Letters to the Editor

Recently I saw a letter to the editor that truely offended me, I responded and my response was printed. Another individual responded to my letter a few days later. His response after some examination turned out to be a comic relief.

The original letter was refering to the local city commission drawing critism for voting on a resolution that would demand that Bush end the war.  The critism came because many people didn't feel that the city commission or any commission held that kind of authority.   

Speaking of war resolution, who does Bush represent?
interesting opposed to the city resolution to bring the troops home are most fond of saying that the Commission does not represent them.
But who does the Bush administration represent when they kidnap and torture innocent people? Or when they out CIA agents, spy on millions of Americans, lie about weapons of mass destruction, evict the victims of Katrina from their homes, ignore the Geneva Conventions, write signing statements to avoid the rule of law and ignore Congress, sell nuclear (or nucular, as Bush says it) technology to Pakistan and politicize U.S. attorneys. Are you represented when Bush refers to the Constitution as "@$@ piece of paper"?
This president used the 9/11 excuse to justify invading a country to steal oil. We who oppose this policy are tagged as treasonous for exposing the lies that have led to the deaths of at least 4,900 Americans and over a million Iraqis.
Bozeman's youth are listed in military data bases and being duped into joining the military with the lure of college funds that rarely materialize. That is what makes the Iraq war the business of the Bozeman City Commission.
In the words of David Michael Green, a poly-sci professor from Hofstra University in New York, Bush's record is "one of deceit, destruction, hypocrisy, incompetence, treason and greed. What a tragic tale of debt, lost wars, stolen elections, environmental crises, Constitution shredding, national shame and diminished security."
And who does the Bush administration represent? All of us, that's who.
Richard Mecklenburg
Belgrade

In response to "Who does Bush think he represents?" (letter, Jan. 6).
As a matter of fact, G.W. Bush is the President of the United States. That means he is not only the leader of the armed forces, he is the leader whether you like it or not. I think that it is also prudent to note that as long as the people who hate him are U.S. citizens, then he represents them.
To draw on history, the last president to be this unpopular in my opinion, and to fight in his critics eyes' "a needless" war, was as many dubbed it in the day, "Mr. Lincoln's War." I consider Mr. Lincoln to be one of the greatest presidents because he was willing to fight an unpopular war for an unpopular cause, because it was right and needed to be done.
I also find it rather disturbing that your newspaper would publish a letter to the editor that had been written by such an obvious moron.
Chop Sui

In response to "The president represents you, whether you like it or not" (letter, Jan. 13):
Chop Sui clearly has a twisted view of both the stated job of the president, and the unique role President Bush has filled. The president is not and never has been a "representative" to the people. He is, in fact the polar opposite - concentrated power in the hands of an individual. He is the Chief Executive - the closest our government has to a monarch - which is in stark contrast to any form of representative leadership.
Chop Sui indicated that by electing any president, citizens relinquish their right to disagree with, or even directly oppose, executive decisions. This president, in particular, is marching to the beat of his own drum with approval ratings in the low 30s. This means, Chop Sui, that the president is dragging nearly 70 percent of the country down a road they would rather not travel. How's that for representation? As for the comparison to President Lincoln ... how laughable. President Lincoln engaged in a defensive war on American soil for the very preservation of the Union against an aggressively secessionist South. This hardly compares to the current quagmire President Bush has us in Iraq. There was limited justification for that war, and the excuses made were not only proven wrong, but those presenting them knew they were outright lies. This is not a defensive war - despite Bush's assertions to the contrary - but a preemptive vendetta with no exit plan in sight.

Chris Stewart
Bozeman

Here is my response to Chris Stewart....the unpublished edition

In response to Mr. Stewarts letter to the editor, which in my opinion I found horribly flawed and with out merit. First of all, Mr. Stewart said that I said the president was a representative to the people. What I said in my letter that he represented them....ie to the world community. In the same way a congressman or spokesperson represents a continjuancy, the president represents the US to the world. The president represents, but is not a representative. He also states that I said that by electing a president the people give up their right to disagree with him? After carefully reading over my article I must say I didn't find any where that I said that. Also stating that 70% of the people disagree with the war. I find this funny, because I would have to state that I am one of them. However, what Mr. Stewart doesn't realize is that America is a democracy not a republic. That means that we elect representatives that we trust to vote for us. We personally don't vote for laws....that is left up to representatives...ie....congressmen, and others. That means we elected a person we believe to be the best person and must live by their judgement for their elected term...unless impeached or other wise removed from office. This also means he doesn't have to follow the will of the people on every issue.
Finally, Mr. Stewarts views on the Civil War are obviously coming from a ignorant view. First if you look at the map of the location of the battles fought, a majority, not all, but a majority of them were fought in the south. So how is it that a defensive war for the north? Unless, a good defense is a good offense....which would justify the War in Iraq, to a degree. Difficult doesn't make it wrong. Every war has had its critics, any person should know that. In my original letter to the paper, I was simply stating that I would rather the Bozeman knitting society vote on that issue than the city waste both time and tax money on an issue they have no control over.