Saturday, May 29, 2004
America deserves better # 18
Dear Friends,
After I posted letter # 18, which follows, I received a very emotional reply from one of my friends. (At least I hope she is still one of my friends.) Her note and my response follow, and then continue to the original Letter # 18.
To: Murray
Subject: Re: America deserves better # 18
I cant believe you are writing this kind of stuff!
To: M
I didn't write it, I just passed along the parts that I really agree with. I do find an imperialistic policy for America repugnant. I do believe we have lost credibility, influence and standing internationally, and indeed have been humiliated. I do believe that Bush is incompetent to be President, and that the Pentagon civilians have been incompetent in the conduct of a war we should never have been in, and worse in the aftermath. I do believe that now the world is a more dangerous place, especially for Americans. I have already contacted my 2 Senators and asked them to call for the resignations of Rumsfeld and his civilian staff. I have already said in one of my letters that Condi is incompetent for the post she occupies. I do believe that Bush has betrayed the nation's trust. I was kind of glad to see Gore expressing my feelings. Murray
Dear Friends, 5/28/04
The day before yesterday Al Gore made a very appropriate speech. I know that some of you prefer not to listen to anything Gore has to say, but given the state the present administration has brought us to, it behooves all of us to listen. The key excerpts of the speech follow.
Mr. Gore began the speech by focusing on the policy of domination which pervades the Bush Administration:
"George W. Bush promised us a foreign policy with humility. Instead, he has brought us humiliation in the eyes of the world,"
"An American policy of dominance is as repugnant to the rest of the world as the ugly dominance of the helpless, naked Iraqi prisoners has been to the American people. Dominance is as dominance does." "Dominance is not really a strategic policy or political philosophy at all. It is a seductive illusion that tempts the powerful to satiate their hunger for more power still by striking a Faustian bargain. And as always happens -- sooner or later -- to those who shake hands with the devil, they find out too late that what they have given up in the bargain is their soul."
"The unpleasant truth is that President Bush's utter incompetence has made the world a far more dangerous place and dramatically increased the threat of terrorism against the United States. Just yesterday, the International Institute of Strategic Studies reported that the Iraq conflict " has arguably focused the energies and resources of Al Qaeda and its followers while diluting those of the global counterterrorism coalition." The ISS said that in the wake of the war in Iraq Al Qaeda now has more than 18,000 potential terrorists scattered around the world and the war in Iraq is swelling its ranks."
"One of the strengths of democracy is the ability of the people to regularly demand changes in leadership and to fire a failing leader and hire a new one with the promise of hopeful change. That is the real solution to America's quagmire in Iraq. But, I am keenly aware that we have seven months and twenty five days remaining in this president's current term of office and that represents a time of dangerous vulnerability for our country because of the demonstrated incompetence and recklessness of the current administration."
He than called for the resignations of the principle authors of our failed foreign policy.
"It is therefore essential that even as we focus on the fateful choice, the voters must make this November that we simultaneously search for ways to sharply reduce the extraordinary danger that we face with the current leadership team in place. It is for that reason that I am calling today for Republicans as well as Democrats to join me in asking for the immediate resignations of those immediately below George Bush and Dick Cheney who are most responsible for creating the catastrophe that we are facing in Iraq."
"We desperately need a national security team with at least minimal competence because the current team is making things worse with each passing day. They are endangering the lives of our soldiers, and sharply increasing the danger faced by American citizens everywhere in the world, including here at home. They are enraging hundreds of millions of people and embittering an entire generation of anti-Americans whose rage is already near the boiling point."
"We simply cannot afford to further increase the risk to our country with more blunders by this team. Donald Rumsfeld, as the chief architect of the war plan, should resign today. His deputies Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith and his intelligence chief Stephen Cambone should also resign. The nation is especially at risk every single day that Rumsfeld remains as Secretary of Defense. Condoleezza Rice, who has badly mishandled the coordination of national security policy, should also resign immediately."
And, at the end, he called for us to hold Bush accountable in November:
"I want to speak on behalf of those Americans who feel that President Bush has betrayed our nation's trust, those who are horrified at what has been done in our name, and all those who want the rest of the world to know that we Americans see the abuses that occurred in the prisons of Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo and secret locations as yet undisclosed as completely out of keeping with the character and basic nature of the American people and at odds with the principles on which America stands."
"I believe we have a duty to hold President Bush accountable -- and I believe we will. As Lincoln said at our time of greatest trial, 'We -- even we here -- hold the power, and bear the responsibility.'"
