own analysis. He does so, it seems, for an ideological purpose, as do so many with his preconceived views. (Note the defamatory, telltale “pro-Putinism.”) Stephen F. Cohen new york city Red in Tooth and Claw Re Thai Jones’s “Remembering the Ludlow Massacre” [April 21]: Colorado poet David Mason has written an epic poem, Ludlow. Through character and setting, he mines coal-dust voices from a tragic history. Let’s hope this verse novel will find a teachable moment in American literature courses. Kemmer Anderson signal mountain, tenn.
Apr 30, 2014 / Our Readers and Stephen F. Cohen
Letters Letters
Locked up in Alabama… Ben-Gurion changes his tune…
Apr 22, 2014 / Our Readers and Bernard Avishai
Letters Letters
Run, Bernie, run… pull your pants up… Snowden: copy a plea?… Whistler's and his work…
Apr 15, 2014 / Our Readers
Letters Letters
This is your brain on poison… "monetizing" scholars… doubting Thomas… mishegoss II…
Apr 8, 2014 / Our Readers