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More or Less Evil

First of all - great article (Who's the Lesser Evil, ETS! Vol. 8 No. 24). It raises some important questions which I have not seen discussed elsewhere. You are right when you say that November's election is far from an end in itself. We need to oust Bush from power and then keep fighting with our teeth and nails for change. Electing Bush again could, as you argue, help the movement, or it might push it into submission, and make people think activism is a hopeless endeavor.

Whereas there is a slim possibility that Kerry could in four years, (as you mentioned in your article): "unilaterally withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan and cut off military aid to Israel; to repeal the PATRIOT Act" and so on...the likelihood of Bush doing so is nonexistent.

Electing Kerry is no more than a step in the right direction. Differences between the two candidates basically boil down to the differences between the Democratic and Republican party, which is, for me, enough of an improvement to vote for Kerry, however small the change is. And if Kerry is no worse than Bush, wouldn't Kerry also empower activism movements in the same way you said a second Bush term would?

Thanks and Take Care,

Benjamin Dangl, Editor www.UpsideDownWorld.org

Regime Change? Bring it Home

In the last year a frenzy has swept across the American landscape: the frenzy of Regime Change. For neoconservative politicians, oil men, government contractors, and a misled and deceived public, regime change meant the removal of Saddam Hussein. Others have a different idea about regime change. Progressive and conservative Democrats alike, millions of protesters world wide, and billions of the world's poor see the world's single super-power leading the world down a dangerous path. Their campaign for regime change falls under the banner of Anybody But Bush.

There is a common thread that runs through each of these pushes for regime change: the idea that there is someone who poses a threat to the US and indeed the entire planet; we will all suffer if this person is not removed from his position of power.

While regime change has not yet happened in the US, there are important lessons to be learned from regime change in Iraq. It has become obvious that there was a lack of planning for post-war Iraq. Eleven months since Bush declared the end of major combat much of the infrastructure still remains ravaged. The infant mortality rate in Baghdad is twice as high now as it was in the time leading up to the war. An estimated 10,000 Iraqi civilians have died as a result of the war (keep in mind, 40 percent of Iraq's population is under age 15), in addition to the 692 coalition troop deaths.

Regardless of whatever good may have come from Saddam's removal, it is lost upon the Iraqis who must fight in the streets for survival and dignity. Even supporters of the Iraq war would be hard pressed to persuasively claim that the Bush administration had an adequate post-war strategy. The simple fact remains that innocent Iraqi civilians are suffering because of insufficient preparation from our government.

Bush has wreaked havoc within our own borders as well. Three million jobs have disappeared and nearly every state is bankrupt. The elites snatch up even more of the nation's wealth while the middle class begins to comprehend that it's standing on shaky ground. George W Bush is quite possibly this country's worst president. Ever. It's time for regime change.

Let's not make the mistakes of past regime changes; removing Bush will be the first step in creating a safer world, but it can't end there or else America will fall (deeper) into chaos. We can't fool our selves into thinking Kerry is the cure we're looking for; Kerry has already announced that he will give tax breaks to corporations. We can't follow Kerry blindly, for that is what happened after September 11th with Bush and look where that got us.

What it comes down to is that there will be plenty of work still to be done after the elections, regardless of who is president. This November, be sure to go out and vote, but know that it will take more than just regime change to create a just, humane, and sane America.

Brett Jelnik, Pullman, WA

Somebody Else But Bush

The unilateral actions of the Bush Administration in waging and threatening wars of aggression do not serve the interests of the people of the US. The billions of dollars being spent on war, taken from the working people of the US, are being funneled to the Big Oil and Corporate elite who are Bush's true constituents. As the time goes by. It becomes evident that George Bush should be in fact stopped from committing more crimes against the world before it is to late to do anything about it. please people that read this message do not fall for the lie that is the Bush Campaign of 2004. Vote against international oppression. Vote Dennis Kucinich.

Sincerely,

Luke CaAffeur, via email

Response to "Democratic Imperialism"

I just wanted to respond to Jeb Koogler of Vashon who wrote the Democratic Imperialism part of BackTalk. Before you criticize our soldiers for firing at protesters, stop and think about the situation they are in, and the circumstance surrounding the episode. First off, you're in a country that, for the large part, doesn't want you there. You come under fire 23 times a day (according to another piece in the same issue) and you're facing an angry mob. Suddenly a shot rings out. This isn't like a protest at city hall or anything. This is a hostile country where people are trying to kill you. These kids are fighting to SURVIVE. They don't have time to throw rubber bullets into their M16s even if they had them. Now, sure, ideally, they should be trained better in how to deal with this situation, fire warning shots to disperse the crowd, etc., but you're scared, people are shooting at you, you're against an angry mob, you're thinking one thing "I want to get out of this alive".

I would like to say that I have always been against this war. I hate the administration that put our soldiers there, and I hate the lies that they told to justify it. But I do not hate the soldiers who are over there trying to survive. Try to put yourself in their shoes before you start labeling them as evil imperialists. Our government may be, but our soldiers are not.

Mike Wilson, via email

Tricking the Kiddies

As the US Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance recited in public schools, a deeper, more fundamental question has not even been raised: Why are young children being pressured to make a pledge they lack the knowledge to understand and the maturity to commit themselves to?

Children do not give the Pledge careful consideration and decide, daily, to pledge allegiance to their country under God with liberty and justice for all. The Pledge is a political statement and--since 1954, when "God" was added--a religious statement. The only reason children recite the Pledge is that their educators expect them to.

The purpose of education should be to teach children the knowledge and thinking skills they need to succeed in life, not to train them in parroting political and religious ideas they can't possibly grasp.

David Holcberg, Ayn Rand Institute