The American Spectator

Reader Mail

SCHOOL'S OUT
Re: George Neumayr's A Reality Check:

Well, at least the liberals are consistent -- I remember their angry demands that George Bush send his own daughters to fight in Iraq, as a means of putting his money where his mouth was. No wonder this party supports abortion so staunchly: other peoples’ children simply do not enjoy the dignity of human beings in their eyes.
-- Anne T. Stinneford
Chicago, Illinois

Barack Obama, from what little we know about him, was reared in liberal white culture, and is the beneficiary of private education.

Michelle Obama, from what little I might presume about her, was reared in socially conservative black culture. If she is the product of public education, the system served her well, though her parents were probably the larger influence.

It might even be argued that it was her private, Ivy League experience, where she was ill-served, in that her race made her an outsider, and the insiders wielded race against her.

The Clinton's easy choice for Chelsea (their daughter not being a social experiment) was Sidwell Friends, but the Obamas face a dilemma. Chelsea Clinton did not add to the diversity of Sidwell Friends -- Sasha and Malia would.

But I wonder if Michelle has any concern that Georgetown Day, or Sidwell Friends, would be her Princeton experience redux? Michelle Obama lived it first-hand, so she knows, but probably would never dare say, that the purpose of diversity is to enhance the educational experience of the privileged white students. Would she see her daughters in that role?

On the other hand, it is obvious that the vast majority of students are ill-served by the D.C. public system. The Obamas could make a political statement by sending their children to a public school, but at what cost?  Furthermore, the public schools are overburdened as is. By sending the girls to public school, the Obamas would be adding distractions and complications that hinder that system's mission.

An interesting compromise, and I hope the Obamas consider it, would be to send the girls to Catholic school. Inner city Catholic schools are racially homogenous, fairly rigorous academically, and attended, primarily, by non-Catholics.

In any event, when the Obamas choose a school, their only consideration should be the best outcome for Sasha and Malia. That should go without saying, but when asked, I hope they are not shy in stating it.
-- Dan Martin
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

PUNT LIKE A LIBERAL
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.'s Vitality in the Wilderness:

Pain is a most powerful teacher, but he charges a high price for every lesson. The American public is about to undergo a series of lesson from the Loony Left and their policies. Sadly, these are lessons that have been taught and paid for before. Anyone with eyes to see and intelligence to reason can count the cost paid in moral, ethical, economic and human capital. FDR's New Deal, Johnson's Great Society and every liberal and quasi-liberal program (e.g., Nixon and his economic policies) have taught and rewarded dependence on the government. No discernible reason can be found to believe that an Obama/Reid/Pelosi axis (Triumvirate?) will offer anything but  high taxation on the able body and innovative and payments to the lazy, unprincipled and greedy. Further, history teaches us that we can expect a battle to keep our freedoms: whenever a left of center administration either is voted in or takes power via other methods, rights are infringed and denied.

The American people have called down the thunder and now we must face the storm. In the words of Dylan (Bob, not Thomas), "A hard rain is gonna fall." But after a rain, God gives us rainbows. Yes, the next four years will be difficult, but small government types, economic conservative and Libertarians, can use this time to plan and build.  Many a Jeremiah has lamented the destruction of the party, but if true believers in small government hold their faith and principles, we can lead our Big Government brethren and Reagan Democrats out of their foolish desires for the flesh pots of government handouts (or bail outs) and to the promise land of true freedom: a balance  of rights and responsibilities.
-- Ira M. Kessel
Rochester, New York

In the next two years when Republicans are sure to lose a vote and it isn’t wise politically to vote No they should stand up and state, "In the audacious footsteps of President Obama, I vote Present."
-- Michael Tomlinson
Camp Habbaniyah, Iraq

LONELY TIMES FOR SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES
Re: Christopher Orlet's Refighting the Culture War:

Mr. Orlet makes excellent points -- full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. I would suggest that the 12 to 20 million illegal aliens that will be both citizens and registered voters by the 2012 election will render all his arguments moot. 

This country is in for several decades of darkness before there is any light.
-- Keith Kunzler

This is a good article but I would like to point out the author’s use of the term “conservative” instead of the term “Republican.” Republicans are not conservative; nor are they agents of “change." They are the Eastern, inside the beltway establishment and are personified in the likes of Bush, Dole and McLame.

I recently read an article about a gentleman who wants to start a true conservative national radio station to inform listeners about the alternatives to the two major parties which are mirror images of each other. I personally will never again vote for a Republican in a national election. That the Republicans offered up a political hack like

John McLame as its presidential candidate is a disgrace.  

