Dear Mr. Hedges-

I have always been an admirer of yours and gave each of my grown children a copy of your excellent anti-war book "War is a Force That Give Us Meaning." I am an ardent "peacenik," and a strong believer in the Golden Rule. I also believe in living simply and responsibly and caring for my friends and neighbors. And I am a non-theist! What that means for me is that I do not believe in an all-knowing deity. Nor do I even believe in a disinterested God--as a force that exists as a necessity for morality to manifest! Instead, I guess I would call myself a secular humanist, though I dislike labels. But I am a vegetarian--who does not believe in killing animals for food anymore than killing people for War!

When you talk about the New Atheists, I think about people who are essentially amoral and without heart. "Cut off at the neck" is the way I would describe them. I do not think you are talking about me or my friends who believe as I do. I do not flaunt my beliefs, or expect others to embrace them. But I do insist on my right to think critically and without sentimentality! This God that Americans (especially) have invented, seems to me to be a narcissistic concept, although I agree that many good works are done through churches. However, the idea that there is someone "up there" who is looking after me and knows what I am thinking and in whom I should put my faith seems absurd. I embrace the idea of loving community and in each of us "being our brother's keeper!" And that is enough!

Kate Madison

Depoe Bay, Oregon

I look forward to watching face to face debates between McCain and Obama. McCain is a charming, ironic guy, but his native intelligence and knowledge of the world pale in comparison to Obama. He calls his years of being in Washington "experience," but he does not seem to have learned the lessons that good experience teaches! And his integrity is more and more questionable. How he plans to get himself out of the Iraq Quagmire by claiming "experience" will be interesting to see! And I have no clue what he means when he talks about "winning" this War! Does he? Does anybody? Obama is just out of McCain's class when it comes to formulating ideas and talking policy, and he knows this was (and is) a "stupid war" that we have no business fighting!

The big question to me is: are the American people still so stupid and uninformed that they will vote for another conservative, "charmer" in 2008? That would be really, really depressing!!!

Kate Madison

Depoe Bay, Oregon

Ohhhhhhh.....let's just face it! The shallow, narcissistic establishment media simply reflects the shallow, narcissistic American population! I have sadly realized that most people are more interested in "American Idol" and Katie Couric's love life than they are in knowing the "truth" about what is actually going on in our government--much less in the world! Even professional sports is "entertainment"--with less concern for the athletes' health and physical needs than making sure a basketball game or tennis match final is played on prime time! We have met the enemy, and it is us--our insatiable appetite to be "entertained!"

Thanks be to Brad DeLong for his dissection of Sean Wilentz's delusional piece about Hillary Clinton being the REAL winner! It is amazing to me how words can be spun to mean the opposite of what reality indicates! Wilentz is a talented wordsmith, but not much at realizing reality!

Let's look at the Gallup Poll for today, April 8. Obama 51 - Clinton 41. 3% margin of error. I think that tells the tale of today, probably tommorow, and hopefully the November election!

Kate Madison

Obama Mama

Depoe Bay, Oregon

So..........Joan, you seem to imply that Barack Obama is entitled and self-righteous, but that Hillary Clinton is neither. Oh please! Both Clintons are so entitled that they are still in shock at this young upstart who is beating them! And self-righteous--Hillary wrote the book on this subject! Just look at her rebuttal to Obama if you want some good examples!

Also,I don't mind you touting your working-class background, but I submit that Barack Obama's background is alot more working class than Hillary Clinton's. Yes, he went to an Ivy League school (on scholarship). She went Ivy League too (not on scholarshiop). I think your partisanship is getting out of hand, Joan. You are drinking too much of the Clinton Kool Aid! I just hope you plan to support Obama when he is nominated and write a few nice things about him. You have been unnecessarily unkind to him and his supporters, in my opinion, and have given Hillary Clinton every benefit of every doubt!

Kate Madison

Depoe Bay, Oregon