Letters to the Editor
tballou
Published Letters: 40 Editor's Choice: 1
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Betrayal
[Read the article: Keith Olbermann calls it "betrayal"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"To me, it was a little over the top."
Sorry Joan, but Olberman was right on point and not the least bit over the top. This craven bit of capitulation will result in the deaths of at least 500 Americans and the permanent injury of several thousand more. If that is not worth getting worked up about, I don't know what is.
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A slight correction
[Read the article: Al-Qaida does it, too]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Glenn - you wrote:
"The reason that it is news that the U.S. tortures and Al Qaeda does not is because Al Qaeda is a barbaric and savage terrorist group which operates with no limits, whereas the U.S. is supposed to be something different than that."
I think you meant something like:
"The reason that it is news that the US tortures, but not news that Al Qaeda does is because Al Qaeda is a barbaric and savage terrorist group..."
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Comment
[Read the article: The great right-wing fraud to repudiate George W. Bush]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Glenn - right on as always. Several points:
1. I think there is a legitimate argument over whether Bush was a true conservative. He clearly did not adhere to the traditional concept of the term, focused on smaller government, restrained spending, limited overseas involvement, etc, all of which are pretty much the opposite of Bush's record. However, many if not most of self-identified conservatives are much more aligned with the authoritarian version of conservatism as amply described in John Dean's book Conservatives without Conscience. This is a matter of deep psychological needs rather than fundamental values and principles.
2. It is fascinating reading the comments to Drehers column, most of which presumably come from self-identified conservatives. A lot of them just dont get it.
3. Much of the mischief caused by Bush was facilitated by a one-party Congress and a Republican dominated Supreme Court. This record should speak very loudly to the Dems as the upcoming election approaches. Government is fundamentally incapable of self-regulation. The only way it works is if each branch is looking over the other's shoulder at all times, and that simply does not happen when each is controlled by the same party. The Republicans made a spectacular mess of it, but the Dems are not immune either. We will have a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress in 2008, which should be a big warning to anyone who loves our country.
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Idiots!
[Read the article: Was Plame covert? Conservative commentators weigh in]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The right wing authoritarian conservative movement's ability to spout endless streams of BS knows no end. How many times does the CIA have to officially confirm that Plame was covert before they get it? (That was a rhetorical question, because the answer is: it doesn't matter because all they care about is propping up their leader).
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Gonzales knows where all the bodies are buried
[Read the article: The three stooges]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This article finally gets to the crux of the matter. No amount of browbeating, embarrassment, harrassment, etc. will dislodge Gonzalez, because once he is out of office, he can either be prosecuted and then likely flip on Bush, or pardoned and then compelled to testify. Either way Bush loses, because then all the dirty laundry will be exposed to the whole world and then Bush and Cheney will be gone too.
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Too many Democrats in name only
[Read the article: Why is the Democratic Congress so unpopular?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]A big part of the problem is that many of the recently - elected Democrats are very conservative and are really more like what Republicans used to be. This in part reflects that much of the country is still pretty conservative. These Dems in name only will eventually be weeded out, but for now they form a substantial block of a very thin majority.
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Imperial Rome / Washington
[Read the article: Limitless wrongness]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Oh my God - this one quote sums up the entire authoritarian conservative movement -
MILBANK: Petraeus --it's no accident he had a Latin name. It looked like he was the Roman general returning to the republic in his gold and purple toga, and they were celebrating him and slaying white bulls. They could not get enough of this man. And anybody's who's even critical of the war wouldn't dare criticize...
You know things are totally off-track when the spokesperson for our government conjures up images of imperial Rome with its military dictatorship and pagan blood rituals as the model for our nation.
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We are a Nation of George W. Bushs - NOT!
[Read the article: A nation of Rich Lowrys]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Glenn - not quite right on this point. America as a whole is so much more than that. The Bush deadenders, that core 30% who see no evil - yes, but America as a whole - no. Given the right circumstances, i.e. a truly existential threat to our nation and not some phony trumped up debacle such as Iraq, and there would be lines of volunteers at every recruiting station.
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Principled government is obviously disorienting to most Americans
[Read the article: The Ron Paul phenomenon]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Ron Paul is a libertarian in the best sense, ie, he believes in a principled government that is based on fundamental premises that then lead to logical, predictable positions. True libertarians believe you should be able to do what ever you want as long as you dont interfere with anyone else's ability to do what they want. Unlike the Dems and Repugs, the libertarian approach to government is not like an a la carte menu where you take some from column A and some from B, which is totally unprincipled and unpredictable.
A Ron Paul presidency would utterly shake things up in a good way. He would of course have to deal with a D/R Congress, which would result in a lot of compromises on his part. Also, much of what he wants government out of (education in particular) is already and appropriately handled at the State and Local level. Get the federal government out of everything that does not involve international and interstate issues and we would all be much better off.
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These scandals will ruin the military for generations
[Read the article: Various items]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Shit like this mess with Murat Kurnaz is going to kill the military in this country. How many years did it take for the reputation of our military to recover from Vietnam? The duplicity of our military leaders in perpetrating this kind of fraud and abuse will come back to haunt us for generations, especially when compounded by all the other scandals associated with Iraq.