Don’t win one in Wichita

RE: “Sugarcoating Reagan”

03/01/01

The Gipper legacy is a joke. He destroyed this country. It was the era of unbridled greed, making the rich richer, and screwing the poor. Ronald Reagan is a disgrace. I can assure you that I will challenge anyone who tries to erect a monument to him in my county.

Cindy Mann
Wichita, Kan.

RE: “Sugarcoating Reagan”

03/01/01

I have an idea for a Reagan monument: a giant gold-plated finger with the words “Up Yours” chiseled into the base. One for every county in the country.

Dorothy Lamkins

RE: “Sugarcoating Reagan”

03/01/01

I cannot think of a greater tribute to Ronald Reagan than to have you folks berate him.

Tom Linehan

RE: “Sugarcoating Reagan”

03/01/01

Next they’re going to have the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel repainted with Reagan’s image.

Robert P. Blankenship

RE: “Greenwashing on Trial”

03/01/01

I am appalled that the ACLU is defining advertising as constitutionally protected free speech. Corporations are not citizens, after all, in the same way that people are. “Free speech” should not equal “all the advertised good will that corporate money can buy.”

Renee Guillory

RE: “Greenwashing on Trial”

02/28/01

I went to Niketown this weekend in Portland. I really wanted some Nike products. Now, after reading this article, I think I may have to go with another brand.

Darren Littlejohn

What are the chances?

RE: “Pin-Pointless Bombing”

02/28/01

One thing to note from the Iraq bombings is that the US military seems to have some trouble hitting large fixed land targets accurately. What chance would “Son of Star Wars” missiles have of hitting relatively small, fast-moving missiles in mid-air?

David Cooper

Thanks, MJ

02/28/01

I’m writing to offer a bit of sincere flattery. I have just completed a letter to both of my teenage daughters, in which I have asked them to look at your site.

I want them to find information that is unfettered by the single-issue distractions and media hype so prevalent in mainstream American debate. I want my girls to hear what their government does, what the governments of other countries do, and what special interest organizations do, be it fair or foul. I want my girls to have access to multiple sources of information, to aid them in their lives and in assisting others. I want them to form their own opinions and be unafraid to disagree with me.

In short, I want them to understand what kind of a world they are in. When my four year old son is adolescent, I hope to send you this kind of praise again. Thanks for providing a trustworthy Web-site.

Margaret Malone

A violation of law and spirit

RE: “The Drug War Comes to the Rez”

02/27/01

I think such behavior is typical of our government. Why are these people forced to earn a living from a pursuit that’s totally antithetical to their culture, when the production of industrial hemp seems like such a harmonious and honorable way for them to be self-sufficient? Those in charge do not have the best interests of this community at heart. To deny them adequate concern and consideration is to violate the spirit of equal protection as promised in the Constitution.

David Gargill

Sensitivity lost in the translation

RE: “Racial Correctness”

02/25/01

As a black male in this country, I am appalled by the free use of the word “nigger.” I think it lowers the esteem of those who would not tolerate nor use the word. Many blacks tend to forget that it was the white European culture that gave us that name. To propogate its use and to say that it is now positive is far from the truth.

I recently visited Italy and Latvia. I was approached by many who felt free to call me “nigger” because that’s what they hear on the music that they buy. They enjoy imitating American pop culture and thought that it would be cool to try their newfound American slang on me. I could sense that they meant no disrespect to me as a person or ethnic race but, needless to say, the words still burned into my soul.

Gregory Johnson

US blew its chance for real peace

RE: “Pin-Pointless Bombing”

02/25/01

If we weren’t bombing Iraq, they problably wouldn’t be as interested in developing long-range missiles. If the US hadn’t pesonalized the war by blaming Saddam (one of Bush’s former anti-Iran buddies), then all of this post-war posturing could have been solved diplomatically.

We could have strengthened our ties to Iraq through reconstruction. This is why Germany and Japan are such good allies today. We fought their governments, but we showed compassion towards their citizenry. Iraq invaded Kuquait for fiscal gain. If we could have cut them a piece of our bloated global pie after the war this would have satisfied their desires.

Geoff Olson

RE: “Racial Correctness”

02/24/01

Apparently, most people, Africana included, use the “N-word.” For we Africana to use the work in play or interpersonal communications is one thing, for others to use the word — at all — is quite another.

“Pet” names, whether between lovers or kin, seem not to offend. Years back, it was quite an insult for one Africana to call another “black.” That no longer is the situation. Today, for others to use “black” when describing Africana is perfectly acceptable. But never the “N-word.”

The use, inadvertent or not, of what are essentially derogatory words, especially by those who are not members of the affected group, is simply not done — slips of the tongue included.

Mafud
The African American News
Wichita, Kansas

RE: “Pin-Pointless Bombing”

02/24/01

Where does Mr. Rall get the information about the numbers of Iraqis killed and injured in the bombings? Perhaps he should say, so that the reader would not jump to the most obvious conclusion: that he was fed them by Saddam Hussein.

I would have expected that any fair commentator would have mentioned the background to the raids. The “no fly” zones that the Americans and the British patrol were established by a UN resolution as a way of protecting Iraqi citizens in the North of the country from a repetition of Hussein’s attacks with chemical weapons. The zones also protect vulnerable citizens in the South, as well as Iraq’s neighbours from the sort of aggression he perpetrated in the past.

Mr. Rall’s primary objective seems to be to bully poor George W.

Nahum Finkelstein
Haifa, Israel

RE: “The Drug War Comes to the Rez”

02/23/01

On the surface the raid apears to be another example of certain elements to ensure that Native Americans remain subservient to the US government, no matter what. Again, it is a case of governmental overkill (no pun intended): more agents than really necessary, and no effort to sit down and discuss the issue in a rational manner. Fortunately, this raid didn’t result in bloodshed, as it well might have, but who can say what will happen in the future.

With few exceptions, I doubt that there are many people in the government who understand Native Americans’ traditions and way of thinking beyond what Hollywood teaches them.

R.A. McAlllister

RE: “Greenwashing on Trial”

02/23/01

I think Nike is a corporation and should not have the rights of an individual as protected by the Constitution. It says “We the people…” not “We the corporations…” From the present state of affairs in this country, however, you might not guess that.

Jennie Rolls