One Nation, Indivisible

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/opinion/27jeremic.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
---------- Forwarded message ----------From: barry levine Date: Wed, Feb 27, 2008 at 12:58 PMSubject: One Nation, Indivisible (Op-Ed 27 Feb. 2008)To: letters@nytimes.com
to the Editor:
When we signed the charter of the United Nations, we pledged ourselves to the national self-determination of peoples. In the middle of the twentieth century, that led to the dismantling of empires from a previous age, and to the creation of many of the current member states of the U.N. General Assembly. That charter is still in effect. Although we have often ignored it--most pointedly in the case of the Tibetans--we violate our own treaty obligations when we oppose a people's national self-determination. Now in the twenty-first century, we may want to renegotiate this treaty in light of our country's own imperial ambitions. Until we do, we cannot legitimately oppose the Kosovar Albanians' quest for freedom.
Barry Levine
1142 Brown Avenue
Lafayette, CA 94549

Got a Problem? Ask the Super

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/opinion/25ferraro.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=ferraro&st=nyt&oref=slogin
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: barry levine
Date: Mon, Feb 25, 2008 at 9:56 AM
Subject: Got a Problem? Ask the Super
To: letters@nytimes.com



- Hide quoted text -
to the Editor:
Ms. Ferraro's column misrepresents why I resent the superdelegates. It is not because they lead; It is because they take money. Most of them are elected officials. Most of them have re-election campaigns underway or on the horizon. It is therefore unremarkable that senator Obama, or senator Clinton, or both have given money to many of the superdelegates over the past few years. Until we have deep campaign finance reform, this is a problem. It creates at least the appearance of impropriety for anyone--having taken this money--to choose my candidate.
Barry Levine
1142 Brown Ave
Lafayette, CA 94549

Waterboarding Focus of Inquiry by Justice Dept.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/23/washington/23justice.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=waterboarding+focus&st=nyt&oref=slogin- Hide quoted text -
---------- Forwarded message ----------From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>Date: Sat, Feb 23, 2008 at 9:09 PMSubject: Waterboarding Focus of Inquiry by Justice Dept.To: letters@nytimes.com

to the Editor: It is welcome that the department of Justice is inquiring into the justification for torture offered by it's own Office of Legal Counsel, but it is too little, too late. The first resort to torture was a violation of our treaty obligations. As such, it is a high crime, and deserved immediate criminal action, and potentially impeachment of those responsible. I have no reason to expect that the current attorney general will reverse the course of his immediate predecessor, and put the defense of our constitution ahead of his loyalty to the White House. Concurrent with this internal department of Justice inquiry, we need an independent prosecutor who is not beholden to the White House. Anything short of this would be to perpetuate and expand the cover-up of a crime, of a violation of our treaty obligations and of a blot on our national character.Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549

Delay is sought by Justice Dept. on C.I.A. Inquiry 12/15/07

Delay is sought by Justice Dept. on C.I.A. Inquiry"

To the Editor: Judge Mukasey's expansive view of Executive power, and his stingyview of Due Process were known at the time of his confirmationshearings as Attorney General. The surprise came when senator Feinsteinendorsed him before he had finished defying the Judiciary committee'squestioning. Now as Attorney General, he has refused to provideinformation to the Congressional committees charged with oversight ofour Intelligence services. Congress is now faced with a stark choice;it can charge mr. Mukasey with Contempt of Congress, or it can confessthat it lacks the teeth to enforce the people's mandate and theConstitution. It cannot exercise its proper oversight function whilecontinuing to capitulate to the Executive's cult of secrecy.Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549510 220 6948

C.I.A. to Cooperate With House on Tapes 20 Dec/ 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/washington/20intel.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin
- Hide quoted text -
---------- Forwarded message ----------From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>Date: Dec 20, 2007 8:59 AMSubject: C.I.A. to Cooperate With House on TapesTo: letters@nytimes.com
to the Editor: It is heartening to learn that the C.I.A.acknowledges Congress'proper oversight function, and will cooperate on the investigation ofthe destruction of the tapes. The nation waits to hear from the WhiteHouse. If president Bush took part in the decision to destroy thisevidence, it may be a matter of Executive Privilege. If he had no rolein it, it is time to say so, and to stop obstructing Congress' properfunction. What did he know, and when did he know it? The question was neveranswered with regard to the president's father, and may now be theson's epitaph as well.Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549

Bush Lawyers Discussed Fate of C.I.A.Tapes 18 Dec 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/washington/19intel.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
- Hide quoted text -
---------- Forwarded message ----------From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>Date: Dec 18, 2007 10:06 PMSubject: Bush Lawyers Discussed Fate of C.I.A.TapesTo: letters@nytimes.com
to the Editor: Attorney General Mukasey is a careful man. He took great care notto judge what he didn't know in his confirmation hearings. He tookgreat care not to claim to know what he hadn't seen. In light of therole of White House lawyers in the C.I.A tapes issue, his insistencethat he knows of no reason that would justify a special prosecutorsuggests that he has been careful to keep his eyes shut. That mayserve the White House well, but it doesn't serve or protect theconstitution to which he is sworn. While the case for a crime isunproven, the evidence of a cover-up is mounting rapidly.Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549510 220 6948

