The APJ Mailbag
From: HST
Re: Watch the calendar
Date: Sept. 6, 2002
Can you say "October surprise?"
For Bush and Co., nothing matters but stealing elections.
From: Robert Lederman
Re: September 11
Date: Sept. 6, 2002
The blatant exploitation of the tragic deaths of thousands of innocent people by President Bush, Governor Pataki, former Mayor Giuliani and other politicians since 9/11 is sickening.
Rather than being considered "heros" for doing nothing more than appearing at press conferences in which they deliberately misinformed the public, these men share a great deal of responsibility for the deaths. Their self-serving "performance" following 9/11 was one of executives facing a disaster that they had not adequately prepared for and in the case of Mayor Giuliani, had actually contributed to. What's next, honoring the executives of Enron?
No wonder America is becoming a laughingstock. We are a chronically misinformed nation led by criminals, dunces and fools.
From: Marc Perkel
Re: September 11
Date: Sept. 7, 2002
Now that Bush has declared September 11th as "Patriot Day" we patriotic Americans need to figure out how to properly celebrate it.
I think I will celebrate Patriot Day by reenacting our fearless leader's immediate response to the plane crashes. I will do what Bush did the moment he was told about this horrific terrorist attack against the American people and try to relive the experience of the first moments of his response to this grave national crisis.
I will read a book about a goat to children for 25 minutes.
From: Marc Perkel
Re: Land of the free
Date: Sept. 4, 2002
Well, I'm back from Vancouver Canada, and I must say it was GREAT to be in a country where Bush isn't president.
The city was clean, people were happy, plenty of "Help Wanted" signs up. People living their lives as normal prosperous citizens in a stable country that is doing well.
Canada is somewhat amazed that its economic growth is _4_ times as high as America in spite of the fact that the majority of its trade is with the United States. Perhaps it's because they didn't raid their social system to give a big tax break to the super-rich. Perhaps they aren't controlled by big oil and corporate looters.
Canada was a very peaceful place with happy people. It's like America used to be back in the good ole' days. Back when Clinton was president.
From: Mary M
Re: First Amendment Rights
Date: Sept. 1, 2002
Upon opening up my news paper this morning (Newsday), I came across a very startling article, and one of the most scariest that have been published to date. The title of this Earth shattering article is "Support for 1st Amendment Drops".
I felt many emotions. My first reaction to it was an all out rage. How could we as a country let it come this far? The answer to that one is all to clear my fellow Americans. It is when you sat by and did absolutely nothing, when the vote counting stopped, and you let a black robe mob install a president. You were cowards, and that is an affront to patriotism.
Another reaction that came to me was anger at each and every American citizen who would feel that in times of war, such as we are in right now, such freedoms should be curtailed. This is exactly the time we should be speaking out, as many brave people did in the sixties during the Viet Nam War. To me, those brave protesters were more patriotic than you are today, if you agree with the concept of curtailing freedom of speech.
While you wrap yourselves in the flag, put them on your cars, and houses, the protesters in the sixties were more patriotic than you. They put action behind their feelings, and ultimately put an end to a war. They took their first amendment rights seriously, and used it to challenge a war and the actions of both the Johnson and Nixon administration. Many went the ultimate distance, by getting arrested in defense of this precious amendment.
Those of us who are angry at the shredding of our Constitution since December 12, 2000 lay blame for this sentiment squarely where it belongs. On the Bush administration who uses fear tactics to divide us. Where George Bush’s aide named Ari Fleisher at a press conference stated the following bone chilling words, "WATCH WHAT YOU SAY!" I would expect this sort of talk in communist country or any other dictatorial country, but not in the United States of America. In all honesty, my fellow Americans we have ceased being a democracy if such feelings are out there, and where our own citizens would buy into that "watch what you say" mentality. We are fast becoming a country, where if you speak out forcefully enough, you also must live in fear. Patriotism does not mean surrendering our freedom of speech. True patriotism means having the very character to speak out when you see injustices happening within our society. It means speaking out against a law called the USA Patriot Act that goes against the very fibers of our Constitution.
Call it sheer coincidence or sheer irony that on a day like this when such an article would come out, on television tonight was a show about a remarkable man. That man being Robert F. Kennedy.
Here is a man who once called for the bombings in Viet Nam, but had the moral integrity to come full circle and to start opposing this very bloody war. In my opinion it takes a great man who fights for peace and not war. Because diplomacy that can bring about peace is where character and morals do show themselves. As I was watching this show, I wondered just how Bobby Kennedy would feel right now if he knew that Americans were willing to have their first amendment rights curtailed? In my opinion, he would have been ashamed and angered at every American that felt that way. He also would have been angry at this administration who would use a war to place fear in it’s citizens for speaking out.
So, where are the Bobby Kennedys of today? Where are our true patriotic leaders when it counts most? Have we gotten to a point in our society where even our elected leaders are in the very same fear as we are? If you are, then you have no business being in that elected office in the first place. Because once you take that oath of office, you push past every fear to lead your constituents. Because they who voted for you, place their very trust in you. By going along with this mentality, you have trampled upon said trust. That goes equally for Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarian and the rest of the political partys.
Being an American. and a patriotic one at that, means pushing past that fear and be willing to protect each and everyone of our Constitution amendments. Our founding fathers would have expected no less from us. One of our most esteemed patriotic founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin said this, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" By not sticking up for this precious amendment, we have just slapped one our greatest patriots in the face.
But patriotism through fear means nothing.
Source link for article: "Support for 1st Amendment Drops", Newsday, Aug. 31, 2002
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ISSN No. 1523-1690