Nader deserves support
Re: “Nader’s evaders” (Metro Times, May 5). There are differences between Bush and Kerry. But when people say that Bush is the worst president they’ve ever seen, they are mostly referring to measures that were supported by Kerry: the Patriot Act, the war in Iraq, etc.
Some blame Nader’s candidacy for electing the president who dragged us into the war in Iraq. But I blame all those "progressives" who assured the Democrats that they would vote for "anybody but Bush." The idea of going to war with Iraq was not popular. We almost had a strong enough movement to stop it, but our movement lacked one critical element — an opposition party in Congress willing to stand up and say no.
The Democrats made a conscious decision not to oppose the war. They knew "progressive" people would support them against Bush in 2004 regardless, so they felt no pressure.
If the "progressive movement" continues to give the Democrats support even though their policies are similar to the Republicans, the Democrats will continue to feel no pressure, and our country will continue on this horrendous path. —Paul Felton, Co-chair, Detroit Green Party, Detroit
Who’s driving?
Desperate times call for desperate measures: Lock Nader into the trunk (it’s in the front, y’know) of a Corvair and drive it into the nearest immovable object. Unsafe at any speed? You got it, Ralphie! —B. J. Williams, Warren
Practice what we preach
Re: “Helping Osama win the war” (Metro Times, May 5). Jack Lessenberry is 100 percent correct. Our credibility is shattered, and it may be decades before it is restored. How does it look when America preaches against human indignity and is seen practicing just the opposite? While not all Americans are like those who did what was shown in those photographs, our image is damaged. —Marshall Grad, Sterling Heights
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War not nice
Quit being a pussy, Lessenberry. In war, lots of things go on that may be unpleasant to the eye but still they have to be done. In order for you to write your filth and live the unencumbered life you live, many unpleasant things have to take place around the world and lives (even women and children) must be lost. There seems to be no Iraqi outrage or shock when American bodies are being hung from bridges or dragged through the streets. All they seem to do is dance around the corpses and put them on display for the good-hearted people of Iraq to spit on. Our soldiers have a tough job to do. But at least they are standing their watch, which is something I doubt you did, you coward. You love the taste of the soup but want to complain about the ingredients in it.
Why don’t you go to Iraq and find a nice corner to spew your bile on? See how well-received you are. And as for the president (whom God talks to on a regular basis), he not only made himself look weak but the country as a whole for going before the world to apologize for the tactics the military employed. What he should apologize for is criticizing the kids who serve in our voluntary armed forces. Every country does terrible things when they fight a war but the United States is the only country whose feet get held to fire when some of those things are revealed. War is not nice — it is ugly. F U, Jack! —Stan Porter, Detroit
No person is trash
Jack Lessenberry is one of my favorite columnists, but I am very angry and offended that he stooped to the level of calling someone a “white trash woman from some of West Virginia's seedier trailer parks.”
No human being is trash. And I'm sure you wouldn't be commenting on the abuser’s race and class if it were an African-American from one of Detroit's “seedier” neighborhoods, or an indigenous person from one of North Dakota's "seedier" reservation towns.
The phrase "white trash" is as classist and derogatory as many racial slurs. Instead of focusing on the working-class white woman who got caught, let's set our sights on the rich white men that gave the orders and turned blind eyes to the torture. —Chuck Warpehoski, Ann Arbor
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