Letters: August 2

Let’s impeach

There is still time to hold President Bush accountable for the harm done to our democracy and to show the world what kind of democracy America believes in. The House Judiciary Committee held a meeting on the actions of the president. Four congressmen, two authors, a former congresswoman and several citizens testified for impeachment. Congressman Dennis Kucinich has introduced the articles of impeachment.

President George W. Bush has committed illegal war, innuendos to make Americans believe Iraq was involved in 9/11, lies about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, preemptive strikes, warrantless spying on American citizens, torture, rendition and removal of rights from prisoners by ignoring the Geneva Convention. He caused the death of 4,000-plus American soldiers, created 4.5 million Iraqi refugees, made complete chaos of Iraq and is responsible for depleted uranium poisoning. Also, he spent $1 trillion on the war. Was this all for power or oil in the Middle East?

In addition, Bush did not sign the Kyoto Treaty, thwarted scientific reporting in the U.S. on global warming and wrote 800 plus signing statements on bills he signed.

Let’s not wait until the president bombs Iran to impeach.

Ava Jordan
St. Louis MO

Hooray

Another big cheer for James Thompson’s cogent and thoughtful review of the recent film “The Visitor” (PWW 7/19-25). My husband and I are rarely movie attendees, finding most current films tedious and boring — or worse.

We have a friend who is a documentary filmmaker and she had told us that she “knew” we would appreciate this new Tom McCarthy piece of work.

Another friend gave us a “freebie pass”—and at that price it seemed like a good enough gamble of our time.

She — and Thompson — were totally correct. “The Visitor” is an adult, thoughtful, important statement of our need to be connected, to care and to act. The acting is brilliant, the story believable and touching. Like the professor, we can learn from people seemingly totally unlike us. We need to reach out and not to judge. We need to learn things not just from our day-to-day life, but from the lives of many.

Jean Anderson
Portland OR

Workers comp

I read your column on worker comp. I worked at a certain home improvement warehouse for seven years and in the process of doing my job I injured my lower back. This was nothing new to leave my type of work with an injury or an ache of some kind, which normally was resolved by a hot pack or a soak in the tub. This was not the case this time. I, at one point, became paralyzed temporarily in my legs. Luckily the sensation came back.

After numerous doctors, misdiagnoses, hassles and time the insurance adjusters have decided that they want me to go get scrutinized by a hand-picked bunch of paid-off doctors to retest me for 3-year-old injuries. I have no idea how many will be in this panel but how ever many I think is a travesty considering that through this ordeal numerous highly-qualified doctors have all ready given their prognosis and solution for my situation.

I am not just missing out on the last three years which have been extremely upsetting, lonely, and full of self pity, but now I know that the nerve is dead. Not something I want to think about but it is reality.

I essentially I am not go to be able to work in hardly any field the rest of my life, and I am considering applying for permanent disability to help with my welfare.

I would love to have a jury of peers hear my case.

TLM
Via e-mail

Online quips

Responding to Marilyn Bechtel’s pww.org article, “In budget battle, Calif. governor threatens state workers’ pay” in which Bechtel reported Gov. Schwarzenegger “plans to sign an executive order on July 28, temporarily cutting pay for over 200,000 state employees to the federal minimum wage, $6.55 per hour.”

Donald quipped: “If true, does the Governor get his pay cut to minimum wage also? :-)”

Donald
Via Disqus

A response to pww.org’s “Organizing in a hard-hit steel town,” by Carl Davidson.

I’m from Beaver County. This article could be a portrait of any Western Pennsylvania town: Midland, Monaca, Homestead (site of the famous workers’ clash with Pinkertons), even urban Pittsburgh. We are the crown jewel of the Rust Belt, and the effects on the lives of workers here are devastating. Unemployment is up in those hardest hit by economic rusting, and young people (even me), seeing no future in the region, are moving south or west at disheartening rates. Obama’s New Deal for green power and infrastructure rebuilding could turn that around. Just as FDR’s public works shifted America from Depression three-quarters of a century ago, so too can a new progressive government shift us away from our current descent into ruin.

Brandon Getz
Via Disqus

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