Write on: Letters to the editor

July 10, 2002
Issue 

Bradbury film

In seeing David Bradbury's new documentary film Fond Memories of Cuba on opening night, I was thoroughly disappointed with its simplistic and muddled portrayal of Cuba from such a renowned left-wing filmmaker.

To a less informed audience, Bradbury's film has an appeal that coincides with the capitalist media's portrayal of Cuba's revolutionary government as a "despotic regime".

Having visited Cuba, I found it very disappointing that Bradbury missed the regular rallies of hundreds of thousands showing their support for the revolution. Although he has presented some of the realities in Cuba, it is obvious Bradbury has not sufficiently acquainted himself with Cuban history or even the realities of Cuba today, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. If he had done so, his film would have presented a less confused picture than it does.

Emma To
Glebe NSW [Abridged]

High school protest

About 100 excited and spirited students from a range of high schools joined a walk-out organised by high school students on June 28 in solidarity with detained refugees and kicked off the 24-hour protest and festival outside the Maribyrnong detention centre.

We gathered for a planned rally at Flinders Street Station to hear a few of our fellow high school students speak and then take a train to the detention centre.

However, half-way through the welcoming speech by Milly Williams, a high school student and the elected chairperson of the rally, she was drowned out by a megaphone announcement made by Socialist Alternative member Fleur Taylor and other non-high school student SA members, who urged participants to rush out to Maribyrnong 45 minutes before the agreed time.

No time was given for us to make our decision on how to proceed.

The SA members' behaviour was not only very arrogant but also seriously undermined the confidence of high school students who had organised the walk out and rally.

Unfortunately, the contempt shown towards high school students by SA did not end at the Flinders Street rally.

The students were rushed to the detention centre and urged to tear down the fences — to what end SA members never explained.

High school students should be encouraged by the left to organise their own actions and develop as self-confident political leaders. To do otherwise can only be interpreted as a cynical and underhand attempt to use high school students simply as a means to boost numbers at such events as at Maribyrnong on June 28.

Jess Melvin
Melbourne [Abridged]

Pledge of allegiance

George Bush is indignant that the reference to God in the US pledge of allegiance — a creed recited by school children — was recently judged unconstitutional for breaching the separation of Church and state.

According to the president, the US "values [its] relationship with the Almighty". Even if this were true, it would be irrelevant to the constitutionality question. And, legality aside, it would not necessarily justify the state promoting, rather than tolerating, religion.

In part, people hold beliefs because they have been exposed to them. It would be illegitimately circular to encourage religion and then say that resultant religious views justify the promotion of religion. Many Americans don't believe in God.

The pledge also refers to "liberty for all". Does this include liberty for non-believers?

Americans live "under God", declares the pledge. But it fails to provide a definition of God or a strong argument for God's existence. Even if these were supplied, we could still ask why God should be mentioned while numerous other facts are omitted
from the pledge.

Brent Howard
Rydalmere NSW

Best kept secret

One of the best kept secrets in Israel is that most Israelis are fed up with the occupation, and just want to get out. According to June's findings by Mina Zemach, Israel's foremost pollster, 63% of Israelis are in favour of "unilateral withdrawal". In fact, 69% call for the evacuation of "all" or "most of" the settlements.

Mina's numbers are corroborated by everybody else. The Peace Index of Tel-Aviv University's Tami Steinmitz Centre found that 65% of Israelis "are prepared to evacuate the settlements under a unilateral separation program". A poll commissioned by Peace Now a month earlier revealed that 59% of Israelis support immediate evacuation of most settlements, followed by a unilateral withdrawal of the army from the Occupied Territories.

Here's another "secret" revealed by Mina Zemach: 60% of Israelis believe that Israel should agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a peace agreement.

Is this too much good news all at once? To temper it, here are a few more findings by Mina Zemach: 74% of Israelis say that Sharon is doing a good job and 60% believe that the Israeli army should be allowed to attack the refugee camps in Gaza.

Gila Svirsky
Jerusalem

Will the opposition oppose?

Detailed reports about SIEV-X and the loss of 353 lives are now circulating widely in the mainstream press. Surely this is an extremely serious matter which requires further probing and debate in parliament. It is odd that this matter was not raised by the Labor Opposition in the House of Representatives.

The voters have now learned about further serious misrepresentation of facts regarding the sinking of SIEV-X. This also occurred at the highest levels of government, during the election campaign and after.

Supply was blocked in the budget session of 1975 by the Coalition on account of what they claimed to be "reprehensible circumstances". What would Australians call the present
circumstances?

Klaas Woldring
Pearl Beach NSW

From Green Left Weekly, July 10, 2002.
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