The presidential campaign has begun in earnest, with the mega-millions being contributed to the Bush coffers by the rich. I'd like to lay out a few reasons why we desperately need a change.
First, about the Iraq war: There have been letters in the Empire that made good sense, notably Garland Walker (March 18) and Kray Van Kirk (March 24). It doesn't matter if WMDs are found. We knew before the war that there was no immediate threat to the United States. That's certainly been confirmed. It is good that Saddam has been ousted; yet, at this writing, his influence still exists. We feel appropriate sorrow for his victims of mass murder and their families, but it seems to me a new role for the United States is to be the avengers. Who do we punish next?
I agree with James C. Moore, who wrote in the Empire (May 9) that this was a political war; this was a ploy intended to improve George W. Bush's chances for re-election. While I'm at it, that's what I think of the tax cuts. They're a ploy to buy votes.
This presidency was born into corruption. Only the illegal actions of Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida and his Secretary of State, Katherine Harris, allowed the election to get to the Supreme Court, which appointed George W. Bush. The Florida officials pulled this off by removing many thousands of voters from the rolls, mostly blacks and Democrats, who were actually legal voters. To do this, Florida used Choice Point, Inc., at exorbitant fees; there was no competitive bidding. Now, because of the Patriot Act, companies like Choice Point, Inc., and Winston Partners, funded by the president's brother, Marvin Bush, supply information on us.
It should also be mentioned that Halliburton, Vice President Cheney's former employer, got lucrative contracts to reconstruct Iraq without bid and even before the war began.
The puzzle to me is, why does the majority still blindly support this presidency that is a disgrace to the office? I hope that during the campaign, this message gets out widely.
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