Letters from our Readers - January 2007

War Profiteering
It was FDR who said at the beginning of our entry into WWII, “I don’t want to see a single war millionaire created in the United States as a result of this world disaster”. Further, he appointed then US Senator Harry Truman of Missouri to chair a special Senate Investigatory Committee (Truman Committee) that ensured that there would be no war profiteering. The Truman Committee became one of the most productive investigating committees in our nation’s history.
Fast forward to today and our war in Iraq. As our president prepares us for a “temporary” surge (We use to call it “escalation”) in troop strength there, corporations friendly to both Bush (Bechtel) and Cheney (Halliburton) continue to make obscene profits while our troops do all the heavy lifting and dying!
The plain speaking Truman had a word for war profiteering. He called it “treason”! Wisconsin Senator Robert La Follette tagged those who were directly involved in war profiteering, “enemies of democracy in the homeland”. I’m sure all true patriotic Americans, both Democrats and Republicans alike, agree. 
I’m hopeful that the new 110th. Congress will form a contemporary “Truman Committee” to oversee war contracts and to put war profiteers out of business once and for all. The fact that this disgrace has gone on for almost four years with no Congressional inquires is a total and complete outrage. So much for the Republican chicken hawks refrain of supporting our troops. They are complicit in this scurrilous affair.
Jim Farrell
Oak Ridge North

A New Surge
There is absolutely no doubt that the actions of this administration and Congress have made us less safe. Studies show that the US is more prone to terrorist attacks now more than ever. The growing hatred around the world is so great that Americans are hassled when traveling abroad, even in allied nations. I read that our own Congressman, Kevin Brady, just recently stated, "I'm convinced the way we best protect ourselves is to pull terrorism out by its roots and re-seed those countries with democracy." 
What he should have done was given an apology, especially to his constituents as well as the nation and then vowed to correct the mess this administration has created. His record of voting with this administration and Tom Delay makes him culpable. It is statements such as Congressman Brady’s that proves that either this administration has no clue as to what they are doing in cultural and diplomatic matters or they are making the Mid-East region as volatile as possible for expanding their war profiteering and empire building. It is ludicrous for the President to say that we are hated for our freedoms. The world hates US Imperialism which Brady’s statement has so clearly defined. 
Our elected officials are defending a course which has proven to be a complete military, humanitarian, and diplomatic failure while shareholders of companies such as Halliburton are the only successes. Polls show that the vast majority of Iraqis want us out. Apparently, they don’t fear an all out civil war as compared to our occupation. Amidst our military presence in Afghanistan, the Taliban have taken over again. Not only are these failures costing the taxpayers over $5 billion dollars per month, but they are costing countless lives and depleting our military when real security threats abound. Meanwhile, this administration ignores any meaningful protections suggested by the 9/11 commission and we are no less dependent on oil. They were willing to hand over our ports to a foreign owned company and they cut homeland security funding for, of all places, NYC and Washington. These decisions seem motivated by interests other than the security of our country and the stability of the world, especially when their priority is US corporations rebuilding “oil rich countries” as democracies. Just follow the money. 
We need real honest leadership in Washington. We need strict ethics reform that will get the money out of doing business in Washington. Most of all, we need a Congress that will police its own ranks and put the breaks on this administration, rather than enabling it and protecting it from criminal prosecution. We owe it to our children, as well as the rest of the world, to hold them accountable. We can not create democratic societies by taking away people’s basic rights, destroying their homes, their way of life or by killing and torturing their civilians. 
This administration has had more time and resources to capture Bin Laden who to this day remains at large. For years this government held terrorists in secret captivity. How far does our imagination have to go to wonder about the search for Bin Laden when you see his tapes surface, as if on cue, to scare the people into supporting this administration? Rove has promised an October surprise. Will they finally pull Bin Laden out of the proverbial hat? 
We must vote and elect a new Congress that will not stay this course of failure, who will bring terrorists to justice within the internationally established conventions and restore the rights of Americans as well as America’s position as a respected world leader. 
Peggy Walton
Conroe, TX

Who Won?
Well the "election" is over. So who won? The GOP! How can I say that when the democrats have "taken back" congress? Simple, Ralph Nader was right when he said our 2 political parties are really just one party with 2 different names. They are all politicians and as politicians their only desire is to stay in power. They are all liars, slaves to their own lust for power and whores to their corporate pimps.
Michigan Congressman John Conyers has been screaming for impeachment proceedings against george bush and dick cheney for years. So now that his party has the upper hand what do you think he will do about it? Nothing. His website states "I have agreed with Speaker-to-be Pelosi that impeachment is off the table."( it is interesting to note that "off the table" is a bush phrase). Conyer's reasoning for LYING and FLIP FLOPPING to his supporters is that it is below him to seek "payback" and it only lowers his party to the level of the GOP. Well I informed Mr. Conyers that bullies -like the radicals who have hijacked the Republican Party- only understand a 2x4 in the face and that anything less only emboldens them. "Payback" is what the American people really voted for.
This "election" was really just a way for the "Republicratic" party to gauge the level of discontent that the American people were feeling. Now that they know this the "Demopublicans" can adjust their partisan efforts to continue their wholesale destruction of the United States and the enslavement of it's people. 
So the bad news is that nothing has changed. Expect continued war in Iraq plus a new one in Iran, lower wages, higher fuel prices, outsourcing of jobs and the continued destruction of Mother Earth and her resources. While you are at it you had better start learning to speak Spanish and Chinese so you can communicate with your masters in the near future.
The good news is that there is still some fire in the bellies of Amercians. I suggest directing that fire towards the only solution to our country's problems- formation of a 2nd political party- a truly independant party composed of people who still want to save this country. We need to start now so we can impeach the entire congress and their corporate pimps in 2008!
Richard Amburgey
Spring,TX

