Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor Clinton's Injustice Although I find praiseworthy the main thrust of Molly Ivins's article in the March issue, "Not Bright Enough," I found her comparison of the present...
...Clinton was also quite a prolific warmaker...
...So what's a progressive to do when it becomes abundantly clear that both major political parties are corrupt and probably can be considered obstacles to democracy...
...We need to tell Kerry and the Democratic Party that they are not of the same fabric as we are...
...It is both disrespectful to his memory and a disservice to all of us to neglect to mention this most significant fact...
...What's a progressive to do when both parties, for over two decades, have failed to represent progressive ideals and values...
...He will not even ameliorate it...
...Both Ruth Conniff and your editorial ("Nader's Wrong Turn," Comment) in your April issue note that Democratic nominee-apparent John Kerry is beholden to the "corporate paymasters...
...it may be that we need to vote for democracy in the future rather than for the least undemocratic candidate today...
...All letters may be edited for clarity and conciseness, and may appear either in the magazine or on its web page...
...It is not worth my $12 a year to see interviews with him when dozens of them are available for free online...
...I especially look forward to the interview, and this month I was very disappointed in your choice of Noam Chomsky as your interviewee (Interview by David Barsamian, May issue...
...Jeffrey Segal Louisville, Kentucky Astroturf Ad I realize that you need the money, but it would be helpful to inform readers that the full-page ad on the back cover of your April 2004 issue is sponsored by a rightwing group that represents the interests of the very types of companies it professes to oppose...
...Probably we need to stop accepting inadequate representation and the lesser of evils when we vote...
...Olaf Mend Chicago, Illinois "An Army of Debt," by Anne-Marie Cusac, "Bush's Odd Warfare State," by Barbara Ehrenreich, and "The Ultimate Betrayal," by Howard Zinn (April issue) leave one in a state of righteous indignation...
...Barry N. Bishop Lewisburg, Pennsylvania To all you masochists out there babbling about Nader being a spoiler: Kerry will not "stop the pain...
...Jon Krecker via e-mail What's a progressive to do when mainstream candidates would rather pledge allegiance to corporations than democracy...
...And Molly Ivins calls Kerry "our boring stiff...
...Conniff criticizes Senator Kerry for raising funds to run against Bush's $250 million...
...Now they are going to be faced with the monumental task of digging themselves out of the financial hole into which their loyalty to their country has put them...
...Their question should be, "Why so few...
...foreign policy is right on target, but it isn't necessary for his name to appear in every leftwing publication...
...laws, we cannot use mercenaries in fighting, but the Administration has managed to get around this by privatizing some military jobs...
...We need a Labor Party...
...What's a progressive to do when voters themselves are mostly reactionary, ignorant, or at least willing continually to accept inadequate representation and the lesser of evils...
...Besides, he's a good Senator...
...Letters to the Editor Clinton's Injustice Although I find praiseworthy the main thrust of Molly Ivins's article in the March issue, "Not Bright Enough," I found her comparison of the present Administration with the previous one heavy-handed...
...The armed services, whether regular Army, Reserve, or National Guard, are instruments of war...
...I am surprised that The Progressive, of all magazines, would bend to this form of redbaiting...
...And this was accomplished in the absence of a catastrophe as threatening as 9/11...
...I love his work, and his critique of U.S...
...In addition, those in the Reserves and National Guard left behind lives and jobs outside the military when they were sent overseas...
...Why not try and find his strong points and contrast them with those of Bush, DeLay, Cheney, Hastert, and all the other Republicans who did not go to Vietnam...
...Letters may be e-mailed to: editorial@progressive.org Please include your city and state...
...John Briggs Sun Prairie, Wisconsin Too Much Chomsky When I read The Progressive, I am expecting original, thought-provoking material...
...Any candidate would be stupid not to raise funds to go against an incumbent with the largest campaign war chest in the history of the world...
...he was a Marxist...
...Further, I would agree with Nader that there remains only negligible difference between Republicans and Democrats...
...We are obviously in a period of rightwing ascendancy where "liberal" means "left" and nary the term Marxist is uttered in polite society for fear of offending or worse...
...People who join up must be aware of the pay and the possibility of going to war...
...However, I must take exception to your characterization of Sweezy as "one of the giants of leftwing thought and progressive journalism...
...The latter part of Ehrenreichs article included one sentence that brings to mind another covered-up betrayal: "If the citizens get too demanding, you can always resort to an army of foreign mercenaries...
...John A. Seman Minneapolis, Minnesota Redbaiting...
...Bush has no monopoly on callous injustice...
...I appreciate the comments of Matthew Rothschild in the April Editor's Note on the death of Paul Sweezy Indeed, we have lost a towering intellect and an inspiration for several generations of activists...
...I believe it would take a lot of smarts and talent to be able to do all of those things...
...Clinton (and Kerry) contributed to the passage of NAFTA and so helped lay the groundwork for the cruel loss of jobs here...
...Patricia M. Koster Williston, Florida The editors welcome correspondence from readers on all topics, but prefer to publish letters that comment directly on material previously published in The Progressive...
...Kerry will disappoint all those millions with illusions about the difference between the two capitalist parties...
...By giving Halliburton the jobs of handling military mail and running the mess halls, the Administration has succeeded in taking those jobs away from our military (while increasing taxpayer costs) and leaving our volunteer forces, the Reservists, and National Guard only the job of fighting and dying...
...He was not just a major figure in leftwing thought...
...These forces were not set up to provide educational opportunities or any other civilian purpose...
...Win Heimer West Hartford, Connecticut Progressives and the Election I read the columns of Ruth Conniff ("Triumph of the Bland," April issue) and Molly Ivins ("Kerry, Sigh," April issue...
...And the Armed Forces chiefs wonder why so many are committing suicide...
...A conclusion Conniff seems to reach is that, in nominating Kerry, progressives again will find no voice in the Democratic Party...
...Alex Bannwart Lawrenceville, New Jersey Bad for Morale Reading "An Army of Debt" (by Anne-Marie Cusac, April issue) and similar pieces in other magazines and newspapers, I am somewhat puzzled...
...According to U.S...
...If you do it for any other reason, there's no point in whining about it...
...Unless you want to be a soldier, you shouldn't join up...
...We all need to accept the fact that the institutionalized two party system as we have it is the problem...
...But your Comment ignores the fact that the Democrats have not heard the lesson Nader was trying to teach in 2000, and they continue to ignore their own progressive roots and to shun progressive voters...
...Those who manage to make it home without physical wounds are still going to be suffering mental horrors...
...His Administration dealt a heavy blow to constitutional due process and increased the number of crimes for which the federal government could exact the death penalty...
...What's a progressive to do when both major parties prefer a state of war to public well-being, security, and rights...
...I honestly don't yet know what I will do in November, but I do know that progressives need to dialogue about this state of affairs...
...As for bland, here's what I know about Kerry: He rides a Harley Davidson motorcycle, snowboards and skies, plays ice hockey, kite surfs, hunts, can play a guitar, and can fly a jet...
...Why are we not bombarding the White House and our Congressmen with phone calls, letters, and e-mails decrying this abominable situation...
Vol. 68 • June 2004 • No. 6
