In Recovery - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
In Recovery
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SOUL AND HEART
Re: Lawrence Henry’s Me and My Radio:

If anyone doubts the soul of conservatives, I happily urge them to spend a little time digging through the Lawrence Henry archive on this website. The man is a treasure and I never miss his column. Thanks for providing regular real estate for his thoughts at the Spectator.
Hunter Baker

HE AIN’T WORTH A LICK
Re: Enemy Central’s Heaven Can Wait:

Do you suppose the Democrats registered Licorice and had him vote absentee after Kerry’s life-saving heroics?
Gregory Baum
Westerville, Ohio

REAL SHADOWS
Re: Shawn Macomber’s Action Jackson, Hall of Kerry, Protest City, and Rhythm and Blues:

I have actually enjoyed Shawn’s description of that circus called the Democratic Convention this week. I think his columns summed up just how absurd these people really are and how out of touch with reality they have become. The shadow convention he speaks of was in actuality the real convention. That circus with the Kerry clown and others was the shadow convention. That was a show put on to entice the ignorant and uninformed among us. The activities taking place over at the “Take Back America” section was the real Democratic Party. These are the people who want to run our country. This is where Howard Dean, Jesse Jackson, and every other political misfit with an agenda stand out because these are the foot soldiers of the Democrat Party who are funded by the elitist left wingers who have gotten rich off our sweat all the while denouncing us. Kerry is nothing more than an effigy with moving lips who, if elected, will become just a conduit for all their ideas.

However, I don’t think Kerry is going to make it. After viewing the events, it seems these people are on a track to disaster. They had their time in the spotlight and they have blown it. It boils down now to whether the ignorant and uninformed among us constitute a majority on election day. Chances are, they’ll have something better to do on that day than voting. Let’s hope so.
Pete Chagnon

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, Dana Wilkie, quotes Emma Lazarus, when she refers to the poem “The New Colossus.” For instance, she refers to the line, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free,” at the same time she notes Jesse Jackson’s statement that Jesus is a liberal. The poem refers to the elimination of all bigotry and the promise that all new citizens would be able to find safe harbor in the refuge of a new country. But the question we can ask ourselves now is, does this statement of Emma Lazarus hold up true today?
Jeanne-Marie Morrissey
Montpelier, Vermont

TONE POEM
Re: David Hogberg’s Soft on Terrorism:

Referring specifically to David Hogberg’s “Soft on Terrorism” article of July 30, and other pieces written lately at the Spectator, WHO CARES that Nancy Pelosi has a “monotone”? I mean, who cares? Isn’t this just juvenile name calling? Really, how does this advance your point of view? It has nothing to do with the issues that you care about. Would you say that about a candidate you support? Would you say that about the President, that he is well known for screwing up the English language?

I’m am liberal politically. If I were a political commentator, I wouldn’t mention ridiculous side points, like whether Sen. Kerry was sweating during his speech, or whether Vice President Cheney swore at a member of Congress, or whether Sen. Kerry looked goofy in a clean-suit. I would STICK TO THE ISSUES. And frankly, name calling just decreases the space you have to discuss the issues, and, as far as I feel, just dilutes your message to me, and makes me trust your points of view all the less.

Believe it or don’t, I actually try to put myself in the writer’s point of view when I read one of your articles. I really believe in political discourse, in talking about the issues. Don’t YOU any more? Whenever I see name-calling, I just trust the writer so much less. Is this what your supposedly “correct, right-thinking” journalism has come to, NAME CALLING? I mean, who the hell cares?
David Scott Pearce
Washington, D.C.

Why are John Kerry and the Democrats afraid of the T-words? It’s simple. They’re just engaged in their favorite past-time: cognitive dissonance. Maybe it’s better put: “See no evil, hear no evil.”

So, if they say “terrorist” and “terrorism,” that means they may have to actually do something, if pushed hard enough and long enough. And if they have to deal with the two Ts — which they do not want to do, regardless of Mr. Kerry’s Boston bluster — all they can creatively muster is their failed law-and-enforcement, send-the-T-for-terrorists-a-legal summons approach. They also would resort to the standard America-is-to-blame-for-everything, we’ll-rollover-and-surrender approach favored by the European-appeasers wing of the Democrat Party.