Carville Wrong on Howard Dean and DNC
I find it difficult to express my severe disappointment with my former hero, James Carville. When Carville appeared on the national political scene, he was a real breathe of fresh air. The Cajun Democratic dynamo was a real man of the people speaking in the language of the average man on the street and talking about real world issues.
`Carville appears to have slowly been captured by the system. He is now talking like an inside the Beltway politician and spewing the normal venom of the Washington insiders against the populist leader of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean. 
Carville seems to think that Dean should be replaced because the Democratic gain in Congress was not bigger than the landslide it was. (No seriously, he has been making statements to that effect. I am not making this up.) Carville and other Washington insider critics believe that the Democratic National Committee could have won around a dozen more seats in Congress by putting more money into those House races.
Dean has been focused on a real 50 state strategy of Party building that has already helped Democrats gain control of Congress and the US Senate. We made impressive gains in Governorships and state legislatures. We made impressive gains in the West and Northeast. The decline of Democratic prospects in the South has been halted and significant future gains appear likely. 
It is true that more money would have produced victories in certain campaigns had they received more national support. The campaign of Chris Bell in the Texas Governor race is a prime example. The Ford Senate campaign in Tennessee really needed more national financial support. The House seats not won are important but targeting the right ones would have been difficult if not impossible to determine. Money pulled from other DNC efforts might have resulted in losses elsewhere in this election cycle and future elections.
Carville seems to be excessively focused on short-term gains. This kind of thinking is largely responsible for the decline of the Democratic Party in the pre-Dean era. The Washington power elite had been playing insider politics as a zero sum game looking for immediate gains at the expense of the future before Dean became DNC Chairman. 
Our entire nation has been suffering from this kind of short-term thinking from the elite in DC and Wall Street. As a nation and a political party, we need to relearn the concept of sacrificing now and investing to produce a more bountiful future. Howard Dean gets it!
Carville has lost touch with his populist roots. Dean has not. Dean would spend money building a grassroots Democratic structure in places like Mississippi, Iowa, Montana, Kansas, Colorado, Alabama, Georgia, New Hampshire, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. He would make the Republicans fight to hold their geographic base instead of always being on the defense trying to protect a shrinking Democratic geographic turf.
The Democratic Party needs to be a truly national Party with a truly national leadership. We have that kind of leadership at the Democratic National Committee. We have a national leader who wants to recruit and strengthen our Party at the county, town and city level everywhere. He will not write-off places like Licking County, Ohio or Lincoln County, Tennessee or Cecil County, Maryland. He will not surrender Valdez, Alaska or Lynchburg, Virginia or West Jefferson, North Carolina to uncontested Republican dominance.
Dean will fight for our great Democratic Party in all 50 states and not just a dozen or so competitive Congressional Districts. Democrats will fight in those Districts and another 400 more in 2008. We will fight again in 2010 and 2012. This fight is eternal. We need a Party organization that is permanently vigilant and not based just on individual candidate campaigns during election years. Dean gets it!
The great Democratic tide is still rising. It is a populist tide. The Washington insiders and power elite in the Democratic Party can join the effort or be swept away. The 2006 Election was the beginning and not the crest. This new populism is based on a struggling middle class given national power by the Internet and the rise of new organizations. This populism is closely tied by issues and background with the grassroots of the labor union movement and local civic reform movements. It has deep roots in the FDR New Deal traditions of the Democratic Party. Dean gets it! 
In the heartland, the Democratic Party has shown surprising new life in recent years. The Red heartland has started to become Purple and looks headed Blue. This development can be seen in activities like My Rural America.org http://myruralamerica.org  .
Carville needs to get out into the heartland and start talking to local Democratic leaders. Carville needs more Kansas and less DC. Dean has not been captured by the system. I still have hope for Carville. I will be praying for him. I hope he can learn from Howard Dean and reconnect with his roots in the populist tradition of the Democratic Party.
Stephen Crockett 
Co-host of Democratic Talk Radio 
http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com 

The Taxing Truth
At first thought this was a humor piece............then I realized the awful truth of it.
Tax his land, Tax his bed, Tax the table
Where he's fed.
Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes are the rule.
Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants,
Tax his coat. Tax his ties, Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,Tax his dirt. Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink, Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his cigars, Tax his beers, If he cries, then tax his tears.
Tax his car, Tax his gas, Find other ways
To tax his @#$. Tax all he has, then let him know you won't be done till he has no dough.
When he screams. Then tax him more,
tax him till he's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in which he's laid.
Put these words upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom..."
When he's gone, do not relax.
Time to apply inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax 
Building Permit Tax 
CDL License Tax 
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax 
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax 
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) 
Fishing License Tax 
Food License Tax, 
Fuel permit tax Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon) 
Hunting LicenseTax
Inheritance Tax 
Interest Expense 
Inventory tax 
IRS Interest Charges 
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax) 
Liquor Tax 
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax 
Medicare Tax
Property Tax 
Real Estate Tax 
Service charge taxes 
Social Security Tax
Road usage taxes 
Sales Tax 
Recreational Vehicle Tax 
School Tax 
State Income Tax 
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax 
Telephone federal universal service fee tax 
Telephone federal, state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax 
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax 
Vehicle Sales Tax 
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax 
Workers Compensation Tax
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago and our nation was the most prosperous in the world, had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What the hell happened????
John Sulak

