How America is being shown Bali blast, page-11

These maybe the letters in NY Times

Messages From the Bali Bombing
o the Editor:

Re "Bush Ties Bombing at Bali Nightclub to Qaeda Network" (front page, Oct. 15):

Our country is in a state of shock after the grotesque and inhumane events in Bali that left hundreds of Australians killed, maimed or missing. So many families and friends will feel the profound grief, sadness and sorrow for a lifetime. We also feel for the numerous victims from other countries and especially for the Balinese people, who have lived in peace for a long time and who rely on tourism to support their families.

Those responsible for the bombing must be brought to justice. The international community must also commit to addressing some fundamental factors that provide fertile ground for terrorist organizations and networks to proliferate.
PAUL BATESON
Sydney, Australia, Oct. 16, 2002
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To the Editor:

While the Bali bombing does not resemble 9/11 (front page, Oct. 15), it does not represent a new phase in the terrorist war against the West.

The assault in Bali, apparently by Al Qaeda, is an outgrowth of the Muslim world's attempt to expel foreign influences from its midst over the last hundred years.

To Al Qaeda, the hotels and clubs are cancerous anathema imposed by force — economic, if not military — that must be eradicated. To the terrorists, the tourists and their hosts who openly display contempt for the ways of Islam and have the temerity to bar Indonesians from the clubs have committed crimes that are punishable by death.

The Europeans and others who have turned a blind eye and even justified Palestinian terrorism are now reaping its bitter fruits.
MENACHEM PETRUSHKA
Flushing, Queens, Oct. 15, 2002
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To the Editor:

As we weep for the innocent victims in Bali (front page, Oct. 15), it is incumbent on us to be aware that a false image of the United States is being projected to the world.

Bellicose language has inflamed negative passions in the Muslim world and, to a lesser degree, among many allies in Europe. Cowboy rhetoric plays well at home, but "dead or alive" is frightening and antagonizing abroad.

We must do business in the world community. A more modest, less adversarial stance — more true to our traditions — is vital to our interests and our safety.
CONNELL J. MAGUIRE
Riviera Beach, Fla., Oct. 15, 2002
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To the Editor:

The horrific bombing in Bali (front page, Oct. 15) shows that terrorism has not been deterred by this administration's foray into Afghanistan.

The Bush administration may have routed Al Qaeda there, or just sent it into Pakistan; who knows?

Was it members of Al Qaeda who committed this terror, or just admirers who followed their methods?

What is clear is that huge destruction can be wrought by an anonymous few. It makes old-style war seem a little irrelevant. So why is the administration girding up to bomb Iraq and kill thousands of people? How will that prevent another Bali?

It seems more likely to encourage others.
SALLY CARP
Staten Island, Oct. 15, 2002
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To the Editor:

As the United States' openly expressed imperial policy triggers terrorist acts around the world endangering us all (front page, Oct. 15), President Bush would have us believe that it's our freedom and democracy that are hated. In fact, the world that hates United States policy wants democracy and freedom from United States domination.
TOM MILLER
Oakland, Calif., Oct. 15, 2002
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To the Editor:

In the wake of Bali (front page, Oct. 15), I hope that Westerners, including my fellow Australians, see the attack for what it is. In the eyes of those who planned it, Western tourists were not innocent; they were living examples of the values that religious fundamentalists hate, values like individual freedoms and expression.

I hope that we will want to fight for our way of life. I urge President Bush and the United States not to submit to world pressure and relax your pursuit of terrorists.
SARAH LEE
Manchester, England, Oct. 15, 2002