I WAS in your beautiful country recently and bought a copy of The Namibian, where I read Gwynne Dyer’s column, ‘If 9/11 Hadn’t Happened’.
It’s easy to write “what ifs” because, even if one’s hypotheses are not as well thought out as another’s, at least they can’t be disproved. It’s quite something else when a writer asserts something as a fact.Mr Dyer contends that Israel’s attack on Hezbollah (no, not on Lebanon as he claims – the government of Lebanon had not exercised sovereignty in South Lebanon for years) was the result of a pre-approved agreement with the Bush administration to destroy Hezbollah.What evidence, if any, does he have to back up his claim there was such an agreement? If he has documentation he should disclose it and its source in his column.The world is waiting for such evidence.But if he cannot substantiate his claim, so that his assertion is just the product of a conspiratorial mind, let me suggest his column be relegated to the comic page.There Mr Dyer’s writing can be judged as creative fiction, for which he has already shown an aptitude.Howard Wayne San Diego, California, USAIt’s quite something else when a writer asserts something as a fact.Mr Dyer contends that Israel’s attack on Hezbollah (no, not on Lebanon as he claims – the government of Lebanon had not exercised sovereignty in South Lebanon for years) was the result of a pre-approved agreement with the Bush administration to destroy Hezbollah.What evidence, if any, does he have to back up his claim there was such an agreement? If he has documentation he should disclose it and its source in his column.The world is waiting for such evidence.But if he cannot substantiate his claim, so that his assertion is just the product of a conspiratorial mind, let me suggest his column be relegated to the comic page.There Mr Dyer’s writing can be judged as creative fiction, for which he has already shown an aptitude.Howard Wayne San Diego, California, USA
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!