Outsourcing Congress 
Rep. Tiahrt (R-KS) and our own Rep. Kevin Brady are each sponsoring a proposal that creates a "Sunset Commission". This is a "private" commission consisting of non-elected officials who can reduce or eliminate any Federal agency or program they choose. One can't help but appreciate the notion of having a governmental body whose sole purpose is to investigate and ultimately reduce or even eliminate all the waste, fraud and abuse in government. We should expect this of government, just not this Congress or this Administration. 
However, these House Resolutions being proposed would create a commission that has no public oversight whatsoever. These appointees would not be accountable to the public nor voted out of office. It would utilize non-public hearings to make its determinations, leaving the public completely shut out of the process. What is worse, the commission's decisions would be final because the proposed resolutions do not allow for an appeal where the public or Congress could challenge their decisions. 
We already have Congress, along with Inspectors Generals and the Office of Management and Budget who have power to reevaluate any program and their process does not circumvent public oversight. We all hear how the Republican Party stands for smaller government which always sounds like a good idea, but what it means is eliminating key stabilizing programs developed since the Great Depression. With the creation of the Sunset Commission even Social Security and Medicare could easily end up on the chopping block and our own elected Representatives could do nothing to stop it, nor could they be held accountable for it happening. 
This is clearly an attempt to privatize Congress by outsourcing their responsibilities to an unelected and unaccountable third party? I doubt that the Signers of The Constitutions would have signed up for that. One might expect something like this from Sadaam Hussein or Castro, but not in America. Not only does this show how important this midterm election is, but also how the voters here in Montgomery County can impact the entire country, as well as generations to come by who we elect to represent us. 
Peggy Walton
Conroe, TX

All Dressed Up & No Place to Hunt
After years of close association with the Republican Party and hard-nosed opposition to federal land-use regulation, the National Rifle Association finally came face-to-face with reality. They learned you can't trust the GOP.
It supported the sale of assault weapons and 'cop-killer' bullets. It opposed closing loopholes that allow criminals, wife-beaters, terrorists, drug addicts and the insane to acquire firearms. (Novelist Richard North Patterson)
The NRA gun lobby even contended that the DC-Area Sniper Murders were a “Conspiracy by Gun Control Advocates.”
They blindly joined Bush in opposing the Clinton-era roadless rule, a measure that put a third of the national forests off limits to most development -- while keeping them open for hunters and anglers. But years of aggressive oil and gas leasing on prime hunting areas in federal lands woke NRA members up to the fact that just because the Bushies take your money doesn't mean they won't sell you out to a higher bidder..
Costly legal, legislative and political battles in the last decade supporting the Republican doctrine have left the National Rifle Association with a $100 million deficit. Their membership has dropped 20%. A reader poll in 2003 by Field and Stream found 41 percent of hunters saw shrinking wildlife habitat as the biggest threat to hunting in America, while only 25 percent saw anti-gun legislation as a major threat to hunting.
In the same way the Bush administration has overreached on Iraq, the NRA has overreached on gun rights. (Blaine Harden, Washington Post) 
Bubba, you've been had. Join the crowd. 
Bill Barnes 
Conroe, TX 

Legislators Like Fools in a Shakespearean Play 
The title could be "Much Ado About Nothing", only it wasn't Shakespearean theater. It was showing at the Texas Capitol --- and there aren't any rave reviews by taxpayers. 
Or it could have been a sailing movie classic like "Ship of Fools", but this legislative ship we call the House of Representatives is fueled by lots of taxpayer and special interest dollars. So, you would think the ship could get to its destination. 
Our elected officials showed us all once again why it remains the "Biggest (NOT Greatest) Show on Earth"! The behavior of our elected officials was more from the theater of the absurd than a coup attempt to wrestle away the Speaker position from incumbent Tom Craddick. The fear tactics of "club and fang" were held over the heads of representatives and they buckled under the pressure of Craddick and his Lieutenants. They cracked and oozed like soft-shell eggs being squeezed too tightly. 
It was a Looney Tunes catastrophe of epic proportion as first one representative and then another heaved up from the pile of muck haphazardly to challenge the incumbent Speaker. "Sleight of Hand" has always been a Texas political strategy and nobody does it better than Gov. Rick Perry and Speaker Tom Craddick. Is nothing ever thought out well by either party? 
One thing is certain, hardworking Texans will see little positive change from the previous 5 years of this dynamic duo's autocratic rule. Apparently, our elected officials talk a big game, but there's little follow through on their words and promises. 
There is little love in the legislature these days except for lining its own pockets, or a "what's in it for me" priority --- and as William Shakespeare (1564-1616) once wrote: “Love is merely a madness, and, I tell you, deserves as well a dark house and a whip as madmen do.” 
Until the voters whip legislators sufficiently to remind them of their sworn responsibility to the community and fire those who have forgotten their oath, we will continue to witness such vile and contemptible performances. 
Peter Stern
Driftwood, TX 

