On nihilistic madness

Mr. Frank Richardson's letter Nihilistic madness? published in The Jakarta Post of Dec. 19, 2001 is predictably black (America, CIA, their stooges and dupes) and white (everyone else, righteous Mr. Richardson himself first and foremost). If the American bombing of Taliban and al-Qaeda (not Afghanistan) is madness, then what was the World Trade Center tragedy -- a clever CIA plot?

He asks how else the U.S. bombing can be interpreted if not madness. Easy. All the philosophizing in the world doesn't touch the instinct for self-survival, for getting them before they get us.

And, before a nuclear bomb goes off in a U.S. (or British or Australian or European) city. Unless, of course, such a bomb was a spectacularly bold CIA ruse. Unless, of course, all the al- Qaeda terrorist manuals and massive-scale attack planning being uncovered now were all planted well in advance by the CIA.

RICHARD LEWIS

Denpasar, Bali