9/11 Panel Study Finds that C.I.A. Withheld Tapes 22 Dec 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/22/washington/22intel.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin
- Hide quoted text -
---------- Forwarded message ----------From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>Date: Dec 22, 2007 7:36 AMSubject: 9/11 Panel Study Finds that C.I.A. Withheld TapesTo: letters@nytimes.com
To the Editor:re: 9/11 Panel Study Finds that C.I.A. Withheld Tapes: Surely the chairmen of the 9/11 commission overstep what is knownwhen they conclude that "the [central intelligence] agency had made aconscious decision to impede the Sept. 11 commission's inquiry."While it is evident that the agency impeded the commission's inquiry,we don't yet know where that decision was made. It seems more likelythat this decision was made--and consciously made--at a higher level.The C.I.A. was located in Langley to insulate our Intelligence frompolitical influence. That impulse was good, but we would be foolish toassume that this insulation always works.Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549

Birds, Bugs Named as Steroid Users

to the Editor: Natalie Angier ("Birds, Bugs Named as Steroid Users!") makes aspurious distinction between "real" and "synthesized" steroids. Whilewe can and should distinguish exogenous from endogenous steroids(being those administered or eaten from those made in our own bodies),all these steroids are real. I look to this paper for a model of clear English. In this case,it has failed.Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549510 220 6948

Bush Condemns Assassination 29 Dec 2007

Date: Dec 29, 2007 7:02 AMSubject: Bush Condemns AssassinationTo: letters@nytimes.com

- Hide quoted text -to the Editor: It is welcome that president Bush insists that "Those who [assassinated Benazir Bhutto] must be brought to justice." The world would be a better place if he would condemn all political assassinations, as our treaty obligations say. We are waiting still for such an announcement regarding the assassination of Abdul-Majid al-Khoei, four and half years after the fact. Like Bhutto, Khoei returned from exile to lead his country towards democracy. Like Bhutto, he was promptly assassinated by those who oppose democracy. - Show quoted text - If America's rhetoric has the effect of luring leaders back from exile to their deaths, we have been abetting thugs under the banner of "freedom".Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549510 220 6948

Food Allergies Stir a Mother to Action

to the Editor: Ms. Severson ("Food Allergies Stir a Mother to Action") misrepresents the Hygiene Hypothesis. This holds that a childhood protected from exposure to normal dirt produces not a weak immune system, but rather one that is naive and hyper-reactive. Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549510 220 6948

Iran Accuses U.S. of Faking Persian Gulf Video 11 Jan 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/world/middleeast/10iran.html?bl&ex=1200200400&en=ab0fa0fbe1b14f9c&ei=5087%0A
---------- Forwarded message ----------From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>Date: Jan 11, 2008 10:31 AMSubject: Iran Accuses U.S. of Faking Persian Gulf VideoTo: letters@nytimes.com

to the Editor: The U.S. navy has reported receiving threats in the straits of Hormuz. The Iranian navy denies making them. The U.S. navy that reports the threatening broadcast knows something. It knows with great precision when the broadcast was made and at what frequency and where the speedboats were at that time. They point out that they do not know if the broadcasts came from one of the speedboats. This too is knowable. Surely one of our assets (landbased? airborne? satellite? seaborne?) in such an active area can pinpoint the source of such a radio burst. On the face of it, the denial from the Iranian navy is credible. Whether the crews of our ships in the straits knew it or not, it is possible that this broadcast was faked to provide causus belli. Before our Legislature passes a new Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, and involves us in yet another unwarranted war, we need to know what happened. Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549510 220 6948

4 Youths Arrested in Vandalism at Jewish Cemetery in New Jersey 11 Jan 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/nyregion/11graves.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=jewish+cemetery&oref=slogin
Subject: 4 Youths Arrested in Vandalism at Jewish Cemetery in New JerseyTo: letters@nytimes.com- Hide quoted text -

to the Editor: Ms. Capuzzo deserves some sort of prize for the strangest use of the passive voice ["4 Youths Arrested in Vandalism at Jewish Cemetery in New Jersey" A21, 11 January] since Nixon's "mistakes were made". If these four smashed many gravestones, proper reportage would require that the news account should report this. To write instead that they "toppled more than three-quarters of the cemetery's tombstones...many of which became broken" may be a plea bargain, but it is not a news account. Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549510 220 6948