What is the purpose of a Fire Department? 
If you said :"To put out fires" think again- at least in Montgomery County, Texas.
A neighbor of mine had, at least, 4 large, separate and unattended burning piles of wet leaves which had blanketed a huge area of the neighborhood with a thick layer of smoke. I suffer from asthma like many of the elderly folks who live near me. I called the Fire Marshall's office and according to their criteria the fires were illegal so I called the Fire Department to do their duty and put the fires out. A pumper truck promptly arrived and did nothing but sit in the road for over a half hour with it's lights flashing. I watched and video taped the scene as the homeowner and a fireman were having a chat while standing next to the illegal fire. Then the firemen left and the truck left and the fires remained.
I called the fire station that had responded and asked why they did not put out the fires. They said the homeowner agreed to extinguish the fire so they were satisfied and went back to the station. So I drove back to the scene where the fires still burned and the smoke still clung to the ground. I called the department again and when I informed them that the fires still burned they said that they had done their job and there was nothing more they could do and I should call the cops. Excuse me? When I suggested that they could have put out the fire themselves while they had a truck and crew standing within a few feet of the illegal fires I got nothing but sarcasm and excuses. Incredible. The fire chief spoke to me as if I were the one who was breaking the law. He threatened to "wake" the Fire Marshall and that the two of them would come to my house to "talk with me" I gave him my address and told him to come on over. They never did. 
Instead, a man who claimed to be the Fire Marshall called me to offer his own weak and inane excuses as to why his Fire Department could not put out an illegal fire. He said it was none of my business to question the decision making or actions of the Fire Department. Putting out the fire would have used the water in their tanker and required them to have to return to the station to get more. What if an "important" fire broke out at the same moment that they were using their water on a "nuisance" fire? Besides, the homeowner agreed to put it out himself. They had responded to a call and done their duty. I asked him a simple question: "If a Fire Department goes to a fire 
but leaves without extinguishing it, have they done their duty?" He said yes. I whole heartily disagree. I am a citizen and tax payer and the Fire Department serves me -not the other way around. I painted the Fire marshal a scenario where the Police would respond in a similar manner to a crime. Imagine if the Police arrived to find a man robbing another man and instead of using their power to stop the robbery they instead "asked" the robber to stop. The robber agrees and the Police triumphantly leave while the robbery continues. The Fire Marshall could not imagine such a scenario. Why? The next morning I get another call from another man who claims to be the Fire Marshal of Montgomery County. How many of these people do we have? Although this second Marshall was more cordial he still claimed to be helpless when it came to putting out illegal fires in his jurisdiction. He said there were more important fires to attend to. He even refused to send a letter to the offending homeowner informing him that it was illegal to burn. He said he could not issue tickets to offenders.
The facts are these : The Fire Department responds to a legitimate call. The fire is illegal according to the Fire Marshall's office. The pumper truck sits for over 30 minutes mere feet from the fires and then leaves without doing anything. The fire continues because the homeowner does not put out the Illegal fire. Every single entity involved makes excuses for not putting out a fire they were capable of dealing with and empowered to deal with. 
Is this your idea of what a Fire Department should be? It sure isn't mine.
Richard Amburgey
Spring, Texas 

The Solution to the Iraq Problem
People seem to be baffled by what is happening in Iraq and see no solution to the problem. An entire study group of bright and wise experts has met and given their report. Yet no solution has been put forth. Why? What have all these enlightened souls failed to see and report?
There is a solution to the problem in Iraq. But in order to see that solution one needs to be able to see beneath the surface of events, to see the root cause of the problem, what is causing the sickness of death and destruction.
The situation in Iraq is basically one of survival where ideology plays a primary role. Those who believe in Islamic Fundamentalism have declared war upon everyone else; all who do not accept their faith are enemies and may be destroyed without conscience. It is the recognition of this fact and this singular fact alone which is necessary in order to discover the solution to the problem in Iraq and bring peace to the region.
Our enemy is thus Islamic Fundamentalism. We are fighting an ideology. To win the war in Iraq and the region it is necessary simply to outlaw the establishment Islamic Fundamentalism as a state religion because it is those who desire to establish Islamic Fundamentalism as a state religion who are responsible for all the acts of terrorism which stem from this basic ideology. Note that I do not advocate outlawing the religion of Islem; but rather, advocate outlawing the establishment of any religion as a state religion.
We in America do not like the idea of outlawing a religious belief because our own nation is founded upon a constitution or doctrine of law which grants religious freedom unto all people and in so doing prohibits the adoption of a state religion. Yet in Iraq and countries like Iran no such law exists. In fact, Islamic Fundamentalism operates upon the principle that all other religions are invalid such that it is a holy act or an act of martydom to kill and destory anyone who has an alternative belief. Thus to kill Christians is God's will if you are operating according to how Islamic Fundamentalists view the world.
The solution, thus, to the problem is very simple. On the surface it may seem that the solution is to outlaw Islamic Fundamentalism in Iraq and the region. But outlawing religion is NOT the solution and never has been the solution to problems which involve violence inspired by religion. Rather, the solution is to adopt the principle of Freedom of Religion in the constitution of Iraq and to prohibit establishing any religion as a state religion..
Unless the principle of Freedom of Religion is adopted concurrent with prohibition of any religion as a state religion and this made part of the constitution in Iraq, the United States should withdraw all troops and support from Iraq. This is because peace can only come to Iraq and to the region when the principle of Freedom of Religion is adopted by all area states; that said states also prohibit establishment of a state religion.. For it is this principle that allows all people, regardless of their faith, to exist in harmony and with tolerance toward one another.
Freedom of religion is one of the great principles upon which our own nation was founded and which has enabled it to prosper. We must insist that Iraq adopt the principle of Freedom of Religion and prohibition of a singular state religion in its constitution and that we only negotiate with other area states which also adopt a similar principle of Freedom of Religion for all their people.
It is this basic strategy which will end the conflict in Iraq and in the Middle East because it will basically strick a death blow to the ideology of Islamic Fundamentalism which is to prohibit all religions except for the one state religion of Islamic Fundamentalism. For you see, as our forefathers so wisely recognized, the provision of Freedom of Religion prohibits a state religion and therefore avoids the type of conflict which occurs when you adopt a singular faith and prohibit all other faiths by law.
Hence the solution to the situation in Iraq and the Middle East is very simple: adopt the principle of Freedom of Religion and prohibit establishing any singular religion as a state religion. This will deliver a death blow to Islamic Fundamentalism as the singular religion of the state such that acts of terrorism to kill people will be futile for by law there can be no state religion.
We must also promote the doctrine of Freedom of Religion and no state religion in the United Nations such that this become a universal principle that the day will one day dawn when all nations have a constitution which grants Freedom of Religion and prohibits a singular state religion.
This, then, is the solution to the problem in Iraq and to the Middle East in general. Unless Iraq has a constitution which permits Freedom of Religion and prohibits establishing a state religion, there will continue to be conflict for Islamic Fundamentalist will have as their goal domination and establishing their religion as the supreme state religion. But once you outlaw the establishment of a state religion and grant Freedom of Religion you win the war of idealogy for this basic strategy is one all people can adopt and live in harmony with, even those who have the Moslem faith; for Moslem people can love one another the same as can Christians, Jews and everyone else.
Terry Lynch

