Feel free to respond to either via e-mail, here:
letters@mail.estripes.osd.mil
You don't have to be military to write, and your letter gets "heard" in every corner of the world. The soldiers are starved for info.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=21857This is in regard to the letter “Bush failed on many fronts” (April 9). The writer said his family will vote for Sen. John Kerry for president. I don’t really care who the writer’s family votes for or whether they vote at all. I do care when anyone writes an opinion letter that contains information not subject to an opinion.
The writer wrote: “Our reasons for voting for Kerry are directly related to the candidates’ positions on veterans benefits. The repeal of the ‘disabled veterans tax,’ also called concurrent receipt, which Kerry supports and the Bush administration is against. ….”
This is pure fiction. Fact: On Nov. 24, 2003, President Bush signed PL 108-136 (the fiscal year 2004 Defense Authorization Act), which authorized concurrent disability receipt for military retirees with a Veterans Affairs disability rating of 50 percent or higher. Eligible veterans began receiving the compensation effective Jan. 1. The bill passed the Senate 95-3, with two senators not voting. One of the two not voting was a senator named John Kerry.
The writer also wrote: “The Bush administration’s 2004 budget proposed gutting VA services, including health care funding. These cuts included: denying at least 360,000 veterans access to health care. …”
More fiction. Fact: No veterans have had benefits cut off under Bush. Funding for veterans benefits has accelerated in the Bush administration.
The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan said it best: “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.”
Steve Tackett
El Paso, Texas
Bush a principled leader
President Bush has come under a lot of fire lately from almost every side. Every president has a tremendous job to do and has to endure constant criticism on top of it. I would gladly vote for our commander in chief, and I think it’s very sad and disrespectful that he is suffering from a backlash from so many in the military.
Many of us want stability in our country, yet we vote for those such as Sen. John Kerry? One should consider the fact that Kerry has a huge history of changing positions on almost any issue. He does this with such gusto that the public has a hard time noticing it.
What are the principles that guide Kerry? The Iraq war is one issue that Kerry cannot decide if he is for or against. He voted for “No Child Left Behind,” but he doesn’t seem to stand up for it. The two issues Kerry does stand behind readily are higher taxes and more spending. That’s why the Bush team has to hit hard in those areas. Those are the only areas in which Kerry remains constant.
As for the Iraq war, why did Kerry make this statement last March?: “I think Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction are a threat, and that’s why I voted to hold him accountable and make certain that we disarm him.” Then on June 15, he changed and said, “It would be irresponsible for me at this point to draw conclusions prior to all the evidence being on the table.”
Kerry had access to the same intelligence passed on to the White House. He supported and defended the war with the same evidence as Bush and now calls it “Bush’s mistake.” Should he not take that same title for himself?
As early as 1990, Kerry has warned the Senate of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. He repeated this right up until June 2003.
Kerry also cannot officially decide what side of the battle he’s on with issues such as gay marriage, abortion, education spending or most anything viewed in moral or immoral terms. He takes a stand and then changes it quickly.
Those who question the war in Iraq should go talk to Iraqis who lived under Saddam and tell them it would have been better if America had stayed home.
Right now we have a commander in chief who’s still living and working at his job. How easy and disrespectful it is to criticize his office. We have that luxury. We can support someone and take no action and then, in light of another fact, change our minds. The commander in chief does not have that choice. He must act in light of the evidence in front of him at that moment.
With the principles our country was founded on, it would be better to have morale back in our country. It’s been a long, hard fight to be able to face the rest of the world with respect and dignity again. Years ago it was the duty of Americans to work for their country. Now it’s a choice.
I know many people don’t believe in the principles America was founded on, but these principles have been intact for more than 200 years. Some amendments have been needed and added, but the cornerstone has remained strong. Those who don’t believe this is our heritage should try studying history and find out why people came to America and who they were.
In short, I think it’s terrible to undermine a superior within the ranks. Isn’t that what it is? We have the right to vote and the freedom to choose. Military members of all sectors should accept the president’s decisions and respect them whether they agree or not. I don’t think the backlash helps when it’s their job to defend America. It can’t help one do his job when others don’t believe in what they’re supposed to be supporting.
I think we should support Bush and quit airing so many opinions against him. Where are all those who support Bush? Why do we only hear from those who oppose him?
Anita Kilpatrick
Camp Lester, Okinawa, Japan
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