Iran Encounter Grimly Echoes '02 War Game 12 Jan 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/12/washington/12navy.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin
- Hide quoted text ----------- Forwarded message ----------From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>Date: Jan 12, 2008 8:35 PMSubject: Iran Encounter Grimly Echoes '02 War GameTo: letters@nytimes.com

to the Editor: It is good that our Armed Services are educated by wars and war games gone by. Their lives and our security depend upon it. The Electorate too hears echoes in the straits of Hormuz. They are echoes of the Gulf of Tonkin, and of the sinking of the Maine. Operating in international waters, the captain of a warship must weigh endless potential threats against the grim consequences of overreaction. Likewise, the American people must weigh the possibility that an innocent encounter of ships passing at sea may be used to justify a war.

endorsement of senator John McCain 25 Jan 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/opinion/25fri2.html?ref=opinion- Hide quoted text -

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>Date: Jan 25, 2008 10:41 AMSubject: re: endorsement of senator John McCainTo: letters@nytimes.com

to the Editor: This paper's endorsement of senator John McCain turns less on his stance on particular issues than on his uncommon candor and his staunch repudiation of torture. In this context, it is important that--two years after he claims to have stood down the Bush administration--there is no evidence that our government and its surrogates have stopped torturing. Was senator McCain co-opted? Was he duped? It is urgent that the electorate know these things about the candidates before us.Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549510 220 6948

Obama in Nevada Jan 27 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/us/politics/27carolina.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin - Hide quoted text -

to the Editor: Senator Obama won the Iowa caucus, and has won the South Carolina primary. Together with his win (thirteen of the twenty-five delegates) in Nevada, this gives him a margin of three states to senator Clinton's one win in New Hampshire. To construe this as an "equal footing with Mrs. Clinton--with two wins each in early-voting states" defies arithmetic. I have looked to this newspaper for news and analysis for many years. This exercise in spin is neither, and is unwelcome.Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549

Intelligence Chief Cites Qaeda Threat to U.S. Feb. 6 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/washington/06intel.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=field+manual&st=nyt&oref=slogin- Hide quoted text -

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>Date: Feb 6, 2008 10:23 AMSubject: Intelligence Chief Cites Qaeda Threat to U.S.To: letters@nytimes.com

to the Editor: In focusing on the Army Field Manual as a standard for C.I.A. conduct, we risk losing sight of the other constraints on us. Our treaty obligations proscribe torture and degrading treatment of prisoners. Each instance of waterboarding is therefore a high crime. While the old (pre-2005) Army Field Manual is a clear and defensible guide to proper behavior, it cannot supersede our treaty obligations, which our constitution names as the "highest law in the land". The newer revisions of the Army Field Manual, with their classified appendices are neither clear nor defensible, and constitute no standard at all.Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549

Senate votes to Expand Spy Powers Feb 13, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/us/13fisa.html?ref=todayspaper- Hide quoted text -

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>Date: Feb 13, 2008 10:33 AMSubject: Senate votes to Expand Spy Powers To: letters@nytimes.com

to the Editor: When we sent Democratic majorities to the House and Senate, the American electorate repudiated this administration's executive power-grab. Many in the senate still seem to have missed the message. Now, senator Rockefeller votes to grant immunity to the telecoms whose executives gave $42,000. to his campaign. What did the other senators take in exchange for my fourth amendment rights?Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549

House Leaves Surveillance Law to Expire (february 15, 2008)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/washington/15fisa.html?ref=todayspaper
- Hide quoted text -
---------- Forwarded message ----------From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>Date: Fri, Feb 15, 2008 at 9:41 AMSubject: House Leaves Surveillance Law to Expire (february 15, 2008)To: letters@nytimes.com
to the Editor: Sometime before 2004, the White House authorized the extra-legalwarrantless wiretap of the the first American citizen. That firstwarrantless wiretap was at once a violation of the FISA statute, aviolation of our protection from unreasonable search and seizure,and--potentially--an injury to the person(s) on whom they were spying. The normal redress of the first would be a criminal prosecution; thatwas blocked by an attorney general more loyal to the president than tothe law. The redress of the assault on our constitutional rights mighthave been impeachment; that was blocked by a congress more loyal tothe president than to the law. The redress of the potential injury tothe citizen(s) on whom our own government has been illegally spying,is a civil lawsuit. The bill currently before our House ofRepresentatives would immunize the telecoms from these civil lawsuits.In doing this, it invites our representatives to contribute to acover-up that has gone on far too long. As last Summer's surveillance measure lapses, we are stillprotected by the FISA act of 1978. That act already provided forretroactive warrants in cases too urgent to permit a judge to weighthe evidence in advance. Unlike the measure which is lapsing, itprovided that a judge pronounce these taps "reasonable", in accordancewith our constitution. The House of Representatives now stands as thepeople's last defense against an assault on our constitutional rights.Barry Levine1142 Brown AveLafayette, CA 94549510 220 6948