LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (07/04/04)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Response to Lew's comments on U.S.

Dear Editor:

As Khristina Lew prepares for her trip to Ukraine, she questions whether she is "a Ukrainian living in America" or "an American with roots in Ukraine." She writes that our presence in Iraq is based on information that now appears to be "untrue," noting that "it became difficult to be American." Please allow me to respond to her comments.

Yes, I agree that it can be difficult to be an American - if you get all your news from The New York Times or Peter Jennings. Those two sources of information used exclusively would drive anyone to the extreme left.

Ms. Lew, you should be proud to be an American of Ukrainian descent. President George W. Bush has returned pride and dignity to the White House. The war in Iraq is part of a global war which I call World War IV. World War III was the war against the Soviet Union, which President Ronald Reagan won handily. (I refer readers to the good article by Dr. Myron Kuropas on June 20.). You are feeling unsure of the war in Iraq because all wars are messy and chaotic, but these terrorists are trying to destroy our country. It is kill or be killed.

You questioned our reasons for being in Iraq. Saddam Hussein attempted to assassinate President George H.W. Bush. This is a reason to go to war. The United Nations issued many resolutions on Iraq - all ignored; the U.N. threatened Iraq with dire consequences to no avail. You are probably concerned also with the WMD issues. As a microbiologist, I can assure you that I can hide such weapons systems in a very small container and you would never find them. We know that Saddam had WMD; poison gases were used on the Kurds and in the Iran-Iraq War.

There are numerous stories of our soldiers performing heroics that would stun you. Alas, you will not read these stories, because newspapers like The New York Times will not print them. Are you proud of our victory in World War II? Did you know that President Franklin D. Roosevelt sanctioned the killing of innocent civilians as a strategic imperative? Did you know that we killed over 650,000 civilians in Japan? We killed more civilians with napalm than with atomic weapons. Yet, Americans were proud of the victory. Please read "Flyboys" by James Bradley - it will give you a balanced view of strategies and the will to win wars.

Since Desert Storm, did you know that Iraqi forces fired on our planes on a daily basis in the no-fly zone? This is conveniently left out of the dominant news. However, firing on planes can be considered an act of war.

The previous administration thought this type of war as acceptable. The previous administration wanted to issue legal papers to the terrorists. They laughed at this policy and continued to kill, considering us weak and a paper tiger. They are not laughing now. They never expected to see Special Forces in Afghanistan nor did Saddam expect us to invade.

Ms. Lew, war was declared on us September 11, 2001. The date of 9/11 will live in infamy. Historians will consider this date to be much more significant than Pearl Harbor. We are in an asymmetric (unconventional) war, and we are still adapting. In the final analysis, the press may want to capitulate, but the United States will prevail.

Ms. Lew, as you travel in Ukraine, be proud that you represent a great country, the United States of America. Know that we stood up to the terrorists and we will win.

Roman G. Golash
Palatine, Ill.

Canadian researchers remember James Mace

Dear Editor:

The members of the board of directors of the Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Center profoundly feel the loss of Dr. James Mace. Since its very beginning, the center had a special relationship with Dr. Mace.

The center began its work on the documentary film "Harvest of Despair" in the beginning of the 1980s. It commissioned the Rev. Porfiry Pidruchny of the Basilian Order in Rome to search for any documents dealing with the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933 in the Italian State Archives, where he was able to pool together the reports of the Italian Consulate in Kharkiv during the time of the Famine. (That file as organized and brought together by the Rev. Porfiry was later discovered accidentally in the same archives by Andrea Graziosi).

Soon after, Dr. Mace was beginning to work on the Famine for the U.S. Congress. He turned to us, and the center was only too happy to have these documents translated into English and forward them to him. A number of these documents are included in Dr. Mace's report. In addition, the center made available to him a number of taped interviews with Famine witnesses that we had in our own archives.

Later, Dr. Mace appeared in our documentary film "Harvest of Despair" as the expert authority on the Famine. There he emphasized how the Ukrainian leaders in the early period of the Soviet Union perceived their role. He pointed out for example, that Mykola Skrypnyk, during his visits with Stalin representing the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, would bring a translator to translate from Ukrainian to Russian - even though he knew the Russian language perfectly. With the Famine, all these attempts at Ukrainization were finished.

Two years after his report on the Famine to the U.S. Congress was published, I asked Jim to participate as a panelist in the 1990 conference on the Famine sponsored by the UCRDC in Toronto. In his presentation he described the politics that he had to overcome in researching the Famine and the paths that led to his final success. He would come back to Toronto later on to present lectures on the Famine at its 70th anniversary at the University of Toronto.

After his move to Ukraine, Jim continued to maintain contact with us through e-mail. He would often forward articles written by him, would ask questions about specific issues or draw the center's directors' attention to happenings in Ukraine having to do with the Famine.

Dr. Jim Mace touched the hearts of the UCRDC members directly. He was my friend. His death was a shock and a loss of a valuable scholar, a friend, a courageous researcher and a committed contributor to the Ukrainian community, both in the diaspora and in Ukraine. Vichna yomu pamiat.

Wsevolod Isajiw
Toronto

The letter-writer is president of the Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Center in Toronto.

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