Readers Write and other things

Leonard Pitts, jr wrote a September 11th memorial column in which he bemoaned the fact that people were beginning to forget the tragedy of 9/11/2001. Over a week later, the Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Washington published a Scott Stantis cartoon (depicted left) that stated the same thing Mr. Pitts had. I for one do put up my flag for September 11th as someone who had personal experience with terrorism and know what true tragedies that terrorists really cause that last a lifetime of those who were victims and survivors. What I don't do is play politics.

Spokesman-Review of 16 September 2007, letter to the Roundtable, Adam Tait first lashes out at the Democrats depicting them as people who can't possibly hope to take the White House if the war is seen as any kind of success and so, now the Dems feel the need to lash out at General Petraeus. Well, moveon.org lashed out at General Petraeus. Moveon.org most assuredly is heavily tilted in the Democrats favor. Without question, moveon.org has plenty of biases against anything GW. More often than not, they are correct.
But, GW is a guy who plays politics with tragedy, which is why he could use 9/11/2001 to take out a slender Democratic majority in 2002 and went on to exploit terrorism in 2004. At the same time, as GW was exploiting terrorism and a war that wasn't going well, he also continued to have the domestic policies in place that kept this country vulnerable to terrorism. And continued to push the policies in Iraq that clearly weren't a success.

Moving on to David Broder, who headed his column (Washington Post and republished in the Spokesman-Review) with an immediate attack on Democratic Senators such as Barbara Boxer when questioning General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. Broder then goes on at length to disclose what he wished of Senator Graham's "surprising" questions to General Petraeus. What Broder did not note and Jon Stewart on his Comedy Central show had, was how often Petraeus echoed GW speeches. And without question, if Petraeus had been as honest about Iraq as prior generals had, he'd also be without a job, as was also true of other generals. So, if anyone had a refreshing dose of reality, it was Senator Graham. Post Petraeus and Crocker appearing before the Senate, GW went to Quantico and reiterated tired, dated and failed Iraq war strategies. Only now, they were "new" since 2003.

CBS News shows us demonstrators clashing about the Iraq war. Those who shout, "USA, USA, USA." Those who carry the sign, "Warning, trying to demoralize the troops." Oh, is that the sign carriers? And the peace marchers who also want to impeach Bush. Well, a guy who routinely flouts the law, isn't exactly considered to be an "upstanding citizen" but rather a criminal. And when such a person is president and rountinely flouts the law, then he should be impeached. So, the "warning" sign carriers and those who shout, "USA" are also defending a criminal in office. Something they weren't prepared to do when it was the Clinton and Monica show.

Robert Scheer appeared a day before David Broder and informed the readership in his republished column (Spokesman-Review) about the lies behind GW's war. Petraeus managed to say something very revealing in Broder's laudatory column that may just have gone over Broder's head, that the surge served to protect Iraqi judges... Geeze, a foreign military presence to do what the local cops, Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi government won't do? Seems Broder needs a little reality himself!

The Inlander published a column about the Petraeus report. Among other things, gives the readership a lengthy and damning blast of GW's husktering and shrill demogoguery that seem more his bent than any real strategies for success. In another article found in the same free weekly, questions for Washington and Idaho state Senators and Representatives as well as veterans of the Iraq war. McMorris Rogers did nothing but read out of GW's little red book of favorite quotes and gave no further thought. Right, she didn't think while quoting. A veteran of the war didn't want his young children having to fight in the war, but going by Petraeus' counter-insurgency strategies, the veteran would indeed be seeing his young children going off to war in Iraq... --inlander.com

Finally, a writer to the CDA Press who lauds Rep. Sali as a fellow representing a Christian constituency. Well, not every Idaho citizen and certainly not every Idahoan at birth is in fact "Christian." And Sali has often demonstrated a less than "Christian" character.

Scott Stantis authors a guy with a brief case looking at ground zero and wondering (6 years later) what's with the hole. Yeah, I guess the guy can ask that as we moved away from the lessons of 9/11/2001 the need for vigilence to thwart truly horrible acts in the future and went instead in another direction, pushing extremism. Extremism only had at least one Iraq war veteran wondering if it was all worth it. Inlander article.