Madam, - Both Niall O'Dowd and Kevin Myers need a reality check (contributions of September 20th).
Almost half the population of the United States is opposed to the Bush ideology and an even larger proportion is now opposed to his war in Iraq. What label do Messrs O'Dowd and Myers attach to these Americans? Anti-what?
Twenty-odd years ago many Irish people protested at the visit of a US president. Ten years ago the people of Ireland came onto the streets in their thousands to cheer and welcome another holder of the office. Last year the current president needed a security cordon. In all three cases the quality of the welcome was based on policy.
That tells us that the people of Ireland are not fickle or ungrateful - they are demonstrating their right to an opinion - in this case one that many millions of patriotic Americans share. - Yours, etc,
GERRY MORRISSEY, The Rise, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin.
Madam, - As Steve Coleman (September 22nd) correctly points out, many Americans appreciate well founded analyses of current US policies and their impact on the wider world. The right-wing establishment and media in the States continue to undermine democracy, in what is supposed to be a flagship democracy, by implying that it is unpatriotic to question the administration's policies.
In conversations I have had with US citizens, many have expressed relief at being able freely to debate American foreign policy without being accused of being unpatriotic or getting into a shouting match. As the US is the dominant power on the planet, its activities affect us all every day and thus we must be allowed to question them. This is even more important as we see US domestic and foreign policy being increasingly influenced by the corporate world.
To question current US policy is not to be anti-American. Constructive criticism of an administration that has ignored the real needs of the American people is to be pro-American. - Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH, Church Road, Blackrock, Cork.