Get tough again

Dear George:

I think you have had one of the toughest terms any president has had to take. President Clinton handed you a total mess and you are having to clean up the mess he left you with. The economy and the fate of it was never your fault. Heck, with a 6 trillion dollar debt, this nation has been sliding into darkness for about 25 years. The economy fell when CEO icons like Enron have lied about there bottom line and people just invested in air. It is not a democratic problem nor a republican problem, its a ethical problem. We have caused our economic down fall not you.

The war in Iraq and Afghanistan has been coming to a head for years. Stupid spoiled Americans have opened the door to terrorist attacks. We have lived in comfort and safety for so long that people have forgotten it took wars and fighting to keep this great country safe. I served 20 years active duty and retired in 1994. I watched as Clinton destroyed our military capabilities and when you stepped into office we were and still are totally unprepared. Of course Clinton was handed a military that could fight two wars at the same time and never use the reserves. Now we are scrambling and having to use our reserves.

Muslims and their Islamic faith have sworn to wipe us out. This is not an idle threat and America better wake up. The land of the free is about to experience what its like to have malls, hospitals, buses and any place innocent people meet blown up. I am one hundred percent in support of the Iraq war and we need to get tough. Even nuke those countries. They hate us and do not even know why. We are infidels to them and their religion calls for us to die.

Wake up America, get tough again.

Fight for our nation and lets keep presidents like Clinton, Gore and the likes of Kerry out of office. I know you are not perfect Mr. President, but you are tough and a man of principal and action. I appreciate that and your dedication to this nation. By the way, for anyone with common sense, our economy is rebounding. I have never had trouble working since you took office. In fact, my standard of living has risen.

Thank you

Kevin
Age 49
Broken Arrow, OK

International community

Dear George:

On September 11, 2001, I sat in a classroom on my first day of graduate study in Amsterdam (as your geography knowledge seems to be a bit wanting, Amsterdam in located in the Netherlands). My Dutch mentor called me by cell phone to alert me of the terrorist attacks in New York. My academic colleagues and I gathered after class to watch as the events unfolded on television, thousands of miles away, yet affecting us very profoundly. My colleagues came from countries throughout the world to study in the Netherlands and on September 11th each of them showed such great support and sympathy towards me and my country. Indeed, on the Friday following the attacks, the bustling country of the Netherlands came to an absolute standstill as the entire country mourned in a moment of silence for the victims of the attacks. As I silently stood with my bike in Dam square, meeting eyes with the stopped passengers on the trams, the other cyclists, the taxi drivers and the tourists, I shared my pain and sadness with the world.

The reason I tell you this is to make you aware that at one time during your presidency the people of the world were with us and they supported us, but our policies following September 11th have done nothing but alienate ourselves from the rest of the world. On September 11th I felt safe because I knew the outpouring of support from the international community meant that other countries would help us solve the terrorism problem. Mr. President, we had such an opportunity to embrace that international support and work together with our foreign friends to eradicate terrorism. Yet your administration chose not to seize that opportunity, and took us down a path that would eventually force even our long-term allies to withdraw their support. Even on a personal level as I spent 15 more months in Amsterdam after the attacks, the previous support from my international friends waned and died and was replaced by an outrage and disbelief at our country's actions. It was deeply disturbing to see the opportunity that was lost.

One can argue that America is such a powerful country that it does not need friends. Yet, can a country fight an international war on terror without the support of its' foreign friends? It cannot. And can the War on Terror fight senseless violence with more senseless violence? It cannot. The War on Terror should examine why terrorists are targeting the U.S. I think a comprehensive examination will find that the truth is much more complex than “They hate us because of our freedom” I challenge you to look at the history of US policy in the middle east. I challenge you to face up to the hypocrisies in our foreign policy. I challenge you to research why people turn to terrorism and further, to research how to stop people from turning to terrorism. Violence will not solve this issue.

Mr. President, on September 11th I felt that our future was safe as my international friends put their arms around me to comfort me in accents from around the world. Americans do not have this anymore and the future is surely much more bleak because of it.

Regards,

Jenny
Age 24
Crystal Lake, IL