Thank you to the citizens of Vermont who voted to impeach Bush!
Cheney needs to go too. He has shot us all. Our country has "lost face" with the world in the Bush administration's assault on democracy, human rights, decency, honesty, fairness, the environment, third-world citizens, US workers, and those concerned with justice, peace, and freedom. Bush has lied to the American people for private gain. The glut of the oil companies and the war in Iraq et al. is devastating the economy. I hope Vermonters are not charged with sedition their stand. The majority of US citizens want him out. He should never have got in, and we need to pay attention to how the last two elections were rigged and stop the flaws in the system.
Bush et al. are out of touch with reality to promote more nuclear weapons and facilities. Chernobyl and nuclear waste, war and nuclear proliferation, death and destruction are the results.
We are in solidarity with Vermonters!
Skull and bones has to go!!
Kathy Barnes
Sherwood, Mich.
Why does George Bush hate America? He is doing everything he can to turn this county into a fascist state. Does he hate us for our freedoms?
"Anytime you hear the US government talking about a wire tap, it requires &emdash; a wire tap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so." (GWB, 4/20/04) "The government can't move on wire taps or roving wiretaps without getting a court order." (GWB 7/14/04)
Our Savior Bush made these marvelous statements while he was doing just the opposite. He violated the law and he knew he was violating the law. Way back in olden days some might have called this lying, but since there was no blue dress or sex involved we should just forget it. Whatever. Coincidentally, the New York Times apparently knew Savior Bush was breaking the law, but they "decided" not to report this before the election of 2004. Whatever.
Our Savior has recently admitted that he ignored the FISA law, and he is going to continue to do so. Whatever. It's not that it is difficult to get a court order, it is just that Our Savior Bush is so arrogant that he will not ask permission from anyone for anything. He invaded Iraq without the consent of the UN or world opinion. I think he did have a note from his mother however.
Meanwhile, in the homeland, our munchkins of Congress are so pathetically servile that Savior Bush is incrementally destroying everything this country used to value. The Constitution is just a piece of paper to Him and to the munchkins.
Well Toto, we are not in the US anymore. We are in a strange place called the Bush States, or BS. The BS is run by a man with no heart, no courage, and no brain. Remember Toto what Plato once said in his Republic: "This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears, he is a protector." Whatever.
Gary Walker
Campton, N.H.
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., deserves to be praised for his courage and integrity in offering a resolution to censure President Bush. Sen. Frist and other Republicans maintain that Feingold is just grandstanding in his presidential aspirations; some say that he should not be attacking the president in times of war. Remember however that his was the only vote against the war with Iraq. He is a desperately needed critic; so few speak up in fear of deadly retaliation by the White House and its use of underhanded Swift-River types out to destroy dissenters. Bush has to be held accountable, not only for the deceptively conceived reason for war based on a false link between Iraq and al Qaeda, but his recent defiance in refusing to obey congressional legislation that limits presidential authority to use secret spying on our citizenry. He has thrown the gauntlet &endash;- as if to say that no one can stop me, as president, I have the inherent authority in war time to exercise my will without constraints.
I believe that unless someone &emdash; like a Feingold who stands up for democracy, demands restraint and limits of presidential powers in war time &emdash; that we are on a slippery slope to a dictatorship.
Sid Moss
Elkins Park, Pa.
There is more to Jim Hightower's "Keeping Arizona Elections Clean" [3/15/06 TPP] than ousting state Rep. David Burnell Smith from the Legislature for overspending the legal campaign limit by 25%. The largest daily newspaper in Arizona had a field day at Smith's expense. However, with each election the Arizona Republic contributes to the campaign of favored candidates with editorial-page endorsements and selected news stories. The value of that, which an opponent can't match, could exceed a 25% advantage. This is in campaign finance reformer John McCain's home State?
Herb Knauss
Phoenix, Ariz.
From a technical and scientific perspective America has an excellent health care system. First-class research, well-educated doctors, state-of-the-art hospitals, etc. But we have a terrible health-care delivery system.
Almost all wealthy industrialized countries have government-funded single-payer health insurance, which provides health insurance for all of their citizens.
We have no such program with the exception of Medicare and Medicaid, which partially cover the poor and the elderly. In our country approximately 45 million people have no health insurance, because they can't afford it. Most of these people get second-rate health care. As a result, people without health insurance, on the average, do not live as long a people with health insurance.
Both Japan and Canada provide health insurance for all their citizens. Japan's life expectancy is six years longer than ours. Canadians, on the average, live three years longer than we do.
In our country, an uninsured woman with breast cancer has a 30% to 50% greater chance of dying from the disease than an insured woman does. No doubt similar statistics relating to other potentially fatal diseases exist. These statistics tell us that our elected federal politicians really don't care if poor and lower-middle-class people die early, because they have no health insurance. Needless to say, all of our federal politicians are covered by first-rate health insurance, paid for by the taxpayers.