Bush Should Listen
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. says, "The Iranians are trying to drive us out. If there's Iranians in Iraq, let's get them." National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley said on Meet the Press, “Jihadists are moving from Syria into Iraq. We intend to deal with it by interdicting and disrupting activities." 
Vice President Cheney said on Fox News Sunday, “President Bush's decision to go against an Iraq Study Group recommendation to engage Iran and Syria to find a political solution is the right one in light of Iran's role in providing improvised explosive devices to insurgents.”
The Iraq Study Group made 79 different recommendations to the president on Iraq. He rejected every one of them. Not only does he have 300,000 Iraqi troops to police Baghdad but the Kurds have offered at least 60,000 troops and he's turned that down too. 
Here's a thought: Senator Chuck Hagel, (Rep Neb) said on Sunday's Meet the Press, “I've heard several members of the administration say we need more security on Iraq's borders to keep the terrorists from Iran and Syria out. 
I say, let the Iraqi troops police Baghdad and put the US troops on the border to keep the terrorists out...” 
What? Let Iraqis fight Iraqis? 
Maybe, as Dick Cheney says, the Democrats don't have a “coherent” plan but Senator Hagel from his own party offers a suggestion that sounds more coherent to me than anything coming out of the White House. 
Bill Barnes 
Conroe, TX

They Lie And Take Your Money
Eight liners are set on a extremely lo pay out and are not monitored by the state! The owners lie and take your money! i have played in 5 different game rooms and there all the same! If a jackpot does pay they change it so it will not pay again! I know I have lost thousands trying to hit a jackpot! I lost over 40,000.00 in the last machine I played before it broke me! You keep going after it thinking that it is going to pay and it never does! It is not fair and is stealing and if the state is going to allow them to stay open they should monitor them so that they don't keep lowering the pay out percentage! How can I pursue getting back all the money that they took from me! 
Kevin Wostal

Real Threat To Our Sovereignty?
The Security and Prosperity Partnership, an agreement President Bush, Mexico's Vincente Fox, and Canada's Paul Martin have entered, one that some call Super NAFTA, is being quietly instituted without hardly a peep from our mainstream media. It is not being held to oversight by our Congress, but bills are in Congress now that will establish the legality of this agreement. We, the People of the United States, have not voted on it, nor do we know much about it.
I have established a website, www.theodessapatriot.com , which addresses the establishment of this agreement. You are cordially invited to review it. I think you will find it more than interesting.
Faye Hall
Odessa, TX 

Saddam Was Right Bush Was Wrong
Think about it. It was the Bush administration and not Saddam that turned out to be lying about WMDs. As we all know now, there weren't any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Amazingly enough, it was Saddam who was telling the truth from the very beginning. Bush was the one who lied to the whole world.
You may remember that in 2002, the UN Security Council ordered Iraq to put together a report detailing the entirety of its biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons programs. In response, Iraqi officials compiled an 11,800-page report on the past and present status of Iraq's weapons programs.
From that report we learned (from the Iraqis) that Iraq once had both chemical and biological weapons, as well as a program to develop nuclear weapons. We also learned that Iraq acquired biological and chemical weapons from the US, and Iraqi nuclear scientists were trained at US government nuclear facilities. Most importantly, though, the Iraqis told us that some of the weapons and nuclear facilities were destroyed in the first Gulf War, and the rest were destroyed under the supervision of UN weapons inspectors.
All of this turned out to be true. George Bush repeatedly told us that Saddam was lying, that Iraq had WMDs, and that Iraq under Saddam was a "threat to the whole world." So, here we are, years later. What have we learned to be the truth?
The search for WMDs turned up nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Everything Hussein said about the weapons has turned out to be true. Everything Bush said about the weapons has turned out to be false.
But, it wasn't "faulty intelligence" as the liars keep telling us. War against Iraq was the product of a witch's brew of disinformation, distortions, spin, and lies given by people interested in the US invasion of Iraq.
The non-existent weapons of mass destruction weren't the only falsehood. There were the phony uranium purchases, lies about Al-Qaeda training camps in Iraq, mobile weapons labs, and drones that were going to attack the East Coast of the US. 
Remember the lies about babies being thrown out of incubators? The propaganda started years ago. Even the claims of Saddam's brutality are suspect. Why? Because most of these claims come from the same people that have already discredited themselves. 
No one would call you naïve for distrusting someone who lies to you over and over and over. So, when confronted with the charge that he lied about the reasons to go to war with Iraq, President Bush simply went into spin mode and said, "The defense of freedom is always worth it." 
Was it worth it to the thousands of Americans who have been wounded or killed? 
Was it worth it to the countless Iraqi men, women and children who have died?
Was it worth it to their families? 
The reality of the situation is that the US Government - from Bush Sr., to Bill Clinton, to G.W - decided on its own that Saddam should no longer be the president of Iraq. This is the very thing that the Constitution and International Law were designed to prevent. America was never threatened by Saddam Hussein. Iraq had absolutely no capability to attack the United States, and never was there indicated a desire to do so. 
In short, American "freedom" was never threatened by Iraq, or Saddam Hussein. So how can anyone consider an unprovoked attack on another nation as "defending freedom"? The absurdity of such lies will ring on for centuries.
It's not America's calling to choose who should or should not be in charge of another country. But, obviously, the Iraqi war was worth it to George Bush. If George wants to donate his own money to revolutionary movements in foreign countries, he has the right as a free person to do so. If he wants to quit his job (wishful thinking) and go fight in one of those countries, he has a right to do so as well.
But, he has absolutely no constitutional authority to use American money and American lives to fight for "freedom" in other countries.
So, in order to continue war, the lies must continue. The result of all this was that the "Butcher of Baghdad" was right and that the "President of the United States" was wrong. Saddam Hussein was given the death penalty for "war crimes," while George Bush and his accomplices in our two-party Congress continue to rule over us. 
We're living in sad times, indeed, times when you can trust what Saddam Hussein says more than your own government. 
In practice, being honest or lying doesn't matter. It's might that's right.
And that's the sad truth.
Michael Boldin 

