The Real American Emergency

I simply am at a loss as what I can do to save this country that I hold ever so dear from the destiny that is so clear to me based on history and current events. I see the newspeak coming out of the current cabinet and I wonder why this nation is not recoiling! I think that Watergate was nothing on these guys and I wonder why everyman cannot see it. Worse...I wonder why they see it but do not care. Shall we wait a decade or so hoping the next generation will have the stamina required, because we are just too tired working overtime to pay the light bill?

Where do I go to stop this locomotion? Where can I stand up and raise my fist in that power to the people pose and be heard? I refuse the thug mentality that tells the world who we and I therefore am.

"Concerned Citizen"

Are you not also alarmed by the escalating abuses of power and the systematic subversion of our democracy since the Bush regime usurped the White House?

Bush has repeatedly made reckless public accusations and threats against sovereign nations he plans to attack, without regard for the law and despite repeated warnings from the international community that they will not condone his abuses of power. His aggression has alarmed the whole world and alienated our allies. His answer? "We do not need anyone's permission." Since when is he king of the world?

The Bush regime wasted no time, capitalizing on the nation's fear, to decimate the Bill of Rights, and our constitution. Ashcroft rammed a repressive reactionary agenda through Congress disguised as a "Patriot Act" legalizing government wiretapping and internet surveillance of private citizens, police searches of their homes without probable cause, seizure of their property and their assets, and detention of citizens without giving them access to legal counsel. There is nothing patriotic about this act. This is blatant fascism.

For Bush's permanent war on anyone, anywhere, any time he is demanding 450 billion dollars. Like his tax cut for the ultra wealthy, this transfer of funds from the public treasury to private coffers will be good for Wall Street, campaign contributors and the billionaire's club. Not so good for the millions of Americans who are unemployed, uninsured and losing their homes. Bush plans to pay for his bloated defense contracts with our social security pensions and says cheerfully he doesn't mind at all having a big budget deficit. Why should he? It won't affect him. That Congress would even consider granting this wish is completely outrageous.

We depend on our representatives to uphold the constitution, spend our money on the public good and protect the earth we all share. We depend on the Supreme Court to be rational, fair and impartial. It has become all to evident in the past fourteen months that our trust has been betrayed again and again.

There is nothing patriotic about destroying the Bill of Rights. There is nothing patriotic about bankrupting America for a killing spree. There is nothing patriotic about dying for oil. There is nothing patriotic about surrendering to fascism. There is nothing patriotic about remaining silent. Exercise your freedom of speech while you still have it.

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary to dissolve the bonds of tyranny, we will do so, be it sooner with paper and pen, or later with bloodshed and tears. You hold the future of American democracy in your hands. Hold it also in your heart.

Don't let them take over our country.

Nancy Alexander

Good luck, and make sure you plan your exit well in advance.

Ian Thompson (Australia)

I would like to make sure I have the facts (as you see them) correct. Are you saying that Democratic Presidents like (Jimmy Carter) can even be compared to people like Ronald Reagan? Are you saying that William Jefferson Clinton (a.k.a "Lock up your Daughters when he's in town Billy Boy") engineered the rise of the economy in the 90's all by his lonesome? I would challenge you that when a President takes office, he is faced with the economy created by his predecessor for at least the first two years in office. No way did (the current) President Bush make the economy fall in just a year. It was headed that way whether Bush or Gore had been elected. While I agree with you on the points you make about Politicians being money-grubby and all for themselves, I do not share your contention that there is a difference between a Democrat and a Republican. They are equally worthless. How can you explain that when one party rules the House or Senate, the important issues still do not get accomplished and Corporate America still rules?

Peter Papin (Staff Sergeant United States Army)

Having watched closely and paid attention to world events, it is interesting, encouraging and saddening to see an article sum up the abuse of america by the toxic dolt from Texas.

This president, swaggering around, egging on less formidable allies, always seeking conflict, always smirking, always looking for another enemy. Insulting nations at a whim.

How very sad.

R. Price (British Columbia)

What is the solution when tyrants have control of the highest office? Donating to another imperfect leader? It takes only 8 percent of Americans to lead the country in the direction of prosperity and peace or any other positive goals that are best for America and the world.

Michael Malone

Thank you -- the truth has disappeared from this country.

Edward Lobato

The Puzzle of the Enron Coverups

George W. Bush is using the office of the Presidency of the United States for personal gain, and thousands of people have died as a result.

