Letters to the Editor
futhark
Published Letters: 245 Editor's Choice: 22
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Ron Paul AND Dennis Kucinich
[Read the article: Ron Paul is a baby elephant]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My car has a Kucinich sticker on the left and a Paul sticker on the right. I have contributed money to both campaigns. Both are passionate defenders of the Constitution, though from different perspectives. Either would check the growing influence of the oligarchy of wealth and power that threatens our heritage of independence and liberty, but in different ways. Neither is the "perfect" candidate. Any perusal of my letters to Salon reveals that I have supported Ron Paul quest for office, but I would be just about as delighted to see Dennis Kucinich taking the oath of office January 2008. Both candidates challenge the vision of what is possible in government that the corporate-controlled mainstream media consistently promotes. More than anything else, these candidates transcend the fear-mongering and corporate shilling of the "top tier" to show us a future of truth, hope, and justice. The American public has never been better served than by these principled members of the House seeking the Presidency. I hope this nation has the wisdom to reject the "insider" brokers of wealth and power and embrace a new approach.
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What Would Happen If Peace Broke Out In The World?
[Read the article: Bush on Iran: I didn't know about halt to weapons program (but it doesn't matter)]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Things would be very, very bad for Bush & Co. The manufacture of bombs, bullets, cruise missiles, guns, helicopters, tanks, humvees, etc. would slow and then cease as ammo dumps and warehouses were filled to capacity. Then what would all the arms manufacturers and suppliers like the Carlyle Group and Haliburton do? What would take the place of the fat dividend checks paid for by the blood and oil of other people? What would happen to the value of the stock? These are questions almost too painful to contemplate. So the war drums keep sounding. If one foe is neutralized or defeated, another must be conjured up. This is the Neocon modus operandi. Keep the people duped and scared, so they keep pouring tax and borrowed dollars into the coffers of the military-industrial complex.
Emperor George has no clothes, as the entire world witnessed today. What remains is for the Congress to pull the impeachment resolutions out of the drawer and do their duty by the Constitution and for the nation and the world. The Neocons are political vermin that must be driven from their positions of power abuse and made to face the consequences of their perfidy. Justice demands no less.
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Disgusted By Democratic "Leadership"
[Read the article: Democratic complicity in Bush's torture regimen]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Was George Wallace right in claiming "there isn't a dime's worth of difference" between Democrats and Republicans?
The Democratic Party "leadership" is dancing to same tune as most Republicans, played by the corporate oligarchy of wealth and political power. The corporate-controlled media consciously promotes certain policies ("free trade" treaties, for example) and "front runner" political candidates (Hillary Clinton, Rudolf Giuliani, etc.)while ignoring and belittling policies and candidates that would threaten the preeminence of corporate control of the government apparatus.
The torture being used on suspected "terrorists" now is likely to be but the forerunner of more widespread indefinite detention and torture for all "enemies of the state". As long as government power is in the hands of corporate shills and lackeys, we can expect no less.
If the Democratic Party is to regain its status as the promoter and defender of American freedom and justice, it must reject corporate-designated "front-runner" candidates and entrenched incumbents who serve the interests of the authoritarian state.
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To Cut To The Chase
[Read the article: "We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The world is presently populated with at least three or four times as many people as it can sustain in reasonable comfort and security. As the petroleum, natural gas, and coal dwindle, the planet's treasure trove of fossil fuels is reduced to carbon dioxide and ashes, and their cheap, readily available energy declines, we must face a future much bleaker than any previous generation.
Al Gore makes a good case for the inevitability of the fact of global warming, but says nothing about the necessity to take the responsibility to reduce our numbers in the face of the shortages certain to follow the exhaustion of fossil fuels. The world's present population level exacerbates every environmental problem, reducing the time we have to plan and take measures to reduce the dire consequences of using up nonrenewable resources.
Where is the leader who will address the issue of our species' tenure on this planet in the centuries and millenia to come?
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No Candidate Left Behind
[Read the article: Let's have a presidential debate on science]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yes, please, have them debate scientific and technological issues, but first TEST them to determine their knowledge base. Make their test responses public and have them explain their misconceptions in the debate. The presidential race is the ultimate high stakes test and the American people deserve a chief executive who is not an ignoramus and who uses well-supported scientific theory and data to make critical decisions. We can no longer afford to put our future in the hands of people in whose intellectual universe ancient Middle Eastern mythology or short-term corporate profits trumps science.
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Impeachment Charges Are At The Discretion of Congress
[Read the article: Contempt for Rove, Bolten]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]mchebert is right. The Congress has the right to impeach any elective or appointive officer of the Executive or Judicial branches of government on any charges they think are warranted, including parting one's hair on the wrong side or using the wrong brand of toothpaste. President Bush's infringements and violations of the Constitution make him the president most worthy of impeachment in our history. The Congress has not only the authority but the moral obligation to proceed in this matter forthwith.
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"The Former Maverick from Arizona"
[Read the article: McCain wins early newspaper primaries]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yeah, too bad about the "former maverick" part. McCain is now competing with Giuliani for the dubious honor of being the heir of the Bush/Cheney legacy of military aggression, unauthorized spying on Americans, and perpetual deficits.
Hey, if you really want to "cut and run" from the politics of tyranny, support Ron Paul or Dennis Kucinich. They are the only candidates with the courage and conviction to stand up to the Bush/Cheney corruption machine.