A Change in Course? 
President Bush has now come to the conclusion that there needs to be a sizable increase in our military forces. Those skeptics out there, who do not comprehend the complexities of this brilliant military mind, probably don’t realize that he has the vision to conceive concepts few others would even dream of. 
With his determined and steadfast leadership, nothing is unachievable. Based on the success of his domestic initiatives, think of the possibilities he could come up with for prosecuting the war in Iraq: outsourcing of military operations; privatizing strategic war planning; guest-soldier recruiting; a faith-based defense budget -- the possibilities are endless.
Of course the cost of bringing our military up to the strength levels needed will require countless more billions of dollars. So, where's the money to come from? Not to worry. Our President will solve that problem just as he has with all other appropriations -- more tax cuts! 
Paul G. Jaehnert
Vadnais Hts., MN

Border Town Violence
For five years President Bush has spoken about the evils of terrorism and the importance of American military involvement in the Middle East, but what about our own backyard? While few question the need for some form of military action in the Middle East, one could argue that an even greater threat of terror appears to be waiting just a stone’s throw from U.S. soil. Remember that there are literally hundreds and hundreds of miles of the U.S.-Mexico border which are completely unprotected by checkpoint, fence, or man. 
Nevertheless, outside of obvious immigration concerns of a flood of illegal aliens crossing our border, two of the largest hubs for drug trafficking in the western hemisphere lie just to our South: Tijuana and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. While each town has its own particular charms, Nuevo Laredo, the immediate threat for Texans, wins the prize for violence and organized crime. 
In two short years, the city has lost one police chief to violence, one was pressured to retire, and the current chief has taken a virtual vow of silence by remaining anonymous to protect himself and his family. The Nuevo Laredo police force itself is saturated with controversy, conspiracies, and corruption as those in charge are now seeking to replace nearly half of the 600-member force of officers. To make matters worse, prior to his departure from office, President Fox quietly withdrew the federal officers he had so emphatically deployed earlier in the year after more than 170 lives were lost in drug war violence. 
Between Mexico’s look-the-other-way approach to cartel violence and the poor protection of the U.S.-Mexico border on the part of both countries, it is only a matter of time before towns like El Paso, Brownsville, and McAllen fall prey to drug-related slayings, over-crowded prisons, and a devastating crime wave. Clearly, the bulk of the responsibility for change rests with the U.S. government, which has thus far been all-too-pragmatic in any approach to border security. This issue should legitimately concern every Texan; it is one in which swift action is needed. 
We must urge our U. S. Senators and Congressmen to introduce new, compelling legislation next year to help increase border security and to vote yes on all measures necessary to secure our borders. It is not just about keeping out illegal immigrants; it is about keeping Texans safe and passing legislation and laws that everyone can agree on, regardless of political affiliation or ethnicity.
Gina Parker
Waco, TX

Move Over New London
When the Supreme Court told Susette Kelo that she had to give up her home so that New London, Connecticut could increase its tax revenue, outrage ensued. State legislatures — including here in Texas—moved swiftly to enact laws to curb similar acts of eminent domain abuse.
Unlike the rest of the country, El Paso seems unaware of the violence done by the court to the Takings Clause in the U.S. Constitution. As a result, the city has moved forward with a plan to redevelop its downtown and the Segundo Barrio using eminent domain. 
The Texas Legislature did pass a law in 2005 that banned the use of eminent domain for “economic development” takings. But the law contained an exception for takings designed to eliminate “slum or blighted areas.” 
The city has done its homework and determined — to no one’s surprise — that the entire area is blighted. 
Yet the city’s own study clearly shows there is vibrant economic activity taking place within this “blighted” area.
For instance, the study cites 1,055 businesses in the 79901 zip code employing 12,485 people with an annual payroll of more than $325 million. The sales for these businesses totaled more than $340 million dollars in 2005—$120 million of which were retail sales. 
There are also almost 100 residential buildings in the area, including single family homes, duplexes and apartment buildings. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, more than 14,000 people live in the vicinity.
Many of the area’s residents and business owners don’t feel like their homes and businesses are blighted—and in fact, they are not. 
Yet the blight exception in state law allows the city to take properties that are not blighted themselves—they only have to be in an area that the city has determined to be blighted. It won’t matter whether the property in question is a thriving business like Starr Western Wear or someone’s apartment in the Segundo Barrio.
In December, the El Paso City Council put the final touches on the plan by adopting a Tax Increment Financing Zone—what it calls “a formidable force in the redevelopment.” And indeed it is—through the TIRZ, the city will be able to engage in Kelo-style takings, just like New London.
And also like New London, the city will target residents and business owners in a “low and moderate income area” to benefit well-connected developers.
The city may try to allay fears of this by pointing out that they have put a moratorium on eminent domain takings for a year. But all this does is provide the related Real Estate Investment Trust the opportunity to buy up properties from owners under duress who know that if they don’t sell now, the city will be back in October with a court order.
Incredibly, El Paso has been pressing forward with its rerun of Kelo despite indications that the Texas Legislature will strengthen protections against eminent domain abuse, setting up a potential legislative showdown this year.
Move over, New London. El Paso is set to be the new poster child in the battle over property rights in Texas.
Bill Peacock

