Jobs, NATO, Books and Radicals

Kaplan Deportation

I strongly believe that terrorist should be deported to their original countries. Clear deportation regulations should provide affected countries a clear background to deal with foreign terrorism. Finally, I would like to see in a short term an unamously determination in order to settle an international legal background which will help all the countries (developed and developing) to deal with terrorism. -- Carlos Adrián Ferretti, Argentina

Metin Kaplan flanked by police officers on arrival in Turkey

I do not belive that Kaplan will get a fair trial. Turkey is a country were it is illegal to criticize the father of the nation, Mustafa Kemal. I belivee that Kaplan in Turkey or his followers should have a right to question Kemalism and have the right to their opinion. Criticizing Gerhard Schröder is allowed in Germany but doing so to Mustafa Kemal will give you some years into prison. -- Ayuub

I think that the trial of Metin Kaplan will be fair enough. After the improvements in juridical system of Turkey and the green light from the EU to back the Turkish bid for accession, there should be no doubts that Turkey would do anything to challenge the EU report, particularly in the field of human rights. -- Shpend, Kosovo

German Arms Sales

Arms sales do not undermine Germany´s pacifist policies. Countries must make money and selling arms is a legitimate way to create jobs and wealthy. -- Paulo Maier, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A proposed sale of German Leopard 2 tanks to Turkey has been dropped for the time being

It is not doubtful that arm sales is an important business for developed countries such as the US, Great Britain and France. Great quantities of spectacular technical advances are developed by arm industries. Of course, they have also an important economic impact on the wealth of countries through exports and employment. Honestly, I do not believe that arm exports could undermine the external political position of countries. However, in order to coordinate efforts, governments could establish certain restrictions, for example, do not allow exports to conflict zones of the middle east. -- Carlos Adrián Ferretti, Argentina

Should the US ratify the Kyoto protocol?

Even though the Kyoto agreement is highly flawed, with its liberal inclusion of carbon trading arrangements that weaken its usefulness, the US should be aligning itself with the world community of nations in doing everything it can as fast as it can to prevent dramatic impacts of global climate change. The US should be signing on to Kyoto. We should be leading the way through massive investments in renewables, particularly in research into developing cost effective renewable alternatives, and maximizing the opportunities for efficiency throughout our economy. I am ashamed for my country for its isolationist denial of the damage we are doing to the planet and its citizens. -- Stephen Crowley

The US was a leader in environmental control issues but the current government's position is similar to the Texas position that is the largest state polluter on the North American continent. Its current position is also that fashioned by the largest lobby -- Big Bad Oil who is only interested in "high grading" in developing natural resources. -- Joe Labuda, England

The US is being irresponsible by not signing the protocol. The US has a history of forcing its beliefs/ways on other countries, but it cites national interests as the reason for rejecting the Kyoto. It is time that the US started thinking about the welfare of the human race, not just American voters. -- Dylan

Of course the United States under Bush and Cheney is failing to do the right thing by ignoring the Kyoto Protocol. The United States is itself a rouge nation, where the greed and corruption of the Bush-Cheney administration has taken our formerly beloved country outside the realm of international law and justice on many fronts. If Bush and Cheney remain in office after the election, I will myself leaving the United States to live in a civilized country, perhaps even returning to Germany, where I lived for several years as a civilian engineer. -- John T. Burridge, US

Yes, the US has refused to participate in this hypocrisy, and should continue to do so. As a scientist, I am appalled by the paradigm of global warming. In my own field, I have been able to counter the many false claims and uninformed predictions of the prevalence of mosquito borne diseases. These have now gone off the list of global warming dangers, in favor of sea level rise and other issues. Global warming has become 'fact' because of the clamoring of activists, and the dishonesty of opportunist scientists. I am confident that within a decade, maybe less, Kyoto will be seen as a terrible mistake. -- Paul Reiter

Hitler's Private Voice

Even though in this article he is portayed in a more humanistic light his actions and reputation as a monster will not change in many peoples eyes, including myself. Even though I am a young man the realities of World War II are very disturbing, and having had family who fought against the Germans and having seen the effects it had on those people the actions of one man are not going to change it in my eyes. -- Nigel Farley, New Zealand

Do portrayals showing Hitler as a human being diminish his reputation as a monster? The answer to this question is no. I believe it shows that Hitler was not an extraordinary man, he had no special powers. He was, after all, a human being just like all of us. By showing Hitler as a human being, it chips away at the myths and mystery of who he was. The best thing to do is show that he was a human being to remind all of us that there is good and bad in everyone. -- Walter Floyd