The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Coming Clean

8.3.06 @ 12:01AM

RUSSO'S CHILDREN
Re: James Bowman's review of America: From Freedom to Fascism:

I read James Bowman's article pertaining to the movie "America: From Freedom to Fascism" and was disappointed in his review and conclusions. Although I have not personally seen the movie, I have read a summary of its content and am one of the nuts he describes in his articles. I became one of these nuts several years ago when I became thoroughly discussed with our income tax system and wondered how we imposed such a horrendous system on ourselves. I researched this all the way back to the founding of the country and discovered that the Founders made it extremely difficult to impose a direct tax on the people mainly due to the fact that it would lend itself to the political corruption that we see today. Another thing I found interesting is that a graduated income tax and central bank were included in Karl Marx 10 points to communism. I think if Mr. Bowman would do some research and just look at the freedoms we have lost in this country and increasing power of the Federal government in my short life time of 56 years he might come to some of the same conclusions as Mr. Russo.
-- James W. Clark, CPA
Greenville, North Carolina

In his movie review, "America: From Freedom to Fascism," James Bowman claims that convicted tax protester Irwin Schiff and conspiracy nut Aaron Russo are working under the theory that "there should be no intermediary, no one entitled to such a position by knowledge, experience, or authority, who stands between them and the plain sense of the law." Bowman traces this idea to what he calls "Protestant fundamentalism."

In my opinion, it is simply false to trace the "no judicial intermediary" theory to the Protestant idea that the Bible doesn't need a priestly class to provide interpretations of it. That's either pro-Catholic opportunism on Bowman's part, or else anti-Protestant bigotry. Opposition to the tax laws is not a "Protestant" issue and this is the first I've ever heard such a claim. Tax rebels usually tend to follow nullification or interposition theories, which can be traced back to (ironically enough) James Madison, and also to Thomas Jefferson (not so ironically). The Civil War pretty much put an end to such ideas. For a critique of tax protestor arguments, please see the IRS site.

On the whole, however, I agree with Bowman's critique of conspiracy theories. The nuts on both the right and left hold to the idea of covert causation in history, and both are equally anti-American, witness the title of Russo's movie.
-- Vern Crisler

When Mr. James Bowman pulls his fingers out of his ears and finally wanders out of his happy place, he will realize how silly his review is and how profoundly disconnected from reality he has allowed himself to become. A few days in court will make a new man of Mr. Bowman, resident scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
-- Mark Yannone
Phoenix, Arizona

Anyone who considers America fascistic knows nothing of the history of fascism. Such inappropriate usage of the term is symptomatic of an inferior education.
-- David Govett
Davis, California

SHIELD THE IMAGES
Re: Christopher Orlet's Civilian Shields:

It's indisputable that Hezbollah launch their Israel-bound missiles from civilian enclaves. What is becoming unmistakably clear is that the Islamist war criminals -- or, "freedom fighters" if you prefer -- choose their launch sites through a combination of cowardice ("Don't shoot! Can't you see there are women and children near me?") and media savvy ("Move the martyrs into position! Allah has arranged that the infidel bombs will strike in ten minutes! Cameras ready!").

As we begin to better understand the enemy and his depravity, a new code of ethics should be adopted by the media. It would go something like this: "We report on -- but do not show images of -- casualties that may have been staged by militants drawing fire into civilian targets."

These images are produced and directed by the jihadists. Journalists should stop being the distributors of such pornography.
-- GnuCarSmell
Jacksonville, Texas

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

Tell me, what were they doing there?
Implanted in a building where
It was forewarned a raging war
Was coming closer and more
Civilians should evacuate
Before death could be their near term fate,
Women and children did indeed die.
Were their husbands and fathers nearby?
Or were they abandoned by those they trusted?
Men whose hatred only lusted
For killing whoever got in their way,
Who were willing to sacrifice all whom they
With manliness should have defended and protected.
Love and courage were instead rejected
And lives thrown away with hardly a care.
Tell me, what in the world were they doing there?
-- Mimi Evans Winship

LOOK BUT DON'T TOUCH
Re: Patrick J. Michaels's Okay Coral:

I enjoy scuba diving along the coral reefs of Florida's Atlantic coast, and have been doing so for more than ten years. The Gulf Stream comes within about a mile of shore from Jupiter south to Boynton and Delray beaches and it's really quite a lovely spot. When I dive, I am careful not to smack the coral with my fins or drag any equipment over the reef, but I remember when I started diving reading articles that practically screamed of the dire consequences of any touch of humans on the reef. These doomsayers actually said that the touch of one finger could kill the reef. Believe me, I do what I can to enjoy, without disturbing, the sights and residents of the reef, but these Cassandras need to get a grip. Anyone who has watched parrot fish and giant sea turtles feeding on the coral polyps and nurse sharks banging through coral forests in search of a ledge to rest under probably realizes that the denizens of the reef are far more destructive than humans -- all day, every day. And what kind of an effect do these alarmists think a hurricane has? Lighten up, folks! Nobody can see the wolf you keep crying about, because it isn't there!
-- Warren Mowry

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Education, Television, Sports, Religion, Islam, Abortion, Global Warming, Books, Hollywood, Movies, Law, Supreme Court, Military, Iraq, Iran, Israel, NATO, Communism, Fascism, Immigration