Haliburton Oil's central Asian pipeline was finished (except for it's Afghani segment) by last March, at which time George W. Bush began sending U.S. troops to countries bordering Afghanistan. Haliburton Oil (Vice-President Cheney's former company) and the Carlyle Group (which is owned in part by the Bush family) would have benefited greatly from an oil pipeline across Afghanistan.

By July a sizable number of American troops were in place around Afghanistan, and George W. Bush offered the Taliban "a carpet of gold or a carpet of bombs" in order to obtain a right-of-way for the pipeline. As an act of good faith, Bush then issued document number 199i WF213589, which ordered the FBI and other governmental agencies to halt all investigations into the bin Ladens, the Taliban and al Qeada. Agents were ORDERED to stop their investigations or face punishment. By that time (last July) Bush had already given the Taliban about 143 million dollars of U.S. taxpayer money to show he was serious about his oil deal, so he apparently expected them to choose gold over bombs. But they didn't. They chose bombs, and they bombed first.

The attacks on September 11 were the result of a Bush / Cheney oil deal gone bad. And this wasn't an oil deal on behalf of the American people. As you may recall, Bush allowed his oil friends to artificially inflate U.S. gasoline prices as soon as he was installed in the White House. The price of gas rose to nearly DOUBLE what it had been before his inauguration. And since Bush chose the interests of the oil companies over the interests of the American consumer once before, there is no reason to believe he was conducting negotiations with the Taliban for OUR benefit. No, this is a case of George W. Bush successfully using the power of his office for personal financial gain. Since Sept. 11, the Afghanistan pipeline has been secured (benefitting Cheney's Haliburton company), and the Carlyle Group has been awarded a new 330 billion dollar defense contract (benefitting the Bush family).

So let me repeat -- George W. Bush is using the office of the Presidency of the United States for personal gain, and thousands of people have died as a result. There has been no greater act of treason in American history. What are we going to do about it?

Wes Wilder (Washington, DC)

Keep working at it you small-minded people. Soon you'll be able to tie Enron in with the 9-11 atrocity. But why stop there? Given your obviously fertile left-wing, anti-American mindset, why not go for the Gold: an Enron/ George Bush/ Al Qaeeda/ Timothy McVeigh/Waco/Castro/Hitler/Stalin/Napoleon/Attilla the Hun/Zionist connection? Add Saddam Hussein to this recipe and you'll have the mother of all conspiracies.

Go fly a kite in Afghanistan! The Americans -- as personified by Mr. George Bush--have just made that possible. They do get things right, once in a while.

P. Pachecos (Calgary, Alberta)

What About the KMart Scandal?

The story gives the impression that Borders Group, Inc. is still owned by KMart, and it suggests that maybe our stores should be liquidated in order for KMart to pay off its debts. Borders Group, Inc. has not been associated with KMart since 1995 when what was then Borders-Walden Group went public as Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP). KMart has no ownership position in this company.

Emily Swan, Borders Group, Inc.

Mark Scheinbaum's commentary explicitly states that both Borders and The Sports Authority are now separate companies with separate stock issues. That is precisely his point -- that Kmart pruned away the healthy divisions of the company, and that there is no way to put "humpty-dumpty" together again.

- Editor

Approval disinformation?

I am skeptical to the point of total disbelief about Bush Jr.'s so-called 80% approval rating. But then I wondered, just where could the disinformation be coming from? Then I remembered the "new" agency whose job it is to "counter anti-american propaganda." Could Bush Jr.'s approval rating be considered, by the Bushy administration, to be "necessary for the war on terror," to let other countries "know" we are united?

Jim Loughborough

Accomplices Of Andrea Yates

I have been following this case since it happened. I tell you I have never let something so unrelated to my life touch me so deeply. I have been so emotional reading everything about this case on the internet and looking at the web site devoted to the children. It is unimaginable to me that something like this could happen to such innocent victums. My heart goes out to those children and I hope that someone is held accountable. I do agree that Andrea was a victim of her doctors. No, she should have never been alone with those kids. Yes, Rusty is somewhat responsible and I'm sure he will feel that way everyday for the rest of his life. Yet, I believe he should have been told she was a psychotic by her doctors and he should have been aware of the severity of her illness. Had any doctor mentioned the kids could be in danger I'm sure he would not have left them alone with her. I do think Andrea, played a good role in hiding her problems from Rusty and Rusty played a good role in ignoring her symptoms. So I agree there is more than one villain here. What a tragedy, that something like this had to happen to get that women the attention she needed.

