The following are some of the letters we received in response to the January 31 WSWS editorial board statement, “State of the Union speech: Bush declares war on the world”
I agree wholeheartedly with your reporter’s assertion that the polls which show overwhelming support for Bush and his policies are nothing more than propaganda. I work at a large corporation here in Washington state. Politics are often a topic of discussion, and whenever the invasion of Afghanistan or the Bush administration are brought up, there is a collective groan amongst all involved in the discussion. I can’t recall a president who was regarded with such blatant disrespect, with the obvious exception of Reagan.
There appears to be a strange phenomenon going on, where most Americans accept the fact that George W. Bush is a textbook example of a moron, yet people are still glad that he’s the president and not someone “weak” like Clinton or Gore. Short of mass hypnosis, I have a hard time figuring out this phenomenon. I think this is partly due to the ever increasing workload being piled onto the American worker in virtually every sector. Like most corporations, the one I work for has come to expect people to work an average of 12 hours a day if they want to be considered for promotions. Then, when the promotions arrive, the lucky employee can expect to work at least 12 hours a day and come in on the weekends!
By overworking the American public, the government virtually guarantees that most people won’t have the time or the interest to bother questioning the stories that are presented in every major newscast as “fact.” The working people of America are existing in a haze of fatigue and ignorance. The writers of the words that exit the mouth of George W. Bush have learned that “short, quick, strong, and aggressive” is the avenue to take. The listening audience wants to feel safe, and that their “daddy” is going to make everything all right. Once the people feel like everything will be taken care of, and that the bad guys will be held at bay, they could care less what it takes to achieve the building of the safety net. Some of us don’t like to be wrapped in a comfy cocoon of lies and propaganda, and that’s why we read your articles daily. Thanks for being there.
BS
31 January 2002
The United States has become a giant, money-sucking middle man. The workers send their money to Washington where 40 percent is removed, then Washington deigns to send little more than half back according to its will, mostly to the benefit of the connected, who become wealthy at the cost of the taxpaying worker...
And for all our sakes, let’s make G.W. Bush “honor, uphold and obey the US Constitution” as he swore to do and get Congress to do their dirty work and formally declare war on each country before we invade them. The writers of the Constitution knew that war is always used by governments to fleece the workers while taking liberties away from workers. Let’s get Bush and Ashcroft and Rumsfeld out of there before they destroy what we have better than any terrorist dreamed possible...
Yours in liberty,
MR
31 January 2002
I applaud your trenchant analysis laid out in “State of the Union speech: Bush declares war on the world.” I’m only sorry that the potential usefulness of your otherwise excellent piece is weakened by being peppered with excessively rhetorical words and phrases that, without strengthening your argument, are sure to turn off readers who do not already share your point of view. One is reminded of classic phrases like “the running dogs of capitalism.” Such hyperbole serves only to allow your critics to dismiss an analysis that is—to my mind—right on point, and that would be no less on point were it couched in simpler, rational terms, unladen with inflammatory baggage.
TA
1 February 2002
What a find your site is. Thank you for a fantastically disturbing and yet totally agreeable article. It’s nice to know I’m not out in left field in my thoughts and at the same time incredibly disturbing to see my thoughts reflected by another voice.
Keep up the great work.
Yours in the hope of peace,
AJ
2 February 2002
You guys are very good. Great analysis and articles found on WSWS that I am sending to everyone. Even if I do not consider myself a socialist, I do agree 100 percent with all your articles on this very dangerous situation with the Americans going totally insane and totalitarian. We have to try to stop all this Dubya Bush BS and madness before it is too late. Thank you for offering such high level of reading.
BL
9 February 2002
Much of the Bush family wealth came from supplying needed raw materials and credit to Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. Several business operations managed by Prescott Bush—little Bush’s grandfather—were seized by the US government during World War II under the Trading with the Enemy Act.
Judging by the US response to 91-IQ little Bush’s “Hate of the Union” speech, perhaps the civilized world should “not stand by as peril draws closer and closer” but instead should unite against the rogue nation the USA is becoming.
JT
Santa Barbara, California
9 February 2002