To read the whole speech and watch video highlights of the best moments, go to:
http://www.moveonpac.org/gore/
America deserves better. Vote this administration out of office in November,
Sincerely yours, Murray
After I posted letter # 18, which follows, I received a very emotional reply from one of my friends. (At least I hope she is still one of my friends.) Her note and my response follow, and then continue to the original Letter # 18.
To: Murray
Subject: Re: America deserves better # 18
I cant believe you are writing this kind of stuff!
To: M
I didn't write it, I just passed along the parts that I really agree with. I do find an imperialistic policy for America repugnant. I do believe we have lost credibility, influence and standing internationally, and indeed have been humiliated. I do believe that Bush is incompetent to be President, and that the Pentagon civilians have been incompetent in the conduct of a war we should never have been in, and worse in the aftermath. I do believe that now the world is a more dangerous place, especially for Americans. I have already contacted my 2 Senators and asked them to call for the resignations of Rumsfeld and his civilian staff. I have already said in one of my letters that Condi is incompetent for the post she occupies. I do believe that Bush has betrayed the nation's trust. I was kind of glad to see Gore expressing my feelings. Murray
Dear Friends, 5/28/04
The day before yesterday Al Gore made a very appropriate speech. I know that some of you prefer not to listen to anything Gore has to say, but given the state the present administration has brought us to, it behooves all of us to listen. The key excerpts of the speech follow.
Mr. Gore began the speech by focusing on the policy of domination which pervades the Bush Administration:
"George W. Bush promised us a foreign policy with humility. Instead, he has brought us humiliation in the eyes of the world,"
"An American policy of dominance is as repugnant to the rest of the world as the ugly dominance of the helpless, naked Iraqi prisoners has been to the American people. Dominance is as dominance does." "Dominance is not really a strategic policy or political philosophy at all. It is a seductive illusion that tempts the powerful to satiate their hunger for more power still by striking a Faustian bargain. And as always happens -- sooner or later -- to those who shake hands with the devil, they find out too late that what they have given up in the bargain is their soul."
"The unpleasant truth is that President Bush's utter incompetence has made the world a far more dangerous place and dramatically increased the threat of terrorism against the United States. Just yesterday, the International Institute of Strategic Studies reported that the Iraq conflict " has arguably focused the energies and resources of Al Qaeda and its followers while diluting those of the global counterterrorism coalition." The ISS said that in the wake of the war in Iraq Al Qaeda now has more than 18,000 potential terrorists scattered around the world and the war in Iraq is swelling its ranks."
"One of the strengths of democracy is the ability of the people to regularly demand changes in leadership and to fire a failing leader and hire a new one with the promise of hopeful change. That is the real solution to America's quagmire in Iraq. But, I am keenly aware that we have seven months and twenty five days remaining in this president's current term of office and that represents a time of dangerous vulnerability for our country because of the demonstrated incompetence and recklessness of the current administration."
He than called for the resignations of the principle authors of our failed foreign policy.
"It is therefore essential that even as we focus on the fateful choice, the voters must make this November that we simultaneously search for ways to sharply reduce the extraordinary danger that we face with the current leadership team in place. It is for that reason that I am calling today for Republicans as well as Democrats to join me in asking for the immediate resignations of those immediately below George Bush and Dick Cheney who are most responsible for creating the catastrophe that we are facing in Iraq."
"We desperately need a national security team with at least minimal competence because the current team is making things worse with each passing day. They are endangering the lives of our soldiers, and sharply increasing the danger faced by American citizens everywhere in the world, including here at home. They are enraging hundreds of millions of people and embittering an entire generation of anti-Americans whose rage is already near the boiling point."
"We simply cannot afford to further increase the risk to our country with more blunders by this team. Donald Rumsfeld, as the chief architect of the war plan, should resign today. His deputies Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith and his intelligence chief Stephen Cambone should also resign. The nation is especially at risk every single day that Rumsfeld remains as Secretary of Defense. Condoleezza Rice, who has badly mishandled the coordination of national security policy, should also resign immediately."
And, at the end, he called for us to hold Bush accountable in November:
"I want to speak on behalf of those Americans who feel that President Bush has betrayed our nation's trust, those who are horrified at what has been done in our name, and all those who want the rest of the world to know that we Americans see the abuses that occurred in the prisons of Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo and secret locations as yet undisclosed as completely out of keeping with the character and basic nature of the American people and at odds with the principles on which America stands."
"I believe we have a duty to hold President Bush accountable -- and I believe we will. As Lincoln said at our time of greatest trial, 'We -- even we here -- hold the power, and bear the responsibility.'"
To read the whole speech and watch video highlights of the best moments, go to:
http://www.moveonpac.org/gore/
America deserves better. Vote this administration out of office in November,
Sincerely yours, Murray
