Jan 21, 2005

Below is a copy of another letter I sent to the president.
I posted the first letter I wrote in my entry for: 11-16-04

Still no response besides the auto response but if I could
get a response from you that would be helpful.

If I am missing the mark please let me know ...

Dear President Bush,

I wrote you a letter last fall out of concern for the impending war with Iraq.
I tried to intelligently communicate my strong opposition to that possibility.
The fact that you used rather than renounced your executive authority to do so
is obviously out of my control. However, in the aftermath, I have more concerns
I would like to express.

First, I am concerned for the troops and their families because as they are still
being deployed, it seems that there is no real clarity or security in Iraq.
Soldier’s lives have been lost and are still at risk while the tragedy of the
UN bombing reminds us that no one is safe there. Families and loved ones at home
in the United States are getting angry and troops abroad are expressing displeasure
concerning the amount of time it seems to be taking to come to a resolution.
Furthermore, most of the public I am aware of still wants to know where the
weapons of mass destruction really are. They deserve an answer.

Resolve in our country might be high but morale seems to be low. There seems to
be a growing concern as to whether or not the people have been lied to about the
reasons for going to war in the first place and for remaining in Iraq as we are.
Another concern is whether the lies are “True Lies” or not, given that intelligence
has already been deemed faulty in the matter. In other words, if we are dealing
with misinformation, is it for the sake of national security, a greater moral cause,
or a psychological goal? If so, the sooner this matter is disclosed the better.
People want answers and they don’t like being manipulated by the media or
the government.

The Counter Intelligence Program of the United States is illegal and is not supposed
to be happening but I am afraid it is. Media is completely biased, the government has
lost its checks and balances, intellectuals have been discredited, and journalists
have been censured. Propoganda has greater authority than science or objectivity
in the political arena and there is a growing frustration and cynacism amongst
the public. There are many inconsistencies and counter-intuitive elements to the
intelligence that is presented to the people and yet there seems to be no reliable
sources other than through the investigative journalism of Democracy Now!
If this is all for a reason, what is it?

In a climate of war and terror, many people are willing to give up their rights
and are afraid to question authority lest they be deemed unpatriotic. I am currently
studying The U.S. Government Guide to Surviving Terrorism and have been following
the developments in Homeland Security with Tom Ridge. I am also sure your top concern
is the same as mine which is safety and peace in this world, on the homefront and abroad.
And I know, as Ariel Sharon has said, there can be no peace with terror. But, as F.D.R.
has said, we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Fear itself, it seems, has become king
and it is the regime of generalized anxiety and genuine insecurity that truly needs changing.

In God we trust, yet there seems to be no trust. As one nation under God, indivisible in a
world where most planetary citizens believe in a just and loving God, I think we can overthrow
this regime of terror. It would be a sacred revolt in the spirit of the American and French
revolutions and in the more ancient uprising of the Israelite Exodus. You are in an extraordinary
position of power to influence the course of history as we know it. If this is an effort to
bring about the New World Order we can turn this universal boat around as a country and as an
international community. I really do pray for you to do the right thing and for there to be
peace in the world. The whole world is watching and waiting for the day when, by the power
of God, nations will beat their swords into plough shares and shall learn war no more.

The soul of our nation and our planet is at stake.

In a prayer for redemption and deliverance, I thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Peter Salzman

It makes me feel like Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke,
whose dying words at the crossroads were:

"What we have here is a failure to communicate ..."

B'Shalom,

Avniel

P.S. I'm going to keep this entry up for a while so please let me know what you think ...
And in the meantime here's a great one from Killah Priest a.k.a. Masada: The One