The Road to Mumbai's Tragedy
From the beginning of the recent Mumbai massacre, Indians in India and abroad never doubted Pakistan's hand in the ghastly attacks [Dec. 15]. President Richard Nixon's famous "tilt" toward Pakistan, decades of American support for Pakistan's military dictators and America's turning a blind eye to Pakistan's involvement in a long series of terrorist activities against India have all borne their fruit in the past decade in the form of worldwide Islamic terrorism. These dreadful attacks will continue unless international pressure is brought to bear on Pakistan's elected government to bring its military under control.
Chuncha Mel Ramakrishna,
Cherry Hill, N.J., U.S.
As aghast as we were watching the attacks on Mumbai, we Indians, as well as the rest of the world, all bear the responsibility of moving forward in light of the anger and accusations that have followed the terror strikes. Countries should work together in the spirit of global human brotherhood to dialogue with each other, share and spread a message of peace in schools and through the media. We have to fight terrorism from within and without, as individuals and as humanity united.
Savi Mull,
Lucknow, India
Neither Borrower nor Lender Be
As a person interested in reality, I much appreciated Michael Kinsley's Essay on the government stimulus package [Dec. 15]. The media regularly say the "taxpayer has been hit again." I don't recall my taxes being affected. Rather, we have borrowed again, and not from fellow Americans — but from China, Japan and other countries. Have we come to the point that we may have more clout in the world militarily but others have more clout economically? I have read that what really brought the U.S. out of the Great Depression was World War II. Could it be that what brought the U.S. out of the Depression of the 1930s was the savings and the controlled spending of the people — along with the borrowing that took place during the war?
Bill Brouwers,
Middlebury, Ind., U.S.
Bailing Out the Big Three
I have no sympathy for the big three automakers [Dec. 15]. For decades, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler fiercely opposed corporate restructuring and green technology while egregiously mismanaging their businesses. The only reason they've recently gotten religion is that they're teetering on the verge of bankruptcy.
Mark Stuart Ellison,
Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.
After my brother started working for a Ford dealership, my wife and I took advantage of the family plan and purchased a brand new 2004 Freestar minivan. Over the 21/2 years we owned the vehicle, we had to take it in to the dealer at least eight times for warranty work. The only thing worse than the quality of the vehicle was the quality of service I received. Not surprisingly, the dealership is now out of business. I wouldn't buy another Ford vehicle if the fate of mankind hung in the balance.
Steve Devereaux,
Staten Island, N.Y., U.S.
The economy would not withstand the collapse of the auto industry, but perhaps carmakers should look to their friends in the oil industry for assistance. ExxonMobil and others reported record profits — with our money — supplying fuel for all the gas-guzzlers Detroit built. Why should U.S. citizens pay again?
William Stamm,
Rosendale, N.Y., U.S.
No one disagrees that all these bailouts are giving the American taxpayer heartburn, but why are the automakers under such tight scrutiny when AIG quickly received about twice as much as the Big Three are asking for? In both cases, awful management created the need for a bailout, but suddenly Congress is getting a conscience about spending our money? Yes, one might say that financial companies are more important, but letting automakers fail could push a bad recession into a depression.
Jason Toney,
Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S.