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A Congenial Letter to the President
By: C.E. Westphal
Dear Mr. President,
I write you today, on the anniversary
of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, with open hands, as a friend. As President
of the US, my home, I think that I, a citizen, should approach
you more like a manager at my work place or neighbor down the street rather
than an opponent or even a political enemy. As such, because constructive
criticism and intellectual discussion is the way to better relationships
in this country as well as the world, and I know that I can accomplish
an accord with you much better if I talk to you that way sir.
I want to speak
to you today in memory of what happened to our country because we all
remember your declaration of war against terrorism sir, as clearly as
we remember the collapse of the Twin Towers, so I want to tell you about
my concerns. The chief item in this letter to you is the war against terrorism
and how we can bring it to a successful conclusion. You know, of course,
with how far things have gotten it is almost impossible to not see it
through to the end, however the ends are most certainly up to discussion.
In all truth, terrorism and the reasons for it must be eradicated so that
all peoples, not just Americans, can live fruitful lives. Moreover, with
Afghanistan and Iraq now both under US protection it would be insane to withdraw completely
without establishing a powerful government that can keep terrorist, tyrannical,
and imperial forces out of power for good. Let me talk about each one
in turn.
In reference to Afghanistan, I believe that Afghanis will be much less likely to
assist al Qaeda or the Taliban if they can feed
their families, live with reasonable comfort and security, and go about
their lives assured that the international community isn’t just using
Afghanistan for its resources like the Soviets were trying to do
in the 80’s. To accomplish this we need to commit more than $2 billion
a year to support President Karzai and his fledgling
government. We need to build roads, airports, schools, and improve the
overall infrastructure of the country. Of course,
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New Terror Laws Used Vs. Common Criminals
By David B. Caruso, Associated Press Writer
PHILADELPHIA - In the two years since
law enforcement agencies gained fresh powers to help them track down and
punish terrorists, police and prosecutors have increasingly turned the
force of the new laws not on al-Qaida cells but on people charged with
common crimes.
The Justice Department (news
- web sites)
said it has used authority given to it by the USA Patriot Act to crack
down on currency smugglers and seize money hidden overseas by alleged
bookies, con artists and drug dealers.
Federal prosecutors used the act in June to file a charge
of "terrorism using a weapon of mass destruction" against a
California man after a pipe bomb exploded in his lap, wounding him as
he sat in his car. A North Carolina county prosecutor charged a man accused
of running a methamphetamine lab with breaking a new state law barring
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Amanda Reckonwithe
on Polyamory!
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So I said to my boyfriend Joey, “Joey”, I said, “why do you
think it is that so many of our friends don’t understand our
relationship?”
Joey looked up from his book. I noticed that it was Heinlein’s
Friday.
“Probably because they’ve been culturally imprinted to believe
that monogamy, even when it’s unsatisfying, is the only proper
loving relationship. Just turn on the radio or TV. The ether
is saturated with memes reinforcing monogamy.”
I thought for a second. “It’s true, I suppose. Even in the Soaps
where people are popping in and out of bed with each other
all the time, they keep coming back to the old one-on-one,
you’re-the-only-one-for-me story line.”
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