All the makeup in the world-and all the putrid partisan puffery that they’ll protect America, etc. — cannot hide the senator’s and the Democrats’ history of weakness on national security and their associated anti-military posture.

And all of Kerry’s “what I won’t do” declarations reveal nothing about what he actually stands for — that is, except the anti-Bush candidate who’ll have a not-Bush’s vice president and cabinet who won’t do what Mr. Bush and his administration did.

Kerry and the Democrats remain visionless and uncommitted to anything other than recouping power, so they can subject us to yet more of their “special” way of liberal/leftist governance.
C. Kenna Amos Jr.
Princeton, West Virginia

HOSTILE FIRE
Re: Jacob Laksin’s Confronting Iran:

I found your article very hostile. I don’t think wars would solve any problem. If they did we would have had a much better world a long long time ago. Today is not a time for wars and destruction, it is a time for negotiations and construction. No government wants to be destroyed by foreign forces or manipulations. I am sure the Iranian government would negotiate and make concessions if they don’t feel threatened and bullied.

God Bless You,
B.N.

Well, Mr. Laksin, we agree. Iran should be confronted. The Bush doctrine should come in to play. Iran is working toward the ability to make nuclear weapons, and they seem to silently endorse and support Al Q. But, sir, just how are we to “confront” them? Our military is bogged down in a place called Afghanistan (remember it? The situation is falling apart there as the Taliban becomes resurgent and the warlords find that they can ignore Kabul) and another place called Iraq.(We are busy trying to keep our promise to the Iraqi people that we rather foolishly made when we invaded their country. And let us remember that it was a just war because the Iraqi people needed to be freed from the oppression they were suffering. And it was all going to be over in a heartbeat and the Iraqi people would love us and become staunch supporters of American-style Democracy and we would all live happily ever after so we didn’t really need to think about the aftermath of our invasion.)

It is requiring the use of most of our available military force to hold the insurgency there in check. So with what will we “confront” them? Most of our National Guard units are not combat-ready and those that are being converted to Military Police instead of combat arms. Our equipment is wearing out in the sands of Iraq. Our recruitment of new soldiers is faltering, to the point that the Pentagon has recalled 6,500 of the ready reserve. The Army has instituted stop-loss. The Air Force is seeing reductions in sortie rates and aircraft availability.

So now what do we do about the real threats? Well, we ignore them. We pull our troops off the DMZ in South Korea and reduce their number and hope the Chinese and the Japanese and the other Asian countries most concerned with North Korea can talk them out of their nuclear weapons. As for Iran we hope that Canada and the U.N. can do something about them. In short, for one man’s, or perhaps an administration’s, hubris we have put our safety at considerable risk.

If you are going to have a “Bush Doctrine” you need people smart enough to implement it.
Philip Hall

DEAD ON ARRIVAL
Re: Sean Higgins’s Democratic Signs of Pro-Life:

In the article “Democratic Signs of Pro-Life” there was a quote by Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) where he says, “I am fully committed to protecting life at every stage.” Of course the problem rests with this being said “during his pro-stem cell research speech Tuesday evening.” The article then says that Rep. Langevin, “appears to have snuck in an oblique pro-life reference.” Wow, here’s a guy who commits to protecting life at every stage while promoting the creation and then destruction of early human life! So this is the sign of pro-life Democrats? I believe that Webster lists “devious” as one of the definitions of oblique.
Jim Trear

DUTY BOUND
Re: George Neumayr’s Hell Is on the Way:

Just wanted to say, great piece with some brilliant observations.
Brad Hayashi
Visalia, California

All the points made by George Neumayr highlighting various demonstrable hypocrisy contained within John Kerry’s acceptance speech last night at the Democrat Nominating Convention were excellent, but one point Neumayr did not mention struck me as stunning. That was when Kerry called upon President Bush to join him on the “high road” to keep the campaign about issues rather than personal attacks. This entreaty, of course, comes after Kerry and his surrogates have spend month after month after month bashing the President with such “low road” rhetoric as “liar, “traitor,” “war-monger,” “dunce,” “arrogant,” “deserter,” etc.