America spends more per capita on health care than any country in the world. In 2006, health care costs for the average non-Medicare family, will be $14,000. America spent 15% of its gross domestic product on health care in 2003. In other wealthy nations that figure was 8.6%. If we went to a single-payer system we would save over $1.1 trillion over the next ten years.
Not having a single-payer system in America is wrong and stupid. Will our elected federal officials initiate plans to go to a single payer system that would lengthen our lives and save us money? Probably not. Failure to take such action would also be wrong and stupid.
Dan Carmichael
Ironwood, Mich.
I read many articles about the outrages perpetrated by our current administration. I read many articles that present very good ideas for improving things for the citizens of this country. I also note that the outrages not only continue but keep getting worse, and our current leadership is not interested in the least in making anything better for US citizens.
The articles I read put this down to incompetence, mistakes, or unanticipated consequences. It's time we all woke up to the fact that our leadership is not incompetent at all. They are doing exactly what they meant to do &emdash; destroy our democracy and hurt people everywhere to serve their greed for wealth and power. They do not mean well to us.
We don't need any more whining about these things. We need ideas for concerted, joyful, nonviolent, soulful, ongoing citizen action to resist and turn around this ugly direction. I know there are plenty of good ideas out there &emdash; boycotts, changes in lifestyle, exposing local corruption, standing up for and helping others. Maybe TPP's readers can help make the list.
It's a big challenge. We have a Congress full of people who think they cannot get along without the bribes they accept and pay. But I think the American people are up to it. In many different small ways we can start to clean up the slime and simply not quit until it's accomplished. Let's get to it, my fellow citizens. There's no time to waste.
Patricia Black
Nevada City, Calif.
As a Cuban-American dissident, a progressive populist and subscriber to your blessed newspaper, I greatly enjoyed Hal Crowther's article on Cuba ["Ultimate Guilt Trip:Big Boats, Little Boats," 3/1/06 TPP]. I am glad he understands that not all Cubans, especially us, who live stateside are "para-millionaires," former brothel-casino administrators or owners, affiliated with the likes of Meyer Lansky and the assorted Mafia families.
I was born in La Habana, Cuba in May 1942 and my family and I have been fighters and believers in a progressive-populist democracy for Cuba. My dad fought dictator Machado and then joined Pennsylvanian Antonio "Tony" Guiteras, founder of the Joven Cuba ("Young Cuba") organization, in fighting Batista who stole the anti-Machado revolution; he died opposing and fighting Castro when he saw, like I and many revolutionaries did, that Castro was taking us not into the way of a populist democracy but into the orbit of the imperial USSR, an empire that Stalin created and his successors continued. ... I left Cuba, perhaps forever, on Nov. 9, 1961, disillusioned and heart broken.
Take care and God bless all of you and I hope you know you have friends among we the Cubans here and there.
Luis de Quesada Sr.
Jamaica, Queens, NY.
Now that the US government and the VA have conceded that VA nurse Laura Berg is not guilty of sedition, nor of improper use of government time and property, because she wrote a letter to the editor criticizing the Bush administration, Ms. Berg's ACLU attorney has demanded that the government apologize to Ms. Berg for seizing her office computer and having her investigated by the FBI.
Whether the apology will be forthcoming or not, I'm sure that Ms Berg and her fellow VA employees have learned a valuable lesson.
Which is: Do your job and keep your mouth shut.
Meanwhile, Americans who value their freedom would do well to ponder the words of certain seditious Americans of 1776, to wit:
"... all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
Gus Mirsalis
Richmond Heights, Ohio
Regarding the quote mentioned in the 2/1/06 Letters to the Editor ["Piece of Paper"], I wish to know the original source and context of the Constitution being "just a goddamned piece of paper" [according to George W. Bush]. (Nice words from such a "Good Christian".)
Having just begun my subscription recently I did not see the 1/1-15/06 issue of TPP and despite all my reading and trying to stay informed, somehow I missed this prize quote from King George. (Amazing how the "Liberal Media" missed this.) I suppose we have to consider the source. Like the song says, "... W starts with Duuuh ..."
To reader Katherine W. Rylaarsdam: Paaaleeez! Don't say "he can go back to Crawford"! That's too close to (my) home as well as Manchaca! Maybe we could arrange to have him sent to Guantanamo?
Becky Morgan
Hamilton, Texas
Editor Notes: According to CapitolHillBlue.com, when Republican congressional leaders met with George W. Bush in November, he was in no mood to hear warnings that his push to renew the PATRIOT Act could further alienate conservatives still mad at the president from his botched attempt to nominate White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. "I don't give a goddamn," Bush reportedly said. "I'm the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way."
"Mr. President," one aide in the meeting said. "There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution."
"Stop throwing the Constitution in my face," Bush screamed back. "It's just a goddamned piece of paper!"
Doug Thompson, publisher of CapitolHillBlue.com, wrote on 12/9/05, "I've talked to three people present for the meeting that day and they all confirm that the President of the United States called the Constitution 'a goddamned piece of paper.'"