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A double-barreled insult

As an American citizen, I am offended by People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong's (宋楚瑜) slandering of the Bush family ("Chen denies he paid to meet a Bush," Nov. 11, page 1).

To suggest that the Bush family would think of soliciting bribes is silly. It is completely foreign to the life and faith of our president and our way of life. President George W. Bush supports Taiwan, and his sending a family member to meet with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was a way of expressing that support. To suggest that Chen would offer a bribe is equally outrageous.

In attacking both the US president and the president of Taiwan in this way, Soong only exposes something about himself and the KMT/PFP culture of corruption. Bribe-giving and bribe-taking, money laundering, graft and extortion were the way of life under the 50 years of KMT military dictatorship. It is how some KMT officials made their fortunes. And it seems to me that Soong's remarks show that he is continuing in that mind-set.

Joel Linton
Taipei

As a daily reader of the Taipei Times, I am perplexed that anyone in Taiwan would believe that Chen would pay US$1 million to meet someone. America does not play those games. A slur like this is both an insult to Taiwan and America.

A lot of us here are firm supporters of Taiwan. I personally would never support Soong. I think his only goal is for Taiwan to rejoin China so that China will have 23 million more slave laborers.

Mike McKenzie
Taiwan
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