Straight From My Heart

April 10, 2002

Dear BuzzFlash,

I've started numerous letter to you over the past year. I never sent them because they all ended up making me sound like I was whining, a kook or a total extremist & I'm not any of those things. I'm just an average citizen, but I can't get with the program - I can't get over IT! I just can't be a Stepford American.

I've always thought that being patriotic came from inside, from what's in your heart, soul & mind. Being patriotic used to mean something more than flying the flag. It used to mean loving your country, standing up for what is right & being proud of her accomplishments, fighting to change the things that needed to be improved & sacrifice for the greater good if necessary.

During WWII they had Victory Gardens to help people feed themselves, that let the average citizen feel that they were doing their part. Why can't we have Victory Cars? Smaller cars that use less gas? This would help us reduce oil imports way more than drilling in the Arctic. I believe many Americans are just waiting for someone to say the word, to give them something constructive to do - something with meaning. I'm concerned about our seniors, our veterans, the homeless & unemployed. The drastic cuts to social programs are already starting to show effects. This is amazing because it usually takes several years before the effects show up.

I'm still waiting for the Democrats to do something - anything to show that they are still alive. Where did my party go? I wish they would stop worrying so much about what the polls say Bush's numbers are & start defending our principals. There must be some huge fudging going on with those numbers because the people I talk to are not all that favorable of Bush. Sure they support getting bin Laden, but this never ending, ever expanding war? Not a chance.

Where is Al Gore? We need him now, more than ever! I can't help but think how different the situation would be if the Supreme Court had not got us into this mess. If they had just let the people's votes be counted we probably would not be at war, Sept 11 never would have happened. We'd still be a leader in the world - I mean a leader in the true sense of the word. Yes, we are militarily the strongest, but that does not mean we are leading. Sure we can bully most countries but this does not lead to peace & harmony - that takes diplomacy & we have been very, very short on that commodity since the Bush coronation.

I'm worried about what is being left for my children. The polar ice caps are melting at an extraordinary rate - it's so bad the US Navy has started planning what to do when (not if) the Northern pass opens. Ships have never been able to get through that way, it's always been a natural barrier but that is not longer true. I'm concerned about our National Parks, the air & water quality, but I'm most concerned about the financial debt we will be
leaving them. They can say what they like about Clinton, but at least he started paying down the National debt.

Why is it that Bush & the Republicans can say one thing & do the exact opposite & get away with it? No one in the media or the Democratic leadership says anything. I guess they figure we are smart enough to figure it out & granted most of us are. But there are millions of Americans who don't keep themselves informed. They don't read the newspapers or check out the Internet, they rely on a few minutes a week from one of the news programs on TV. If all they hear is the blurb of the day they have no way of knowing that we need to watch what the republicans are doing, rather than listen to what they say. How do we get them to be involved? to care about what is happening?

During his campaign Bush said he wouldn't discuss his cocaine use because he didn't want to set a bad example to the kids in America. What kind of damage is he doing by his actions right now? He's teaching our kids that it's ok to say one thing & do another (this used to be called lying), he's teaching our kids to blame someone else for all their problems instead of taking responsibility (unlike what he suggested on the campaign trail), he's
teaching our kids that nothing matters in this country except money & who it can buy. What a great example.........

We heard a lot about the example a President sets when Clinton was President, but it seems that Bush is not going to be held to the same standards as Clinton. I want to know why not? Why is there such a "hands off' with Bush? Does he have secret files on people like Hoover? Or has he just bought everyone off? Am I unaffected because I don't watch TV, so I'm not being brainwashed? I can't watch TV because as soon as I hear or see that smirking, little man I start yelling at the TV & it seems that no matter what show or what station he's constantly there. So, I just don't turn it on anymore.

Thank you BuzzFlash for all the hard work you do to bring a wide variety of news to us. Thank you for not being afraid to stand up & say what needs to be said!

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Contributed by BuzzFlash Reader, Linda Kekumu