The American Spectator

Reader Mail

This Time of Year

12.29.03 @ 12:01AM

(Page 3 of 4)

While I may entirely disagree with the Sierra Club, the have every right to criticize President Bush and his policies at any time they please. The "special interests" that have been demonized in this debate are nothing more than like minded citizens who have banded together to amplify their voice and their views. Also, "special interest" donations to candidates/officeholders are easily accessible to anyone that wants to see them. If enough voters disagree with the candidate/officeholder aligning him or herself with these "special interests" they can use the power of their vote to voice their displeasure. Last time I checked a "special interest" couldn't cast even one vote.

I hope Mr. Hynes continues to point out the utter hypocrisy of the Democrats -- you know, the ones who rail against the Patriot Act curtailing our civil liberties -- on this issue.
-- Eric Fabrizio
West Lawn, Pennsylvania

SIM CITY
Re: John Corry's Sing Praises to Alastair Sim's A Christmas Carol:

Kudos to John Corry for his appreciation of the Alastair Sim version of A Christmas Carol. It was a Christmas staple in our house when we were growing up. In addition to the priceless moment where the maid smiles and nods to Scrooge to enter the drawing room, there's the scene where Scooge says "I don't deserve to be this happy!", bends himself to his work, then straightens up and throws the quill pen over his shoulder, "but I can't help it!" Or the sad, future scene where the Cratchits await the late return of Bob, who has stopped off at the cemetery. The minor characters (the housekeeper, Mr. Jawkins, Scrooge's nephew, even the boy who says "I should say I do!" when asked if he knows the butcher shop on the corner), are all splendidly done. It's out there on videotape, and I suppose, DVD by now, and deserves to be on everyone's Christmas list.

Merry Christmas,
-- Bob Fitzgibbon
Rome, New York

DEAN STREETS
Re: The Washington Prowler's The Era of Big Clinton Is Over:

About the Washington Prowler on Dean's endorsement by Gore:

I would have thought Clinton would be more open to sucking up than Gore.
-- David Brown

The latest news reports has Dean talking about his "Christian" faith and how he trusts Jesus. What? On reading the article, we find him confusing faith with liberation theology, which is basically Vommunism disguised as religion. Let's take a good hard look at this man's "religious" beliefs, starting with his statements during his last gubernatorial campaign where he stated the biggest danger in this country was the Christian Right, an assertion he continued to hammer out in the early days of his presidential campaign. Next let's take a look at his political background when he was a Planned Parenthood shill as a State Rep. from Burlington. After all, he was on that organization's board of directors, plus his opposition to school choice because people might choose a religious school over the public. Next comes his advocacy for "gay rights" and his civil unions, which is the same as marriage. I thought Clinton was a phoney the way he carried a Bible around at times (when he had his pants up anyway), but this is takes the cake. Next this person will be saying he advises the Pope on Catholic matters. Is there no end to what he will do? This man has no shame or integrity.
-- Pete Chagnon

SEASON'S POETRY
Re: Kathy Shaidle's Banned by AOL:

Thank you for reprinting that hilarious "poem." I remembered seeing it somewhere, but couldn't remember where, and after my elder daughter sent me a [gag] Kwanzaa online greeting card, I was dying to find it. Fortunately, Yahoo! doesn't censor (so far), and I have forwarded the poem to everyone I can think of. Merry Christmas!
-- Lawrence G. Hawk, JD
San Francisco, California

GOING DUTCH
Re: George Neumayr's Diabolizing the Pontiff:

I was pointed recently to your column "Diabolizing the Pontiff" of May 23. It states the ongoing activities of several Dutch members of the European Parliament to remove the Holy See from the United Nations.

Although actors in this movement changed during the centuries, Anti-Papist movements in the Netherlands have been a mainstay since the 16th century. Strengthened by the fact that the most prominent leader of the Netherlands liberation revolt, William of Orange, was killed in 1584 on demand of the Holy See, despite his insistence on freedom of religion.

Since that time an often strange coalition of orthodox Calvinists, republicans, and anti-clerical libertarian thinkers have made attempts to reduce the political position of the Vatican as a recognized state. They once succeeded in the Netherlands in the 1924, when Rev. Korsten, the representative of the orthodox Calvinist Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij (Political Reformatorian Party), provided the swing vote on a decision to withdraw the diplomatic ties with the Vatican of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and created a cabinet crisis with it.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Religion, Catholicism, Protestantism, Law, United Nations, NATO, Unions