Dear Editor:
Is the Gilroy Dispatch a non-biased newspaper? Judge for
yourself:
Dear Editor:
Is the Gilroy Dispatch a non-biased newspaper? Judge for yourself: Joe Filice drops a short line to remind us that he STILL loves to irritate liberals. Nothing else. Just that. Prior to that, J.G. McCormack wants us to know how important it is TO HIM that an all-white high school prom committee be allowed to exclude a single black student. Stuart Allen writes often on the subject of hating liberals and unions and his wife, who has her own column, is doing the same, only first she needs to tell us about Shakespeare and Roman history. And now The Dispatch itself has dropped all unbiased pretenses and is announcing its endorsement of the ultra right-wing Tom McClintock for governor.
Allen never has anything substantial to say, but his comments ALWAYS make the paper. Reading his words, you would think that the political philosophy of John F. Kennedy and Harry S. Truman was SATANISM or something. Competition is one thing, but regular citizens are being called horrible names for simply having another viewpoint. Certainly the stakes are high in the upcoming elections, but we have very clearly passed the “we can agree to disagree” stage. This has become a knock-down, drag out fight, pure and simple.
The attack strategy of the far-right no longer works for them. Just a few years ago the biased rhetoric of Rush Limbaugh was king. All Rush (or his evil minions, the “dittoheads”) needed to do was to label assertive women “feminazis” or intelligent discourse “psychobabble” and all the shy progressives ran away. Well not any more. Many progressives (you may know us as “commie traitors” from Stuart Allen types) have no problem with the mood of the debate. In fact some, like me, actually enjoy it.
Honestly, there are few things more exhilarating than arguing with someone who insists that “the negroes are eating too many food stamps” or “I don’t know why the hell they don’t just send them all back to Africa.”
Not only that, I am entirely unapologetic. I may as well admit it, I think that our democratic system can proactively serve ALL the American people and still maintain our liberty and privacy. I don’t feel the slightest twinge of guilt when I am labeled “traitor” by a hate-filled loser. I can handle being called “America hater” just because I think there are better ways to solve problems than killing. And when told that I am failing to “Support the Troops,” I instantly reflect that many of those troops agree with me completely.
So let’s get right to the heart of this topic. I will warn you: Some of you aren’t going to like this. If there are small dogs in the room with you, ask them to leave and bring in some cats (or other animals capable of thinking “outside the box.”)
Are you sitting down? OK, here it is:
George W. Bush is a terrible president who is ruining our country. There. I said it.
George W. Bush may be the worst president that has ever served in the history of this country. We all tried real hard to pretend to like him because of 9/11 and how patriotic it’s supposed to be to support your president even when you know something is WRONG with him, but we can’t do it any more.
You may not have noticed this but George W. Bush has destroyed our economy. He has brought our jobless rate to record numbers and he hasn’t stopped there. He has ripped apart every bit of progress this country has made in the areas of social justice, individual civil liberties, the natural environment, racial equality and friendly foreign relations.
Every bit of progress we have made as a nation over the last 50 years is under attack by George W. Bush.
Folks think about it. The Canadians hate us. The Canadians.
Don’t get me wrong about the conservative thing.
I understand the appeal to becoming more conservative. I am getting older, too. One big advantage: no more tough decisions. You have ONE opinion PER issue and that’s it! You never have to change your mind for at least 30 years! No second-guessing. Of course, you end up being WRONG about eighty-eight percent of the time, but at least you’re confident.
You’re FOR the war no matter how stupidly insane the whole thing turns out. It doesn’t matter how many kids get killed in it and anyone who disagrees with you is a traitor, that’s it, end of story.
It’s probably very restful. Sort of like a vacation, only depressing. I decided to pass on the conservative thing.
So I need to ask the far-right for some help. When I said before that the unfair, mean accusations coming from the right aren’t working anymore, I meant it isn’t working for them. For us, it is creating a groundswell of increased activity and commitment. So please folks, could I ask you to keep it up?
Thanks, I knew I could count on you.
Maybe next week I’ll send a short line just to say that I still like to irritate you.
Bill C. Jones, Gilroy
Submitted Wednesday, Oct. 1 to ed****@****ic.com
