TAKING OFFENSE
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.’s John
Pierre Kerry’s Offensive Diatribe:
I just read your essay “John Pierre Kerry’s Offensive Diatribe.”
Given how the invasion of Iraq has turned out, it seems a pity you
did not respond to the Senator’s statements with a bit more regard
to the reality of the situation. The fact that the president puts
the American military in harm’s way does not absolve American
citizens from evaluating the wisdom of this action and voicing
their concerns. Your Roosevelt analogy was particularly offensive,
given that America was engaged in fighting those who actually
attacked us (We did not respond to Pearl Harbor by attacking
Denmark). As for President Reagan, his calm confidence in policy
decisions in the face of opposition can only be vindicated in
hindsight. We’re not there yet.
Referring to the Iraq invasion as “a war made inescapable by the
attacks of September 11” appears to reveal some delusional
transference of responsibility that simply does not square with the
facts. Actions based on grand fantasies rather than how the world
really is are bound to have disastrous consequences no matter how
fervent one’s resolve. It’s not to late to take an “eyes-open” look
at the Iraq situation and come to some realistic conclusions that
don’t leave you in that “what were we thinking ?” mode too late in
the game.
— L. Rotunno
I would say the only thing “offensive” is comparing FDR to the
bewildered man-child that “occupies” the White House. This post
9/11 “flag-waving” and “rallying around the President” no matter
what your opinion is also horribly “offensive.” In reference to
“exploiting the normal anxieties that exist in time of war,” this
is nothing more than this President has done, maintaining a
perpetual state of “war” so that we can all be distracted from his
failure and irresponsibility at home. This system of “orange” and
“yellow” alerts always seem to come in conjunction with more news
of jobs lost, and record deficits. Furthermore, the “liberal media”
has given this President a free ride, possibly fearful of what
would happen if he was actually required to field unscripted, and
pointed questions. Who knows maybe that is a bonus of the Patriot
Act, the effect of its ever-present intimidation dormant since J.
Edgar Hoover’s time. The “nags and faultfinders” Tyrrell is nagging
about and finding fault with are true Americans. It is our
duty to challenge our Government and hold them accountable as
they represent us. As you must know, America was
founded on dissent, and in my view, the more the better. Lord knows
President Clinton was not spared any dissent from the “nags and
faultfinders.”
Finally, the “French spin” on Kerry’s name is further evidence
of the conservative right wing’s immaturity and lack of class. The
French had their feelings and opinions when it came to Iraq, as did
the German, Russians, and, oh yes, Americans and British. Truth be
known, this was a conflict between the Bush Administration (and
inexplicably, the Blair administration) against Hussein’s regime.
American polls were split about 50/50, and England’s majority
opposed it. Now, we are sold polls that show people feel that it is
better Hussein is gone, and the “War” was worth fighting.
Personally, although the world is better off without Hussein in
power, the ends, never have, and never will justify the means.
After all, remember that polls showed that a majority of Europeans
and a large percentage of Americans feel that Bush is more of a
threat to world peace than Hussein.
— A.L.
Just as Abraham Lincoln had to endure the machinations of
defeatists and enemy sympathizers such as Rep. Clement Valandingham
and his fellow “Copperheads” during the Civil War, President Bush
must now endure the girlish slaps of the “Seven Dwarves” led by the
erstwhile war hero and Wanna-be Ketchup Baron Senator John “Call Me
a Frog” Kerry. Kerry wants very badly to be President, so badly, in
fact, that everything he says and does in front of the news cameras
is calculated to achieve that end. The sad fact that Senator Kerry
does not posses even a shred of honor (or common sense) becomes all
too obvious when one traces his initial support for the war with
Iraq to his present attempts to undermine the war effort while
slithering into the White House.
Using Senator Kerry’s “logic,” one is forced to conclude that
Saddam Hussein and his minions were actually philanthropists and
do-gooders while President Bush is the very embodiment of
Machiavellian evil. According to Senator Kerry, Saddam Hussein is
worthy of the title of “victim.” While there are many in academia,
the media, France, and the Democratic Party ready and willing to
swallow this supposition, the facts do not support the premise.
Senator Kerry knows this, but he, like the late Dr. Goebbels and
those who work for CNN, also knows that if a lie is repeated often
enough and loudly enough it will become “true.”
With people like Senator Kerry and the rest of the “Seven
Dwarves” this nation can consider itself well supplied with enemy
sympathizers. They certainly fit the “profile.”
Thank You,
— Tillman L. Jeffrey
Manteca, CA
Regarding candidate Kerry’s “announcement” next to the USS
Yorktown recently, it should be noted that the original
Yorktown (actually, the second one, circa WW II, the third
one is that which was used as a backdrop in South Carolina) was hit
repeatedly by the Japanese forces during the battle of Midway, and
in spite of the best efforts of her crew to save her, had to be
sunk by the US Navy itself as it was not able to even be towed to
port. A war hero, legend, a valiant ship and crew but, nonetheless,
an appropriate metaphor for this Democratic aspirant.