All along, John Kerry’s forthrightness and core convictions have been quite less than apparent. But now, after the deceptive, hollow words he gave us last evening, it’s clear to me this liberal huckster approaches the dissembling skills of the disgraceful Bill Clinton — which makes them both absolutely bottom-rung on the honesty ladder.
A. A. Reynolds
Chula Vista, California

In his otherwise insightful article, Mr. Neumayr refers to “notorious
tax-dodging multimillionaire Willie Nelson”.

What I recall is that Willie Nelson was defrauded by his accountant, and lost practically everything he owned to the IRS. I still have an album of his called “Who’ll Buy My Memories?”, a collection of previously unreleased tracks that were formed into an album specifically to help pay off the back taxes.

Willie Nelson may be a multimillionaire today; I don’t know. But if he is, it is because he has worked hard to recover from the financial setback caused by his accountant. And, far from dodging taxes, he has paid the IRS what was owed.
Charles Meyrick
Fairfield, Connecticut

Indeed, hell in America is coming if the majority of Americans who vote elect Kerry president.

Who in the world, literally, could or would believe what he said? And who, truly, can believe Kerry’s new-found patriotism?

Before Congress in late April 1971, while still a Naval Reserve officer, he said, in part, “And we may have to fight them [wars] somewhere based on legitimate threats, but we must learn, in this country, how to define those threats and that is what I would say to the question of world peace. I think it [the Vietnam War] is bogus, totally artificial. There is no threat. The Communists are not about to take over our McDonald hamburger stands.”

As to being commander-in-chief, about 250 of his former shipmates, including 17 of 24 officers who served with him in Coastal Division 11 in Vietnam, say he’s unfit.

Retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Roy Hoffmann called Kerry a “loose cannon.” The admiral also said his position was “not a political issue. It is a matter of his [Kerry’s] judgment, truthfulness, reliability, loyalty and trust-all absolute tenets of command.”

Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Charles Plumly, a former commander of the senator, described Kerry as “devious, self-absorbing, manipulative, disdain for authority, disruptive, but the most common phrase that you’d hear is ‘requires constant supervision.'”

Kerry can thump his chest until he bleeds with his incessant “I served in Vietnam” mantra about a war he called “bogus.” And the Democrat’s can now glorify the same Vietnam War they opposed back then and deify their favorite warrior-all the time continuing to deify draft-dodger-in-chief Bill Clinton.

But they’ll never be able to change what the sailors who served with him say, or to ever make him fit to be America’s chief patriot and
commander.
C. Kenna Amos Jr.
Princeton, West Virginia

For all of the talking heads waxing eloquent about Kerry’s speech this morning — you have hit the nail on the head, Mr. Neumayr — if John F. Kerry gets anywhere near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, hell is on the way.” Oh, and did I mention that John F. Kerry is a decorated Vietnam War hero? And, wasn’t TerAAYzah just GREAT Tuesday night?
Cathy Thorpe
Columbus, Georgia

I don’t know about you, but I for one was extremely happy and relieved to see the Democrats’ “Reinvention Convention” come lurching and staggering to a balloon-bloated close this evening. Rather than again watch the Metrosexual Ticket of Kerry-Edwards spend the evening prancing around together on their Boston stage après the Kerry main event, I would be more than willing under go a double root canal sans anesthesia and count myself all the more fortunate into the bargain.
Sam Keck
Indian Wells, CA

SCHORI FUNDAMENTALS
Re: Kurt Schori’s letter (under “Kerry Country”) in Reader Mail’s Picture Perfect :

A few points on Kurt Schori’s letter:

Speaking as one of those dirty Christian fundamentalists, I can’t say I remember seeing or hearing about any genital mutilations, honor killings, strapping bombs to children and lighting them up, etc. going on in my church community. As far as our value differences with Islam go, I guess it’s one small step for Kurt; one giant leap for any rational mind. Besides, if I really believed anything preached with passion, wouldn’t his passionate letter have changed my mind already? Concerning anyone’s ignorance concerning Creationism, I would direct them to answersingenesis.org; it’s a good site for a person with a better gift for critical analysis than Kurt apparently has.
Matt Cochran
Boulder, Colorado

CHOICE READERS
Re: Reader Mail’s Picture Perfect:

What a wonderful offering of letters — well thought out and mostly eloquent, a joy to read.

I’d become accustomed to the terminal apathy (or worse) so prevalent these days. Friday’s letters may cause me to rethink the gloom. Thanks.
SLG

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