Jamie Trujillo

Enron crimes

Perhaps Congress should use the term "ENRON Organized Crime" when describing Enron. This crooked Enron association appears to be a racketeering crime scheme. But Congress has yet to call it organized crime. Could Mob & Enron associates be now offshore transferring $billions to new foreign accounts they stole from U.S. investors by manipulating Enron stock? Secret offshore Put & Call Options may too easily be used to contribute to political figures or to bribe others when a future stock price can be assured in advance by corporate accountants releasing false financial reports to investors. Congress has yet to make a serious effort to stop hidden-offshore identities from purchasing stock in the U.S.; including crooks buying Put & Call Options on U.S. companies they plan to injure or dump.

"Ross"

Drilling in Alaska: Over Dead Gwich'in Bodies

Politics continue to hide the larger more important picture associated with drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the people. The First Nations, or Gwich'in Indians still practice a traditional lifestyle of hunting and fishing and to this day caribou is the most important food source for them. As responsible people, we should be concentrating most on conservation and working to integrate into our lives the alternative to burning fossil fuels instead of pursuing this destructive path we know must change sooner than later. It isn't just land and animals in jeopardy, it's a culture.

Andrea McNeill

Kyoto Count

How many other nations have actually SIGNED the Kyoto Treaty? And Albania doesn't count. Could it be that THEY also think it is BS, and just want to use us as an excuse not to implement a poorly witten and uneconomical treaty?

John Mulholland

Since Albania "doesn't count," then the Kyoto Treaty is one nation closer to full international acceptance -- they have not ratified the Protocol. To date, 186 nations (including the U.S.) have signed and ratified the 1992 "UN Framework Convention on Climate Change." This document states that global warming is a threat to mankind and steps must be taken to reduce/stabilize greenhouse gases. The Framework left the decision of what specific actions should be taken to be decided later at the 1997 conference in Kyoto. As of March, 2002, 84 nations have signed the Kyoto Protocol (including the U.S.) and 49 have ratified it. Full details about both the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol at the offical UN website which includes the up-to-date status of both documents as well as well-written introductions to issues covered by each. This question comes up so often that it is now part of our FAQ list on our "About Monitor" page.

- Editor

Soy-Based Food May Be Harmful To Infants, Researcher Says

Yikes! I recently adopted a 7 year old Haitian girl and immediatly put her on a vegetarian diet , lots of vegetables,grains and soy products mainly tofu and or soy milk everyday. She has now developed breasts that have gotten alarmingly large.I thought that perhaps her system was reacting to her new protien/vitamin rich diet and was trying to figure out what to do with it all and eventually figure it out naturally? I will cut out the soy products and hope, thanks to you, that I figured out what 3 doctors with 3 different theories couldn't.

"Farley"

"Bombies"

I was pleased to read the excellent review of "Bombies" by Tamara Strauss. My only reservations about this program are that it is difficult to obtain outside of North America and may not be available except in English.

While many former and current American military personnel may have some idea of what it is like to live in a place where each step could be their last, the vast majority of civilians will thankfully never really understand. This video helps bring home the enduring and totally indefensible tragedy of warfare which does not discriminate between the living and the unborn, let alone between combatants and civilians.

The use of these weapons is a crime against humanity. The CCW (Certain Conventional Weapons) treaty is currently being reviewed with the intention of restricting the use of cluster munitions. Information easily available on the web can provide a basis for informed objection to the use of cluster munitions. The article by Tamara Straus is an excellent basis for discussion and action. I pray that some of your readers will be moved toward a positive response on this extremely important issue.

R. Rands (Tasmania)

Storming Seattle

Thank you for the in-depth article regarding the Seattle WTO protests. Would like to see a followup article regarding subsequent meetings in other parts of the world.

Charla Shamhart

You Scum Won't Dare Print This

I'm not even going to attempt to make this a letter to the editor that could be printed, because I know that it wouldn't be printed either way. The reason is this: Your news source is horribly biased, misleading, and distorts truth for its own agenda. That's not daring reporting, that's blatant lying. If this letter was written in a printable format, it would have too many points against your news source to even be considered as printable by your editors I'm sure. I don't even support Bush, but I hate to see people tear down truth for the sake of... well what? If you can't find legitimate reason to not like someone or even their beliefs and stances, than why do you insist on making things up so that others agree with you? Your news source is propaganda designed to brainwash, and what's the most disturbing thing about our nation is that I know people are mindlessly buying into it.

Plus your webdesigner sucks. But that's a side point, totally seperate from the fact that you don't care in any way shape or form for truth, decency, or the pursuit of unity and the higher evolution of man.

Caleb Jennison