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Letter:

Nothing to prove to US

As an American, I am shamed by the thinking of a minority of Americans as expressed by John Rieder (Letters, Nov. 22, page 8) . His comments are arrogant, inaccurate and just plain embarrassing.

First of all, let's clarify some glaring inaccuracies in Rieder's letter.

He states that "our media here in the States is dominated by liberals." This lie is repeated constantly by the far right to hide the fact that the exact opposite is true. The US media kowtows to the right and is little more than an extension of the government.

Hence we receive our news regarding the Iraq war via embedded reporters, and the only talk radio one can reach in the US features such "left-wing radicals" as Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage.

Rieder also states that "the UN should have long before now accepted Taiwan." In fact, Taiwan was a member of the UN until 1971, when it lost its UN seat to China primarily as a result of the rapprochement negotiations between China and the US.

The US president who made the historic trip to China for those negotiations was the "extreme liberal left-wing" Richard Nixon. The US ambassador to the UN at the time was another "left-wing extremist," George H.W. Bush.

Rieder goes on to say "I wonder if the world knows how strongly the American people support Bush and his administration." In reality, most Americans do not support Bush or his policies, and, as polls demonstrate, most Americans do not support the war in Iraq.

But the most offensive of Rieder's statements are those that suggest that Taiwan must somehow convince Americans that it is worthy of their support in order to survive. Statements such as "Americans need to hear from Taiwan about its identity" are condescending.

Why do Taiwanese need to express their identity to Americans? Is this part of the formula that you would call Taiwanese independence? Must Americans express their identity to Taiwanese in order for America to remain, and I use this word with reservations, free?

Taiwan will never be independent if it depends on another country for its existence. Rieder's comments do not encourage Taiwanese independence; they promote Taiwanese dependence on the US.

The rest of Rieder's letter is just too painful to dissect. But I do have to point out one odd statement: "Look how far we are willing to go to protect the rights of people of the Middle East." Most people in Taiwan are aware that the US occupation of Iraq has nothing to do with the rights of people. The military might of the US is not used to defend ideologies such as human rights; otherwise, the US wouldn't have supported Saddam while he was gassing his own people.

US military might is used to gain power and economic dominance. The US will indeed defend Taiwan if it is in the interest of the US.

On the other hand, a major looming oil contract with China at an inopportune time could leave Taiwan out in the cold.

Unlike Rieder, I have no advice for Taiwan. And unlike him, I live here.

But I do have hope. I hope that the people of Taiwan and the people of China will be able to resolve their conflicts on their own terms. I hope there will be no war, and that people on both sides of the Straits will someday live in real peace and freedom.

Dan Roggenkamp

Pingtung, Taiwan
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