Saluting the courage of Lila Lipscomb
I just saw Lila Lipscomb, [featured in “Fahrenheit 9/11”] on “Good Morning America.” I don’t know if you know how to reach her. Your web page popped up when I put in her name. (“Grieving moms & dads: ‘End the war!’” by Tim Wheeler, PWW 3/20-26.)
I want to thank her for her courage and for what she is saying and doing. It helps many other mothers and relatives, who can’t say anything publicly due to political reasons.
I will be voting in November and it won’t be for Bush!
MarcyOntario CA
SBC settlement and problems of long-term contracts
Like trade unionists across the country, I was delighted to see that CWA members got a contract offer from SBC that 85 percent of them approved of. The same goes for the fighting flight attendants at Southwest Airlines. But I want to point out a disturbing trend.
A lot of American progressives have always hoped to see European-style coordinated trade union action on broad social questions. Over there from time to time, the unions unite over issues to hold united job actions.
The fact that American trade union leaders are allowing longer and longer contract periods with no-strike clauses shows how difficult such united action would be here.
Years ago, in the flowering of the CIO, contracts were of indeterminate length or for one year. Many did not have no-strike clauses. Now, 5-6 year contracts that lock away our legal right to job actions are becoming the norm.
American workers eventually will unite and carry out job actions over broad social issues, but these long-term contracts will hinder that process.
Jim LaneDallas TX
George W. Bush’s lost year in 1972 Alabama, or was it?
G.W. Bush and his brother Jeb, governor of Florida, had to revert to voter fraud: butterfly ballots, punch card voting machines, removing thousands of eligible voters from the rolls. When all that illegal activity failed to give G.W. Bush the plurality he needed to win Florida’s 40-plus electoral votes, they had to use their friends in the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the recount.
Here we are three and a half years later and the rallying cry of the same Mr. Bush is: “I will bring honor and integrity to the presidency.”
Bush has used his family name to make a lot of money and to get out of trouble (DWIs, drug problems, etc.) and when that didn’t work he lied. When he lied about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, thousands of innocent people died, including over 1,000 of our own military.
In baseball to get a base hit, a batter must keep his eye on the ball. In 2004 we must keep our eye on the Karl Rove/G.W. Bush dirty tricks gang. The Bush neocons will do anything to win!
Tom TullyVia e-mail
In solidarity
Today is my first browse at your esteemed site. Congratulations for the subject and the contents. I am an Iraqi living in the UK for the last 37 years and have been an opponent to Saddam and his predecessors’ Baathist regime and their wars and abuses, on one hand. And on the other, I am an opponent of imperialist wars and sanctions imposed on our people for such a long time which have ended up with an armed robbery of our heritage and wealth and the destruction of infrastructure, electricity, telephone communications, etc. (“Iraq: Where did the $20 billion go? by Susan Webb, PWW 7/3-9.)
Your article about the no accounting for the $20 billion is an excellent example for decent investigation.
Hani LazimVia e-mail, London UK
Home health care aides and military spending
As if we did not have enough, I can conceive of no greater shame than to read side by side stories in the press of the billions that were again just appropriated for the Iraq campaign while America’s home health care aides are forced out on strike to protest an embarrassing $7 an hour wage rate.
Nothing happens in a political vacuum. As vast as our economy is, there are limitations, and the two events are very much interrelated.
A day does not go by that we are not exposed to another egregious economic political policy by the Bush administration. It is for that reason that November should logically bring the people a victory. But that does not say we can let down our guard or ease up on our efforts.
The same GOP that pulled off the Florida coup in 2000 did not do so for one lousy four-year term. They have their sights on many.
We must all stay united and awake and make sure we are registered and vote. Spread that word. That must be our battle cry.
If the king is evil and the people protest, shame on the king; but if the king is evil and the people remain quiet, shame on them.
Don Sloan MDNew York NY
Iraqi democracy
So, the prime minister of Iraq is thinking about postponing elections and imposing martial law. I guess democracy is in the eye of the beholder.
Chuck MannGreensboro NC
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