Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor Bravo, Sy Hersh The interview with Seymour Hersh in the April issue (by David Barsamian) was worth the cost of the entire year's subscription. His insight into the Bush...
...In short, there were considerable checks and balances...
...Republicans demand self-reliance...
...I became disabled in 1987...
...with less than a laundry list ("Get Off Your Duff...
...He has abandoned any concern for physically or psychologically injured veterans of the Iraq War...
...At that time the Republican Party consisted of two factions: the Taft conservatives and the Rockefeller moderates...
...Despite his shortcomings, Nixon never dreamed of the excesses being perpetrated by Bush...
...Where are the Democrats in Congress who should be the watchdog of the Administration...
...And he heads an Administration that is corrupt in a way that Nixon's was not...
...What do we stand for...
...He was able to achieve rapprochement with China...
...Not helping is self-centered and greedy...
...Even the axe is properly brittle and ancient...
...Those who are successful should be rewarded...
...I am fifty-three years old, so you know where I stand...
...It is this political climate that makes George Bush so dangerous to the country and the world...
...President Bush makes no secret of his religious zeal, but like so many in this country who profess faith in Christ, his piety seems a little contrived...
...It seems to me that the answer to this is not to tar all faithful expression with the same brush, but rather to examine what it is President Bush and his supporters are saying and measure this against what Jesus said and continues to say to millions of progressive Christians in our world today...
...On the other hand, Bush is a nice man...
...Nixon was in office in the pre-Reagan era...
...Well, I have the answer...
...Hundreds of political cartoonists have tried for five years to capture the Skull & Bones mouth and the Carlyle Group eyes, and here Pullen gets it right, and without losing the George Washington look...
...Abolition, civil rights, anti-war protests, and a host of other social and political initiatives have been fueled by the partnership of prophetic, liberal theology and progressive secularism...
...For the President, faith becomes a means of justifying himself, his life, and by extension, his Presidency...
...Richard Nixon was not a nice man...
...One must look beyond the President to the Presidency...
...We're Democrats...
...We'd better stand for tough action...
...I grew up destitute, and now it looks like my senior years may be the same...
...Brenda Rice Via e-mail Dems Care In the February issue, Molly Ivins said no one could answer the question "What do we stand for...
...Not only does it convey, "Father, I cannot tell a lie, I have cut down everything there is," but it fleshes out the perfect irony of having a leader who daily looks straight into the camera with his normal twisted face, and tells any lie necessary to keep political and economic power in the hands of those who already have it...
...We can't afford war if we can't afford our people...
...Yet today's Democrats do no more than wring their hands and say, "Of course we aren't organized...
...There is a great deal that faithful expression can offer political debate...
...Soon there won't be anything left...
...Letters may be e-mailed to: editorial@progressive.org Please include your city and state...
...However, I disagree with the last part, "with the exception of Richard Nixon...
...Sue Ellingson Madison, Wisconsin Knee-Jerk Reaction Matthew Rothschild's Editor's Note in the March issue ("Hidden Passages") highlights a particular concern of mine: that the President's stated religiosity has resulted in a negative, knee-jerk reaction from the secular left that impeaches the very notion that faith and political expression derived from faithful discernment have any place in the public square...
...Today, the United States has become the most hated nation in the world, and any military action against Iran will only make the situation worse...
...It only takes four words: Democrats are for caring...
...While I hold no particular brief for the late Richard Nixon, he was nowhere near as dangerous as the current President...
...His insight into the Bush Administration is indeed remarkable, and proves once again why Bush is so dangerous to our country and the free world...
...The Reverend Todd C. Vetter Cos Cob, Connecticut The editors welcome correspondence from readers on all topics, but prefer to publish letters that comment directly on material previously published in The Progressive...
...Larry Surber Stoneville, North Carolina Bush No Nixon I must take exception to the Comment ("Bush's Bitter Deal") in the March issue of The Progressive...
...Furthermore, we believe our society is rich enough and strong enough to lend a helping hand...
...Caring means that Democrats believe there are many circumstances that overwhelm the average person's abilities...
...Jordan Bishop Ottawa, Ontario I agree that George Bush is "perhaps the most dangerous [President] in the history of the republic...
...He is a man of principle, to the point of dogmatism...
...I had hoped that the election of Howard Dean as DNC chairman would put some life into them, but so far it does not seem to have done so...
...Andrew B. McAllister Aurora, Illinois Bush Cover Hits Mark Zachary Pullen's cover painting for your April issue captures as much of our current situation as one picture ever could...
...To cede that ground to the Bush Administration is unnecessary and, ultimately, destructive to the goals we all share...
...A few of them are alert to what is going on, and are willing to talk about it, but most of them are "asleep at the switch," as Hersh says...
...Rick Walnut Vincentown, New Jersey The article "Bush's Bitter Deal" was right on...
...I don't know how you did it, but you have addressed my fears exactly...
...And his principles are all detrimental to the health of the republic...
...There was also a Democratic Party reasonably worthy of the name, as well as a liberal Supreme Court...
...The election of Ronald Reagan changed all that...
...It is regrettable that the liberal theological voice has waned in recent years because its impact has been profound in the past...
...All letters may be edited for clarity and conciseness, and may appear either in the magazine or on its web page...
...Thank you for your attention on the Social Security issue...
...Brilliant...
...Republican pit bulls are tearing away the caring institutions that Democrats have built in our beloved country over the last century...
...And we'd better do it today...
...He pushed for funding for Vietnam veterans who had drug problems due to their service...
...Republicans, on the other hand, are for reward and punishment...
...He was, on the whole, unprincipled, but he was a pragmatist...
...The ultra-conservatives gained control and have steadily increased their power ever since...
...You describe Bush as "perhaps the most dangerous [President] in the history of the republic, with the exception of Richard Nixon...
...those who fail must suffer their fate as punishment...
Vol. 69 • May 2005 • No. 5
