Disturbing tale of the US

Of course we must all wish the American Marine, Sgt Andre Joseph the best as he was born here in Trinidad and Tobago. However, it is very sad to see young, talented people from the poor countries willing to risk their lives for interests and benefits of the American elite. In the article Sgt Joseph noted with pride that people from "Egypt, China, Korea, Ethiopia" all became American citizens with him at the ceremony in December. He described this as "awesome."

How many wealthy American citizens have allowed their children to go to fight in Iraq? In fact the authorities there are now going to the ghettoes where the poor "minorities" live to enlist potential soldiers to fight a war that will only benefit the large multinational companies who will profit from Iraqi oil. After raping and pillaging countries of the third world for centuries the US is now offering itself as the land of the free where people can come to live the "American dream." The citizens of the same countries that have plundered all these years are fleeing to the US to improve their lives. How ironic. Yet they have criticised the noble efforts by Castro and Ch?vez to supply oil and medical care to the region’s poor as the exploitation of poor people. Aren’t what the Americans doing genuine exploitation of people from the third world?

RAPHAEL JOHN LALL

Erin