Madam, - In his attack on the UN Secretary General (An Irishman's Diary, September 22nd), Kevin Myers writes: "Osama bin Annan \ has merely been doing bin Laden's work for him with his dire prognostications for Iraq. . for which he and his wretched organisation must bear their share of the responsibility".
He refers to "credible allegations" of UN officials becoming millionaires with "backhanded oil-vouchers from the Iraqi government" and blames the UN, John Kerry and multiculturalism for fostering "an unprincipled,doctrinaire liberalism".
First of all, if anyone has helped bolster Bin Laden's network it is the actions of the "coalition of the willing", who prematurely shifted their focus from al-Qaeda to Saddam Hussein, pulled the plug on UN weapons inspections and launched a pre-emptive war based on the flimsiest of evidence. There was absolutely no connection between Osama bin Laden and Iraq until after the coalition forces had invaded. Now the country is breeding terrorists like a Petri dish.
Kofi Annan and the UN long ago warned of the consequences of this illegal invasion and Mr Myers's name-calling will not change that fact.
Secondly, whatever the veracity of allegations about backhanders to UN officials, there is no doubt that, down through the years, certain friends of the US government have done very well out of Iraq. During the Iran-Iraq war, in full knowledge of the atrocities Saddam had committed, the US, in its duplicity, supplied arms to both Baghdad and Tehran.
With all these facts in mind, I suggest that there may be more principle in "doctrinaire liberalism" than in the breathtaking hypocrisy practised by the people Kevin Myers seems to admire. - Yours, etc.,
ENDA KILROY, Whitehall, Dublin 9.
Madam, - Your regular readers are accustomed to Kevin Myers's overblown prose, disproportionate indignation and logic-defying rants; so to get the attention he seeks he must become ever more offensive. He certainly achieved this by referring twice to Kofi Annan as "Osama bin Annan".
That this appeared in The Irish Times is shameful.
The cause of Mr Myers's wrath was Mr Annan's statement that "you cannot have credible elections [in Iraq\] if the security conditions continue as they are now". Mr Myers calls this a "self-fulfilling prediction". This makes no sense, as it implies that Kofi Annan's opinions determine the actions of anti-American forces in Iraq. Does Mr Myers believe that if Annan predicted a sudden end to violence, this would inevitably come to pass?
In the simple, cartoon-like, Myersian moral universe, anyone who dares to disagree with George Bush (and therefore with himself) is on the same level as Osama bin Laden. Reasoned argument with these advocates of evil is redundant (or tedious, perhaps); bluster and name-calling will suffice.
In Iraq, "American casualties have been high, but they are not politically insupportable" - Mr Myers compares them with levels of road deaths in various US states, which no doubt will be comforting to the bereaved. There is no mention of Muslim casualties except when caused by other Muslims.
The threat of militant Islam is summarised as "Jew today, you tomorrow" - never mind that Israelis kill far more Palestinians than vice versa, and appear to have a deliberate policy of shooting the very Palestinian children about whom Mr Myers is concerned lest they become suicide bombers.
No doubt the (genuine) threat of Islamic fundamentalism will provide him with the fodder for dozens more columns full of nastiness and misdirected spleen. I may be spared the pleasure of reading them - after 20 years of loyalty to The Irish Times, I think it's time to check out the alternatives. - Yours, etc.,
BRENDAN O'BRIEN, Lurganboy, Virginia, Co Cavan.