Letters to the editor May 4

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5/4/2008 - 5/4/08

The Rev. Wright: diversion or definer?

Charles Krauthammer's April 27 column ("Obama 'distractions'? Such as his core beliefs?"), says that the "distractions" raised regarding Barack Obama are "the things that most reveal character and core beliefs." Krauthammer knows better. The "distractions" are, in fact, distractions. They include:

"Tony Rezko, the indicted fixer." Does Krauthammer say that Obama has been guilty of fixing? Of course not.

"Jeremiah Wright, the racist reverend." Does Krauthammer imagine that Obama's views are racist? He goes nowhere near this absurd suggestion.

"William Ayers: The unrepentant terrorist." Even Krauthammer does not suggest that Obama is a terrorist. Obama's crime is to have served on a board with Ayers and to have remained civil with him.

Obama's character has not been touched. No "core belief" is revealed by any of these associations. Such associations — every politician has them — do not in any way bear on his qualifications to be president. They are deliberate distractions, intended to change the subject by means of the classic smear.
Scott Andrus
Santa Fe

Recently it came out that the Bush administration has squandered more than 100 billion of our taxpayer dollars in failed contracts in Iraq. Blah, blah, blah, I would rather hear about Obama not wearing a flag lapel pin.

More than 18 million American families so far have lost their homes because of unregulated questionable lending practices. Boring! I would rather hear about Obama's minister.

The Bush administration has been using our U.S. Justice Department for its own political purpose to win elections for the Republicans. Dumbdedumbdumb! I would rather hear about Obama's "bitter" remarks.

Only committing genocide of a people of a nation could be worse than what the Bush administration has done. Oh! Iraq. I guess the Bush administration is working on that.
John St. Peter
Santa Fe

The criticism — that Barack Obama is an "elitist" — is part of a two-pronged strategy of the right to alienate the white working class whose economic interests would otherwise be better served by the Democratic Party.

First, on the issues of welfare reform and, now, immigration, the right uses negative racial and ethnic innuendo to divide the population most adversely affected by the out-of-control free market policies that create the greatest inequality of wealth since the Great Depression.

Second, the strategy involves shifting to issues of individual rights, such as marriage, sexuality, reproduction, religion and gun ownership. When Obama said that betrayed workers "cling" to these things, the point really was that these personal consolations are in fact distractions, posing as a national agenda that divert our attention from the truly unifying concerns of economics, education, energy, environment, health care, foreign policy, etc.
Carolyn Stephenson
Santa Fe

Does anybody else wonder how many meetings the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has had recently with Karl Rove?
Gary W. Rodenz
Santa Fe

It is apparent that "our" Bush neo-con government pursues a religious (Judeo-Christian) agenda. As such, the Republican regime, which John McCain seeks to perpetuate, is an illegal one that inherently and unconstitutionally violates the First Amendment prohibition of our government recognizing an establishment of religion.

Consequently, the Republicans, and even some like-minded Democrats, are trying to make the election a religious squabble to derail a contest based on the real issues: Restoration of constitutional government and individual rights; restoring the economy; and ending the illegal war in Iraq. Implicitly, prosecutions will be in order once our Justice Department is cleared of corrupt neo-con "psychophants." Though President Bush disregards the Constitution, he will unfortunately use his constitutional power to pardon his fellow crooks as he leaves the building.

The times they are a-changing, and we cannot allow our republic to be hijacked once again.
Bill Lyne
Lamy