Stop Israel now
Re: "Rebel win to reshape Syria's fragile future", (Opinion, Dec 12).
In his opinion, John Metzler carefully omitted to include Israel in the winner's enclosure of states and parties who will greatly, but unjustly, benefit from the fall of Assad regime in Syria.
Even before Bashar al-Assad's escape into Russia, Israel attacked Syria, occupied the buffer zone below the already-illegally-occupied Golan Heights, and carried out hundreds of air strikes within Syria, while again injuring and killing innocent civilians.
These show there is just no end to Israel's wanton aggression and destruction.
Israel is not happy with a total destruction of Gaza, its illegal occupation of the West Bank and devastating bombing of Lebanon.
Israel is the most aggressive state in the world and its lame excuses of the right to defend itself fall flat in all the above cases.
Stop Israel from bombing Syria to smithereens and the United States from supplying it with the means to do it.
Leave Syria to recover from Mr Assad's brutality and offer help, not more brutality.
I wish Syria a merry Christmas and happy new year.
Miro King
Dubious honour
Re: "Trump's migrant roundup no easy feat", (World, Dec 15).
President-elect Donald Trump seemed pleased to be named the Time's "Person of the Year" for a second time.
It's an honour he shares with a number of people including former leaders Richard Nixon and Joseph Stalin.
What might not be obvious is the Time honour is conferred not for the best, or bravest or most generous person but rather the most prominent or most influential; and not all recipients were good people.
He should work to make the world a better place and be remembered for his good works and leadership.
At present he is too well known for his misdemeanours and his all-caps tweets.
Time will judge him more accurately, and maybe harshly, which will decide how he is really remembered.
Dennis Fitzgerald
Pardon me, sir
Re: "RFK Jr could destroy modern public health", (World, Nov 11).
More than 75 Nobel laureates have signed a letter urging senators to reject the nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr for the position of US Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, warning a confirmation "would put the public's health in jeopardy", according to a report by Forbes.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden this month pardoned his son, Hunter, for a timespan of 10 years, absolving him of all crimes, known or unknown, committed during that time.
There is now much talk of the Biden administration drafting what are being called pre-emptive pardons for people such as Anthony Fauci, Gen Mark Milley, and Adam Schiff.
Such pardons, issued without an antecedent criminal conviction, are unprecedented and probably unconstitutional.
Issuing large numbers of preemptive pardons could become the norm at the end of every administration.
One certainly can understand Mr Biden's motivation -- if the criminals do not face prosecution, they will not testify against him -- but the United States cannot afford to allow this precedent to be set because, in my opinion, it will destroy the Republic.
Michael Setter
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