— Aaron Johnston
Frisco, TX
JELLY MOMS
Re: Dariel A. Colella’s Losing
at Singles and her reply to Michael E. Young’s letter (“Winning
at Doubles”) in Reader Mail’s Back
to School With Ben:
It’s ironic that Dariel A. Colella would make the remark that
many men who “cannot get past their anger and fail to realize that
helping the mother also helps their children.”
Indeed! Consider how the court system does its best to make
those fathers angry and even take away their employment and then
complains when fathers no longer work 80 hour weeks to support
their offspring. I’m reminded of the joke “the beatings will
continue until morale improves.” When the courts stop allowing
children to be exploited as financial pawns, then maybe they won’t
be caught in the middle anymore.
Quite simply: Giving the child to the parent best financially
able to take care of it is in the best interests of the child.
Period. Sure, maybe the father won’t be able to make peanut butter
sandwiches as well as mom, but then again, many career women no
longer do these things anyway and the DMV won’t need to have us all
give fingerprints to track and make the disgruntled parent pay
up.
Just a suggestion.
— Mark Sobolewski
Saint Louis, MO
Dariel A. Colella replies:
Perhaps Mr. Sobolewski should be reminded that in “the court
system,” the majority of judges are male. Women have male judges
deciding their cases and men are very often able to afford a better
lawyer, but women are to blame when they receive custody.
I’ll just go back to making my peanut butter sandwich now!
WHO DECIDES?
Re: Reid Collins When
Jurors Are Judges:
The Supreme Court may have intended to weaken the death penalty,
and anti-death penalty advocates supported their decision to make
juries decide, but the result has been the opposite. Juries have
been meting out death sentences more often than judges.
— Hareendra Yalamanchili
ON FIRE
Re: Richard McEnroe’s letter (“Family Correction”) in Reader Mail’s
Beyond
the Paleo:
Richard McEnroe described his poor, sad brother Daniel as “a
good New Yorker and [who]thinks he would burst into flames if Ann
Coulter touched him, and being found on Spectator.org might violate
his lease.” My three brothers and I, conservatives all and over 21,
would also probably burst into flames if Ann Coulter touched us but
not in the apparent way that Mr. McEnroe meant. When is that young
lady going to get herself married and do the human race a favor by
replicating herself at least 8 times? She probably can’t find an
eligible, conservative man decent, aggressive, and smart enough to
qualify.
— David Shoup
Dublin, GA
BOOMER BRUSH
Re: George Ferguson’s letter (“Letter Man”) in Reader Mail’s
Beyond
the Paleo:
Mr. Ferguson has risen up in wrath to defend the Baby Boomer
generation from imagined insults. Dear George, read once again
Thomas Stuart’s excellent letter, paying particular attention to
the following words: “For those whiners — especially those of the
pampered, preachy, pretentious and utterly gutless Cry Baby Boom
elite — who are just now throwing another of their famed
tantrums…” Now please consider the effect of the words “Cry” and
“elite.” Take away those modifiers and your horror is perhaps
justified, but the satirical meaning of the original is lost. It
has been my experience that those who bristle at something they
perceive as offensive are more often than not poor readers who have
limited vocabularies, or guilty consciences, or both.
I suggest that Mr. Stuart did not intend to tar all Baby Boomers
with the same brush, and his writing does not do so. In fact,
“those whiners” obviously encompasses a much greater group than
merely the “Cry Baby Boom elite.” However, as you yourself pointed
out, “4. The Boomers are now in charge, and doing a great job.” I
submit that the job being done is subject to alternate assessments,
but regardless, those “in charge” are indeed the ones doing most of
the whining.
— Bob Johnson
Bedford, TX
DRIVE-BY VOTERS
Re: Harry Pike’s letter (“Oui the People”) in Reader
Mail’s Beyond
the Paleo:
Harry Pike may be interested/alarmed to know that there is
already legislation pending in California that would
permit “voters” to register at the polling places, on election day,
with a California driver’s license as ID. Clearly the California
Democratic party intends to “vote” the illegal aliens the way the
way Mayor Daley “voted” the graveyards in Chicago.
And what’s in a name? Sharon Tay, anchor woman for the KTLA
morning news, was reading a report on the licensing of illegals
when she actually used the hideously incorrect phrase,
“illegal aliens” on the air. You could see her head twitch at the
sharp correction from the control room, and she immediately
corrected herself to say “illegal immigrants,” the approved usage
at KTLA and its “sister” paper, the L.A. Times.
— Richard McEnroe
ABOUT TIME
It’s ironic that Fox sued Franken for trademark violations, then
put
Dennis Miller on Hannity & Colmes and called that
segment “Miller Time.”
— Newton Love
Annapolis, MD
