The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Counting Our Losses

9.12.03 @ 12:01AM

STIRRING AND POIGNANT
Re: the Special Report, "We Shall Prevail":

The remarks by Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson -- whose wife was brutally taken from him in the 9/11 attack two years ago -- are both stirring and poignant.

In commenting upon the depth and intensity of the inhuman rage that propelled the attackers is simply incomprehensible to us, Mr. Olson calls each of us to duty: "We must commit ourselves to [eradicating] the disease that killed [the victims], wherever it is and however long is takes ... [to seek] the end of blind, ruthless, random brutality, and the tears of orphaned children, the screams of hideously burned bodies, and the numbing grief that terrorism delivers.... We do not have to be a president, soldier, attorney general, prosecutor or intelligence agent to wage this battle and win this war. Everyone of us, in little ways, in thoughts and words and spirit, can pull an oar, however small or seemingly slight. Each of us can make a difference." Indeed we can.

Much of the terrorists' propaganda edge overseas derives from the ease with which they impale our cultural degradation over the last forty years. Maybe it is time for American men to encourage American women to focus their efforts on a return to the modesty, dignity and self respect of an earlier era.

Most of the currently glamorized excesses -- self-mutilation, trashy public conduct, and clothing choices typical of a prostitute -- can be traced to influence deliberately exerted by the Cry Baby Boom elite. Clearly they were wrong to walk away from responsible behavior beginning in the sixties in the fatuous pretense they were somehow "liberating" themselves. That infantile, self-centered nonsense has lead directly to increasing hatred of America abroad and a fertile recruiting ground for terrorist extremists who continue to get a lot of mileage portraying America as "the great Satan."

Women are naturally heroic. They guard the gates of a society's morality. When they abandon that heroic duty, everyone suffers.
-- Thomas E. Stuart
Kapa'au, HI

DEAN MARKING
Re: Andrew Simmons's Phoning It In:

Andrew is correct, there is not flash and dash from these teleconference calls. Dean is the no personality candidate. We are voting for a person who will do what he says he will. A person with good ideas, A person with a proven track record. A person who can balance the budget. A thinker, A doer. Not an empty suit or a professional politician. He is a Chief Executive Candidate. Go on line, read his résumé, view his past record. He is a little slow on the draw sometimes, stutters a little. Sometimes he is a fire breathing dragon, sometimes he ain't. He is not canned, not practiced, not well rehearsed. He is an Honest old New England Doctor. An EX-governor of Vermont. A solid true American boy done good. How could he possibly be the wrong candidate?
-- Jerry Stone
Merced, CA

CHOOSE AGAIN
Re: Paul Weyrich's Practicing School Choice:

Of course there is an elitist attitude in Congress for school choice. Just as there is an elitist attitude when it comes to health care. What is good enough for Congress and thousands upon thousands of federal employees (and apparently works) is not good enough for the general public which will get another dose of distorted Medicare -- including enough incentives for companies to withdraw benefits they now offer to their retirees.

It would be good for you to elaborate on this, too.
-- J.V. Reed

JUNIOR CHUCK
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.'s Butchered by Schumer:

We all know what Schumer is all about. But he is only one Democratic Senator. There are 48 other worthless, non-thinking, lockstep "leaders" who do not question the position. Not even one of these great Democrats has the smarts or integrity to honestly address the Estrada nomination as it actually is. The really dangerous aspect of this is that this represents the thinking of one of our once great parties of the American two-party system. Can the Democratic Party survive run by such appalling stupidity.
-- Bill Kiehl
Mt. Vernon, VA

I applaud Mr. Tyrrell's clear observations on the Estrada lynching. The solution is twofold:

(1) Vote rascals like Schumer out of office. That is the best approach, or (2) Under Article III Section 1 Congress has the power to enact lower courts, including appellate. That also implies that Congress has the power to eliminate the same courts. I would suggest that the House initiate such an action. The Republicans hold enough of a majority there to make the Dems squirm. The bonus is that this puts the Judiciary on notice that its current imperialism can be checked if only the Congress has the guts to do it.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Health Care, Television, Islam, Hollywood, Constitution, Law, Military, Iran, Russia, NATO, Nuclear Weapons, Medicare