The one point I disagree with the author on is his premise that no Republican could have won in this year's election climate. If Republicans had nominated a decent candidate they would have had a shot. Instead they nominated Amnesty John in an effort to please their corporate masters with predictable results. I and most of my family voted for third party candidates in this election and will continue to do so at the national level from this point forward.
-- Paul Martell

RINOS HAVE A PURPOSE
Re: Quin Hillyer's More Sessions Needed:

After reviewing the home team, I am greatly encouraged. We have some great people on our side. I would love to dump some of the RINOs; but one must remember that aggravating as they might be they are usually from 50/50 districts and that is the best we can do. A more conservative representative cannot be elected there and if the RINO is toppled a Democrat may take the seat. 

It is a hard lesson to learn, but there it is. We should support and love those truly Conservative representatives and the districts that elect them.
-- Judy Beumler
Louisville, Kentucky

GREEN LIGHT
Re: Hal G.P. Colebatch's A Little Light in the South Pacific:

Your correspondent Hal Golebatch is under the misapprehension that, "Not only Labour but the smaller left-wing parties including Labour's ally, the eco-nut/Marxist Greens, were savaged at the polling booths." Besides the inaccuracy of the description, the assertion is false. The Greens substantially increased their proportion of the vote and increased their number of MPs. The Greens gained nearly double the party vote of the Act party and are the third largest party in Parliament. Savaged? Bring it on.
-- Neil Miller
Orewa Auckland

HELL AND BACK
Re: George Neumayr's Over Before It Began:

Ponder for a moment living in a hell so horrible you may not be able to contemplate such realities: The Hanoi Hilton and its sadistic guards. Place yourself in John McCain’s slippers. Torture is that wind which rides on the backs of the horses of death, so near, so close, and so evident. There is no normal afterward, just a life without those smiling faces bringing you your daily dose of real, live, terrible pain! Death becomes something you would embrace as if a long lost friend had arrived!

Fast forward to this campaign. McCain likes being thought of as a “maverick” for what reasons?   

Go back, look at him on the floor, see him surviving. As he is able to leave his cell and walk among his fellow prisoners see how they try to comfort each other. He knows what strength can come from such behaviors, the will to live and fight on. 

Ever wonder how he really sees the Senate? Why he reaches “across” the aisle? What truths has he learned that such people as Dodd, Frank, Kennedy, Clinton, Pelosi, Reid, Obama et al. will never ever confront? You say he has a temper...wonder why? 

PTSD slides into one’s life by way of experiences. It is not supposed to leave, only to be managed as well as the carrier can do with the skills he or she has available.

Perhaps we’ve painted the wrong picture of McCain, we’ve added too much of what we expected, wanted, and dreamed he should possess. 

He is a team player. He knows how far the individual can go in some circumstances.

He will never, never leave his boys from the Hilton to walk alone...he will fight so all can walk away from that hell!
-- Robert Philips, Veteran of Vietnam
Corrales, New Mexico

GREEDY RACISTS
Re: Paul M's letter (under "As Sure as Day Follows Night") in Reader Mail's Left Coast Lefties:

Look. If the Republican Party collapsed as a Conservative Party reached critical mass to burst into reality, I’d be right there. But let’s have no illusions. Once in full birth it will take the mass media three seconds to call us “The New Republican Party” and “formerly known as the GOP.” It would take no time for some self-styled “conservative” we never heard of to become the media darling (“Mr. Conservative”) who will write and speak in grave tones about how the Conservative Party would need to reach out to the middle and become “big-tent Conservatives.” 

Of course, the Conservative Party will be discovered to be laden with scandal. A homosexual Conservative official, whom everyone within fifty miles knows makes no secret or his/her orientation, will be outed as a closeted gay by an “undisclosed Party official” to the Washington Post. (Imagine editorials across the nation analyzing the hypocrisy deep within the Conservative Party)  How about a “prominent” nationally known Conservative revealed to have married his Russian bride in the 1980’s without paying for her? Think of the secret rightwing “dirty tricks” squads fooling Afro-Americans and Hispanics to vote for Conservative.

Last but not least, no how precisely and forcefully a Conservative Party puts forth its principles, “everyone knows the real motivations for conservative policies are greed and racism."

There are more than a few Republican turkeys I’d like to ditch too. Just don’t fool yourself we’d start off fresh.
-- Mike Dooley

PUT THE PUN DOWN

Re: Eric Peters's The Sweet Stench of Failure:

Can we put them all together and call it American Leyland?
-- William L. Roughton, Jr.
Washington, District of Columbia