Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor Thoughts on Zinn Howard Zinn makes several cogent points about people's acceptance of Bush's leadership ("Our War on Terrorism," November issue). He blames the press for not...
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...Spencer Spaulding Denver, Colorado Howard Zinn is quite correct in pointing out that, at least in terms of political violence, fighting fire with fire is a contradiction that often spreads violence...
...A. Wayne Senzee Phoenix, Arizona Conniff a Voice of Reason Ruth Conniff's "Reasons for Hope" (December issue) is the first sober piece from the left I have read since Election Day...
...Add to that mix the people who believe that God is on their side and that we are about God's work, and you have some sense of who voted for Bush...
...Here in North Carolina, Democrats maintain control of state and local government by running on a limited government philosophy that sanctions public schools, roads, and prisons-period...
...But I am curious as to why, in the case of Israel and the Palestinians, he mentions only the suicide bombers...
...Perhaps Zinn's omitting of Israeli atrocities in his piece was due only to oversight, not bias...
...The second reason Zinn stated was a lack of any counterarguments from Kerry...
...Then there are the naturally bellicose people who long for the days when law was made by the fastest gun...
...See Joel, Chapter 3, verse 10: "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say I am strong...
...While the Troubletown cartoon pokes fun at our setup, the underlying injustice in our system is no laughing matter...
...Zinn then explained why people have accepted an obviously flawed and failing approach, and that is their "paralyzing fear" of terrorism...
...It is refreshing to hear a voice of reason in the sea of lunacy that has washed over the Democratic Party...
...He blames the press for not being critical enough of the results of the President's foreign policies...
...The War Resisters Support Campaign is working with them to convince the Canadian government to live up to our tradition of making Canada, in Pierre Trudeau's words, "a refuge from militarism...
...Hinzman, Hughey, and Sanders have traveled throughout Canada, receiving a warm welcome everywhere...
...I would go further and blame the press for being complicit and their readers for being susceptible to brainwashing...
...Our governor, Mike Easley, pointedly stayed away from John Kerry and John Edwards, while Senate candidate Erskine Bowles presented himself as "a different kind of Democrat," by which (the images were clear) he meant one that doesn't cheat on his wife and has integrity...
...Nancy J. Herin Darnestown, Maryland Mea Culpa I was interestedtoreadinthe December Comment ("The Meaning of Defeat") that "nowhere does [the Bible] say to beat plowshares into swords...
...One of the most inspiring aspects of our work has been the outpouring of active support from the Vietnam generation of war resisters, Canadians of long standing who had begun to believe their earlier resistance to militarism had become part of the past...
...Please include your city and state...
...The War Resisters Support Campaign believes that Canadians will not allow our government to send U.S...
...Lee Zaslofsky War Resisters Support Campaign via e-mail Tort Reform No Laughing Matter Your Troubletown cartoon in the December issue points out-better than any articleIhave read-that blaming personal injury lawyers for exorbitantly priced, dangerous prescription drugs is ludicrous...
...And for those who supported Bush, I would point out that many were driven by hubris, rage, and lust for revenge at any cost...
...The killing of unarmed and rock-throwing Palestinians, regardless of age, in their own land by Israeli troops, is routine...
...Jarrod Jacobi San Francisco, California I agree with everything Ruth Conniff wrote except one thing: It is not good enough for the Democrats to take control at the state level and then think it will translate into a grassroots-led recapture of Washington...
...Lax oversight will continue as usual...
...war resisters back to face persecution in the United States...
...The result...
...war resisters who likewise refuse to participate in an illegal, immoral, aggressive war...
...We have already received support from thousands of Canadians and Americans across the continent...
...But nearly half of the people voted for Senator Kerry and were not paralyzed...
...Democrats won't be the majority party again until they can articulate a governing philosophy that includes local, state, and national objectives, and differentiates each from the Republicans' ideas...
...We urge all those who oppose the Iraq War to join us in supporting our courageous war resisters and help make it possible for them to build a peaceful, constructive future for themselves, their families, and others who may join them...
...Burt Newbry Aurora, Colorado The editors welcome correspondence from readers on all topics, but prefer to publish letters that comment directly on material previously published in The Progressive...
...The War Resisters Support Campaign has brought many of us back together to call on Canadians to stand again for a more tolerant, more peaceful way of life...
...Bob Geary via e-mail Resisting War up North Thanks to Frida Berrigan for her excellent article on war resisters Jeremy Hinzman, Brandon Hughey, and David Sanders, who have come to Canada because they refuse to participate in the Iraq War ("Meet the New COs," December issue...
...An industry that can stuff its pockets even fuller and continue to lavish its generosity on lawmakers while Americans must scrimp to pay for outlandishly priced drugs that may be hazardous to their health...
...Our petition calls upon the Canadian government- which refused to join in the invasion of Iraq-to offer sanctuary to U.S...
...The corollary is that robust government is not needed at the federal level, except for the military, and is therefore left to the Republicans...
...On the day I am writing this, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a thirteen-year-old boy during a demonstration in the West Bank...
...Their concept of conflict resolution is to start a fight...
...If the sloganeers of the left put one quarter of the energy they waste on temper tantrums, misplaced blame, and deep denial into something constructive, they might actually accomplish something...
...Thus it has achieved a coup de grace: It will now be a snap for the industry's cronies-the White House and Republican Congress-to enact more tort reform legislation...
...This is a ruse deflecting attention from the real culprits: raw capitalism, alust for profit, andanFDA thatisasleep atthe wheel...
...Amazing what you can find in the Bible as justification...
...Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical industry has succeeded, after years of advertising and lobbying, in convincing the American public that lawyers are to blame...
Vol. 69 • January 2005 • No. 1
