9/11 anniversary letter for publication - comments please

[Cheesehead]

My local newspaper (the Appleton, WI Post-Crescent) has a "reader reaction forum" that solicits opinion from regular contributors on a weekly question. This week the question concerned (naturally) the 9/11 anniversary. The forum has a rather strict word limit, so serious (and satisfying) rants are verboten. I am the resident lefty. Here are my thoughts. Please comment.

Unfortunately for us, the wrong administration occupied the White House on 9/11/01. In the intervening two years the U.S. has been steered irresponsibly, and our well-being as a country and as individuals is at stake. This saddens me greatly.

The Bush administration has taken the desire for security that is a natural response to the 9/11 attack, entwined it with the innate patriotism of the American people and used that atmosphere to advance a partisan agenda and rationalize projects that have nothing to do with terrorism. While the administration concentrates on the political role of selling this agenda to the American people, the actual task of policy development has been abdicated to a collection of think tanks that operate contrary to the public interest. The result is foreign policy that has alienated our allies and reduced our standing in the world, landed us in a quagmire of occupation in the Middle East and emptied our treasury; kleptocratic economic policy that transfers wealth to the already rich at the expense of the poor and working class; and a social policy of authoritarianism that attacks civil liberty via the USA Patriot Act in all of its permutations.

My hope is that by the 9/11/04 anniversary Americans will have made significant progress in reversing these trends and begun the process of taking back our country.

xxxxx xxxxxxx

[sistersofmercy]

1. Concise and to the point, nicely written. Good Luck.

[liberalhistorian]

4. I agree, you've managed to

be very succinct, but to the point, and without repuke-style emotional in-your-face ranting. Good job!

[JHB]

2. ...desire for security and justice...

Stronger and (I think) more accurate would be "...desire for justice and security...

I've heard an apalling number of people support the invasion of Iraq "for what they did to us". Perhaps even more than safety, people want the perpetrators (or at least their surviving co-conspirators) brought to justice, so the Bush people have spent the last two years deliberately mixing together Iraq and Saddam with the terrorists and 911. (which you already know)

Good to bring up the think tanks.

Conservatives used to complain about liberal policies promulgated by "pointy-headed ivory-tower intellectuals" who, secure in their university tenure, didn't have to live in the real world with the rest of us. Now that 30 years of conservative think-tank Fellows form the top ranks of advisors to the president, the shoe is on the other foot.

[emad]

3. You are a paragon of equanimity and moderation!

Your measured argument is cogent and bears no trace of self-confessed political leanings. Your criticisms err on the side of kindness - but the sub-text is crystal clear. Hope they publish your contribution!