The Price We'll Pay
I suppose now that President Bush has limitless power, a.k.a., the power of God, the rest of us must cower before his countenance? Voters and Congress permitted the President to circumvent the U.S. Constitution for that omnipotent power, and of course we're all paying for that decision now – with compounded interest.
George Walker Bush is a man who acknowledges the aspect of that potent power yet dismisses several of God's other assets – compassion, humility, truthfulness and kindness to all creatures.
After the tragedies of 9/11 the Bush administration, based on false and/or misleading intelligence and with the approval of Congress and the American people, began to wage a "Holy War" on terrorism. We did so against the advice and feelings of many world nations. The administration has created havoc in the Middle East at the cost of thousands of Iraqi and American lives, including those of many civilians.
In truth, America, "the land of the free and the brave," has become "the loathsome and the feared." We have scalded the hands of our friends, while perpetrating wars and violent acts against those with whom we disagree. The democracy of our forefathers lies in shambles, while our leaders plot an assault on other adversaries. Will the Bush administration ride on to smite the infidels of Iran? Only time will tell.
History informs us that the Christian Crusades lasted almost two hundred years, from 1095 until 1291. Pope Urban II was responsible for assisting Emperor Alexus I of Constantinople in launching the first crusade. He made one of several influential speeches calling on the Christian princes in Europe to go on a crusade to "rescue" the Holy Land from the Turks. Were the Crusades successful?
According to Williston Walker, et al., A History of the Christian Church, 4th ed. (New York, Charles Scribner's Sons) p. 284,
"Viewed in the light of their original purpose, the Crusades were failures. They made no permanent conquests of the Holy Land. They did not retard the advance of Islam. Far from aiding the Eastern Empire, they hastened its disintegration. They also revealed the continuing inability of Latin Christians to understand Greek Christians and they hardened the schism between them. They fostered a harsh intolerance between Muslims and Christians, where before there had been a measure of mutual respect. They were marked, and marred, by a recrudescence of anti-Semitism...."
Apparently, humans have difficulty learning from their history lessons. The ground rules have again been set for another Holy Crusade that may take generations to resolve in a peaceful manner. Already the repercussions of our folly caused by invading Iraq are creating a U.S. nation split and tarnished. Almost completely we are living under a corporate/military oligarchic government. Currently our leaders are contemplating another Holy Crusade into Iran. Our Constitution is in jeopardy and our leadership is evolving rapidly – or, according to the "theory" of Intelligent Design -- "emerging" into a Despotic Monarchy. Our King George, as did many monarchs before him, has embarked on a tragic path. It will fail as assuredly as did the Crusades many years ago.
American voters would do well to learn their history lessons quickly, before the representative democratic government they have long held in esteem has gone the way of the dinosaur. 
We do not want generations of American children learning about our lost democratic heritage via word-of-mouth from community storytellers.
Peter Stern
Driftwood, TX 

Brady Votes with Big Oil
As predicted, Congressman Brady voted against the bill that repeals the tax breaks and subsidies that he and the 109th Congress gave to the ultra-rich oil companies back when we were being so severely gouged at the pumps and they were making record breaking profits. The bill will also invest that recovered revenue for much needed alternative fuel development and research. Brady joined 162 other Representatives against this legislation, only for it to pass with a vote of 264. Brady’s vote demonstrates his voting pattern against consumers and the environment. This legislation could very well mark the end of the era of taxpayer funded corporate welfare, special interest handouts and bridges to nowhere.
I just could not imagine that any Congressman would vote against helping our young men and women achieve higher education, but Brady did. In fact, he and only 70 other Republican Representatives voted against the College Student Relief Act. Common sense dictates that an educated population advances this country in every possible way. So, what were they thinking? Does Brady’s vote demonstrate his fearless commitment to regressive Republican policies or is he simply too committed to his position on offshoring American jobs and his free trade agreements? Maybe his view is that it is pointless to educate our people when you can get labor at a fraction of the cost in countries where you don’t have to worry about things like OSHA, EPA, social security, unemployment taxes, minimum wage, child labor laws or providing employment benefits.
What caught me completely by surprise was that Sen. Cornyn and Hutchison voted FOR the Ethics Reform Bill. All but 2 Republican Senators crossed over and voted with the Democrats for this long overdue legislation. Cornyn commented that he had received the wake-up call from the 2006 mid-term election. Of course, his wakeup call was rather amplified by the fact that he is up for re-election in 2008. Apparently, Rep. Brady didn’t get his call, even though he is also up for re-election. So, please call him and let him know that it is time for him to put our interest first.
Peggy Walton
Conroe, TX

A Little Late?
I just read your article titled "Wintersʼ Discontent: The KPFT Host Sounds Off on the Election, Republicans ...and our Little Town"
Better late than never I think, it is an excellent description of what is going on at Clear Channel, Pacifica, and with Larry. A friend sent it to me, and I will in turn forward the link to my friends.
Moe Guertin

(Editor's Note: The article referenced, "Winters Discontent", was in fact originally published in December of 2004. All of our stories are archived online. When finding an article in The Bulletin from an online search, you can determine the when it was originally published by looking at the URL. Ex: http://www.thebulletin.com/archives/2004/december/wintersdiscontent.htm) 

