The American Spectator

Reader Mail

The Art of Communications

9.30.04 @ 12:01AM

MISMANAGEMENT
Re: Jeremy Lott's Crisis Mismanagement:

Jeremy Lott's article, "Crisis Management" (9/27/04) contains some errors. Besides referring to an organization that doesn't exist ("Catholics for Choice") he engages in some curious speculation.

Referring to Catholic League president Bill Donohue's press release on Deal Hudson, Lott writes, "Responding to complaints, the Catholic League has removed the press release from its website...." How does he know this? In fact, the release was removed because Deal Hudson requested that we remove it. We acceded to his request because he wanted to put this issue behind him. As for Lott's remark that we "attempted a joke at the Virgin Mary's expense," we have files that he can look at to see real jokes at Her expense.

Finally, the characterization of Fr. Benedict Groeschel as a "ringer" is unfair. To say that his reaction to the sex-abuse crisis in the Church amounts to "blaming journalists" shows an ignorance of what Fr. Groeschel has actually written and spoken about on this topic.
-- Louis J. Giovino
Director of Communications
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
New York, New York

Jeremy Lott replies: The organization is Catholics for a Free Choice. Here's the website.

UNSEDATED
Re: Andrew Cline's I Wanna Be Sedated:

Conservative punk is not as rare as one may think. Recently I've discovered that more and more bands have come out against left-wing garbage like punk voter.com, I guess some punks don't like being told how they are supposed to think. Please check out www.americanstreak.com for the Crush Kerry conservative punk compilation.
-- James Cummings
Arcadia, California

STANDING THE HEAT
Re: Eric Peters' Blair's Hot Air:

The influence of carbon dioxide (which is the main point of globaloney warming theory) in the heat retention of the atmosphere is only about one-fourth of one percent when compared to the influence of water vapor. No amount of human activities now or in the next thousand years will have any influence on future climate changes, which, by the way have been going on for a couple of billions of years without the presence of man. This opinion was signed by over 17,000 American scientists (of which I am one, Ph.D in Engineering, UCLA 1968). The silence by the media about the existence of this document is deafening.
-- Marc Jeric
Las Vegas, Nevada

NOT IN VAIN
Re: William Tucker's Who Says We Lost in Vietnam?:

I wanted to express my gratitude for Mr. Tucker's essay on the American success in Vietnam.

I am old enough to recall how our troops were withdrawn from the country after destroying the Viet Cong and forcing the North Vietnamese to the treaty table. The Communists reneged on the treaty after our departure, which was predictable, but then the South Vietnamese proved their ability the resist the North's onslaughts as long as American money and materiel were provided as promised.

This support was ended, of course, by a duplicitous U.S. Congress (I'll never forget Millicent Fenwick and her obnoxious pipe!). When the South fell -- at a time when no American combat unit was present in that country -- the media lost no time in declaring the mess, largely of their own making, to be an inglorious American "defeat." At once grim and gleeful, they seemed unable to stop reminding us that this was America's "first lost war." Meanwhile, those members of Congress who had betrayed South Vietnam pleaded against a season of "recriminations."

Mr. Tucker correctly points out that the long-term outcome of the war has been a backward and impoverished former enemy, now a humiliated neighbor to nations free and thriving. Perhaps 58,000 young Americans did not die in vain.
-- Timothy A. Swain
Colfax, Indiana

William Tucker's article should be read by every American, especially every Vietnam vet. I spent 1987 in Thailand. I witnessed Mr. Tucker's statements corroborated by: veteran missionaries with decades of Southeast Asian experience, a journalist from "Soldier of Fortune" magazine, dozens of Vietnamese boat people in the holding pen at the immigrant jail in Bangkok (yes, they were still voting with their feet in 1987), the surrender of the last remnant of the Communist Party of Malaysia to the Thai government, Thai authors in the Bangkok English language newspapers, and the peace and prosperity of Thailand. Asia still owes a debt to the American GI.
-- David Shoup
Augusta, Georgia

Letter to the Editor

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