Letters to the Editor

GOP fuels class warfare

The Bush administration, like past Republican administrations, has engaged in class warfare ever since it took office in 2001 (“Class warfare isn’t classy,” Commentary, yesterday). This administration promotes government of the rich, by the rich, for the rich — a plutocracy. The GOP actually wages class warfare by promoting policies that overwhelmingly favor the rich few; Democrats, standing up for the many, are right to confront the Republicans for doing so.

The conservative Republicans’ ploy of accusing Democrats of class envy is the GOP’s attempt to divert the debate. In this most important presidential election year, both political parties should be debating this question: Is survival-of-the-fittest plutocracy the best way to achieve America’s goal of “justice for all”?

In our interdependent economic system, rich employers need workers just as much as employees need a job. Class warfare — Republican-style — is not classy.

PAUL L. WHITELEY SR.

Louisville, Ky.

A matter of jurisdiction

The Washington Times’ article regarding the opposition of Israel, the United States and the European Union to bringing the issue of Israel’s security fence to the International Court of Justice at the Hague (“U.S. argues World Court has no right to judge Israel,” World, Saturday) should have stressed that the World Court hears only cases where both parties have agreed to its jurisdiction.

It would be a precedent for the World Court to attempt to intervene in an internal political matter. The Palestinians have consistently tried to “internationalize”their struggle with Israel. The unfortunate outcome of the World Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa, was an example of that.

Leftistorganizations known for political correctness, such as Amnesty International, are not an impartial source for views on Israel. Their pro-Palestinian policy has been in place for a long time. During the Cold War, Amnesty International consistently attacked U.S. policy and, for example, never attacked the Soviet Gulag. (It played no role in freeing refuseniks.)

A better and more objective source would be William B. Quandt, author of “Peace Process” and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and vice provost for international affairs at the University of Virginia.

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