Letters to the Editor
robgo2
Published Letters: 20
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Living in the present
[Read the article: The imperial vice presidency]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"These are Cheney's final days; this is his endgame. He will never run again for public office. He is freed from the constraints of political consequences. He now has no horizon. He lives only in the present. He is nearly done. There are only months left to achieve his goals. Mortality impinges."
Cheney has at least one concern about the future: He wants to stay out of jail. It is a virtual certainty that when he leaves office, either at the end of his term or sooner, he will receive a blanket pardon from his "Decider" puppet for any crimes that he may have committed. He may be charged with war crimes by the court of some other nation, but as long as he stays within US borders, he will be untouchable.
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A rose by any other name...
[Read the article: The foreign policy community]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have seen references to the same bunch of so-called foreign policy experts as comprising the "security class." They have enormous influence over policy makers of both major parties.
There is an equally wooden-headed group of political consultants who advise the Democratic Party leadership. Somehow, election after election, they manage to hold onto their positions, despite being spectacularly wrong about so many things. What they and their paymasters have in common is that they fear the progressive wing of the Democratic Party more than they fear the Republican Party. Also they have a condescending attitude towards progressives, whom they see as being soft-headed. Of course the opposite is true. Progressives want Democrats to fight hard, while the consultant class want them to play nice. If the boat gets rocked too hard, some of them might fall overboard.
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Looking below the surface
[Read the article: Why is the Democratic Congress so unpopular?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It is simply not possible that the Democratic Congressional leaders are unaware of the deep discontent amongst party members and independents. But they and their consultants have a higher priority--holding onto their own jobs. If progressives manage to grab the reins of the Party, most of the old school types will become irrelevant or unemployed. For the most part, these people have no core convictions other than the desire to keep their own paychecks and perqs coming.
As a lifelong Democrat, I find myself despising Pelosi, Reid et al nearly as much as Bush & Co. I feel nothing but disgust for a Party that strives to be the lesser of two evils. I will not contribute one nickel to the Democratic Party, but will support individual candidates whom I consider to be principled progressives.
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No,no,no!
[Read the article: Why is the Democratic Congress so unpopular?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"The Democratic Party is woefully inefficient at framing issues."
The failings of the Democratic Congress have nothing to do with framing of issues but have everything to do with a lack of convictions and spine. "End the war now!" and "Save the Constitution!" are readily understandable by all English speaking citizens and express the desires of an overwhelming number of them. I can think of no carefully nuanced frames that would not detract from the meaning and power of such simple statements.
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So atheists are immoral?
[Read the article: I don't believe in atheists]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Chris Hedges seems to be saying that Hitchens' support for the Iraq War and Harris' support for torture are the result of their atheism. Well, millions of us atheists and agnostics would take offense at that. I have never seen evidence that religious believers, whether fundamentalist or not, behave more ethically than non-believers. If Hedges has such evidence, let him present it, rather holding up for review his own personal high standards of morality, as if they are the inevitable result of "sensible" religious belief.
In my own view, the phrase "new atheists" is nothing more than a catchy marketing gimmick. There have always been atheists, but until recently, few of them had the courage to speak out publicly on the subject. Hitchens, Harris, Dawkins and Daniel Dennett (whom, for some reason, Hedges omits from his criticism) have done society a great favor by demonstrating that religious belief of any kind is not based upon fact, but upon an inner need for a sense of purpose, belonging and immortality. Though that need may be nearly universal, it does not infuse the belief with anything close to objective truth. Sorry, Chris, but that's the way the universe crumbles.
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The true test
[Read the article: The difference between Jeremiah Wright and radical, white evangelical ministers]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As usual, Glenn nails the rank hypocrisy of the media and the political class. Still, it will always be a very hard battle for those who are hammering on the walls of the establishment from the outside. As is now becoming clear, this election will be a true test of whether the progressive movment can break through, or whether it will itself be broken and left in the dirt along with all the other reform movements of the last thirty years. We see that Obama must constantly defend his patriotism and love of country, while Hillary and McCain are not required to do so, as their patriotism is assumed, because they are white, conservative and militaristic. Will the nation at last be able to see through the smoke that is blown in its collective eyes by the mainstream media, the pollsters and PR hacks? One week ago, I would have said "yes." Now, I'm not so sure.
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Will anyone be held accountable?
[Read the article: John Yoo's war crimes]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]One might hope that a new, Democratic, administration and a more heavily Democratic congress might choose to hold the perpetrators of war crimes accountable, but one should definitely not count on it. We have the example of the Clinton administration that closed the book on the Iran-Contra affair with no prosecutions. We know that some congressional Democrats were informed of "enhanced" interrogation techniques, yet did not raise objections. These individuals might find a congressional investigation embarrassing. And we have the American people, who are not prepared to face the fact that their government has carried out heinous acts in their names. To be confronted with such crimes might interfere with their ability to concentrate on football and "American Idol."