Madam, - Tony Brown (January 20th) finds it "so difficult to maintain positive feelings towards today's America".
Really? Who saved the democratic world from (a) Stalin's aggression in the Berlin blockade of 1948; (b) from Mao's and Stalin's aggression in 1950 in Korea; (c) Serb aggression in both Bosnia and Kosovo, when Europe stood idly by; (d) Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1991?
Or in 1917-18, who came to the aid of Europe against the aggression of the Kaiser, and in 1941-45, Hitler? Who was crucial to ending the Provo war against the Irish people? I also remember being beside Ambassador Jean Kennedy-Smith at the head of the massive "Give us back our peace" march in Dublin after the Provos broke their first ceasefire in February 1996 with their double murder at Canary Wharf.
Who hosted the Israel-PLO summit at Camp David? When wealthy Arab oil states were invisible, who sent supplies and aircraft to help tsunami-torn Islamic people, or Kashmir earthquake victims? Who put the first man on the Moon? Who gave us GPS satellite positioning, or the internet, or jumbo jets? And how many Irish jobs came from US investment?
Who ousted both the savage and misogynistic Taliban and the "Butcher of Baghdad", who is the only ruler in history, apart from Hitler, to have gassed his own people? Maybe Mr Brown will kindly tell us which Irish parties best reflect his tired bias, as I want to be sure I don't vote for appeasers of Osama Bin Laden. - Yours, etc,
TOM CAREW, Ranelagh, Dublin, 6.