The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Winter Takes All

1.23.04 @ 12:02AM

ICE MAN
Re: Shawn Macomber's Cold Kerry:

Thanks for this great column on John Kerry, the man is as cold as ice -- and his wife is the same! You have the inside scoop on this Kennedy follower.
-- Ginger Rose

NURSING DEAN
Re: Shawn Macomber's Deaniacs.com:

I read Shawn Macomber's piece on the Web sites that serve constituencies of supporters of the Dean campaign with interest. He writes, "one wonders how they will take re-entry into civil society if their hero crashes and burns."

Obviously, he has not done his research because we have a mission statement, a vision statement and a statement of purpose that clearly explains that our goal is to promote and achieve positive change in healthcare:

This encompasses all areas of human existence that impact health and well-being. Specific goals within this larger mission include access to healthcare for all residents of the United States, equitable distribution of healthcare resources, a healthcare system that both reflects and respects the diversity of American society, and an emphasis in healthcare policy and planning on health promotion, disease prevention, adequate housing, and healthy lifestyles.

I suggest that we are not a "bizarre website" as described in the article, nor do we see a halo around Dr. Dean's head. As nurses, we've worked with too many doctors to think that M.D. stands for Major Deity.

We are a diverse group of nurses who work hard, pay taxes and have seen the inequities in the current healthcare system. Since Howard Dean has made healthcare work in Vermont, we know he understands the issues as someone not in the trenches of healthcare simply cannot, and we support his candidacy. Period.

If you are interested in writing a true profile of "Nurses for Dean" we would be willing to set aside time for an interview.
-- Patricia Carroll
-- Teri Mills
Nurses for Dean

Shawn Macomber replies:
I appreciate the note, and now better understand your vision. Nurses for Dean obviously has an important role to play in Howie's campaign, especially if he goes on to lose in New Hampshire and has another cataclysmic episode. Where were all of you on caucus night?

CONCURRENCES
Re: Wlady Pleszczynski's Bush in Charge:

I have to concur with much of what Wlady says -- I watched NBC's coverage and it was similar to that on ABC. Tom Brokaw et al. could not even let the President out of the Congress before they cut to Senator John Kerry in New Hampshire in an attempt to debunk the speech just concluded. But as the Senator tried to squelch the message with a trail of "no's," all I could think of was the "Officer Barbrady" character on the TV show "South Park" -- "Nothing to see here, folks, move along, move along" (against a background of things like a Mecha-giant Barbra Streisand fighting it out with a Mecha-giant Leonard Maltin).

But I also concur on the Democratic response being not only cheesily sequestered but cheesily presented. Representative Nancy "It's time for my closeup, Mr. De Mille" Pelosi and Senator Tom "It's only got 30,000 miles on it, honest" Daschle were the most ill-suited presenters that they have used in many years. Even the great bloviator, Senator Ted "I can still wiggle like a five-year-old in church" Kennedy could have done better.
-- Cookie Sewell
Aberdeen, Maryland

Wlady Pleszczynski observed that, during the State of the Union speech, Peter Jennings' ABC News network decided to focus (twice) on Senator Kennedy, who most disapprovingly smirked and on Senator Hillary's playing the New Democrat in support of the president regarding our forces in Iraq without even once rolling her eyes or feigning a yawn.

My own reaction was similar: Teddy looked like the dismal "before" part of story board layout for a Pepto Bismol ad. Queen Hillary appeared to be suffering from a similar case of gastrointestinal distress before she hastily plastered what can only be described as a sickly smile on her puss when she realized she was on camera. True, it was better than her sucking-on-a-bag-of-lemons appearance during President Bush's speech in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 -- but just barely.…
-- Thomas E. Stuart
Kapa'au, Hawaii

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