Texas’ Great Outdoors 
This month President Bush signed into law the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act. Included in this legislation is a “Freedom to Fish” provision that I wrote to protect Texas anglers. Without my language, recreational anglers would have been penalized by restrictions intended to affect only commercial fishing. I support efforts to protect our environment in a sensible fashion and in a manner that does not deny Texans opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors.
An unmistakable part of our state’s identity is its natural beauty. Texas possesses a diverse landscape that includes mountains, canyons, beaches and forests, and there are 80 state parks for Texans to explore and enjoy. Wildlife is also abundant, with nearly 300 species native to the Lone Star State. 
Activities such as camping, hiking, hunting, and fishing offer a special time to appreciate nature and provide families with opportunities to enjoy Texas together. They encourage bonds and friendships. Furthermore, revenue from the management of hunting and fishing provides for many preservation efforts 
Since the 1930s, legal hunting has also funded the bulk of wildlife conservation efforts in Texas through the Wildlife Restoration Program. The federal taxes from the sale of sporting arms, ammunition, and archery equipment is appropriated to each state using a formula based on the state’s total area and the number of licensed hunters in the state. Texas receives over $8 million each year to support wildlife restoration in over 50 wildlife management areas covering more than 750,000 acres.
In other parts of the country, special-interest groups continue to take away the rights of hunters. Last fall, Michigan became the 38th state to ban dove hunting. Should a similar ban ever be proposed in Texas, I will be the first to sign up in opposition. People who hunt and fish are already subject to stringent regulations, and passing unnecessary hunting bans would deny many Texans a cherished sport and significantly affect our state’s economy. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the 1.2 million hunters in Texas who are at least 16 years old spend, on average, 14 days per year hunting and contribute $1.5 billion annually to the Texas economy.
During my 13 years in the Senate, I have supported worthwhile preservation efforts in Texas such as the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge and secured funding to acquire threatened areas near the Big Thicket National Preserve. In Mission, I have worked to protect the natural heritage of the area by supporting conservation efforts in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
By protecting the land, residents of the Rio Grande Valley also experience economic benefits. The World Birding Center, part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, is considered the richest birding area north of the Mexican border. Potential sightings of nearly 500 species of birds, birding festivals and other events have created a $125 million annual ecotourism industry in the area. Statewide over three million wildlife watchers contribute $1.3 billion to the Texas economy each year. Improving the local economy while preserving the habitat of endangered species is a winning combination, and I will do all I can to enhance these types of projects in the future. 
As our population grows, protecting our great outdoors is intrinsically and economically valuable. Preserving our land and providing access to its treasures is a responsibility we owe future generations. I have worked for years to preserve Texas’ natural habitat as well as to protect the rights of those who hunt and fish in Texas, and I will continue these efforts so others can appreciate and enjoy our land for years to come. 
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

Obama Should Wait
I was really hoping that Obama would not run in '08. It is a great day for African Americans when one can announce their possible candidacy for the highest office in the land and don't be looked at as a joke, i.e., Jesse Jackson in '88, and Al Sharpton in '00. But if Obama by some miracle is 
elected, there will never be another Black president elected. 
The next President after Bush will inherit the worst political mess you can imagine. 
All of George W's great work will be brought out in the open and it will be a shame to see a good honest man like Obama blamed for it. After 2008 things in Iraq and Iran will be a lose lose situation for a new U.S. president. Iraq will still be a meat grinder, Iran will have nuclear weapons and will be feeling its military oats by challenging U.S. on the 
Iraqi borders, and at home immigration will be a free for all , and don't forget the economy from financing all of these wars.
So in a nutshell after Bush is gone things are gonna be really bad, just like when Nixon got out of office it took about 2 or 3 years for things to get bad but it did and Jimmy Carter got the blame. Gerald Ford wasn't in office long enough for anything to start coming down. And now poor 
Barack will be blamed for everything including the Iraqi war, which he had 
absolutely nothing to do with starting that war. And after poor Barack finishes his horrible term as President, the race game will begin for the next African American who gets nerve enough to try and run. People 
will say "we tried a Black president once before and look how bad things were. Never Again".
So go Obama in '12 or '16, after Hillary Clinton or John Mccain takes the blame for George W's mess then we will be ready for you.
Kyle Palmer
Willis, Texas

We Won War But Lost the Peace
Iraq will never become a Democracy or Democratic Republic as long as Shiite cleric Sayyed Muqtada al-Sadr is alive and commands his Mahdi Army. al-Sadr with the backing of his Mahdi Army forcefully persuades people to vote the way he wants, and he now controls two thirds of the Iraqi National Assembly, exerting irresistable pressure on Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to make concessions to al-Sadr's Shiites.
al-Sadr wants to be in Iraq what Kohmeini is in Iran, and he's well on his way to getting what he wishes. He intends Iraq to be a theocracy with him as its head. He expects the Prime Minister and other elected Iraqi officials to answer to him. And through the Mahdi Army he is exercising his will, intimidating the majority Shiite to vote the way he wants at the polls and in the National Assembly. 
If Iraq is to be truly free, al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army must go. The death of al-Sadr and the annihilation of his Mahdi Army would pave the way for a truly independent and free Iraq. 
Nothing less will work. All other Iraq plans are doomed as long as al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army lives.
We must eliminate al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army. Or cut our losses, and get all of our USA troops and civilians out of Iraq NOW! 
R. T. "Dan" Hanchey
Madison, Mississippi 

State Parks
We have been told by Former Senator Todd Staples, Rep. Byron Cook and the staffs of the Lt. Governor and the Speaker that the “Preservation Task Force” established by Senator Staples was in response to citizens request in Anderson and Cherokee Counties.
The task force was tasked by Senator Staples to find another state agency or a private operator to own and operate TSRR.
It developed into a mission to pay $15-$20m of State funds to someone to take our property. In addition a guarantee of no losses for 3 years was proposed. 
What does the state have to gain by paying out monies to private individuals? What percentage of this stays with them and what percentage actually goes into the state property they are supposed to be managing?
Robert N. Crossman, Jr., P.E.
Jacksonville, Texas

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