Letters, letters, letters

The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday.

Editor's note:

The 2004 election season promises to be a contentious one.

The Letters to the Editor pages of The Nugget are an open forum for opinion on national as well as local issues.

We ask that a few ground rules be observed:

• Stick to the issues.

  People may disagree with each other vehemently and a vigorous discourse is invited and encouraged.

  However, personal attacks on other writers' integrity, patriotism, values or beliefs will not be accepted.

• Keep it brief.

  Observe the 300 word limit and don't try to incorporate every argument into a single letter.

• The Nugget strives to publish all the letters we receive.

  If the volume of letters becomes too heavy, the editor will select the most representative letters from each point of view for each week.

• The editor will give preference to first-time writers and will determine when to cut off responses to previous letters.

Jim Cornelius, Editor

* * *

To the Editor:

I must concur with Col. John Miller USAF (Retired) in regards to his letter in the February 25 issue of The Nugget.

My outrage towards your newspaper is only surpassed by my outrage for the USA Today newspaper. They too had the audacity to support other bold faced lies that could only be "espoused by the most extreme left wing of the Democratic party."

To quote from the February 19 editorial in USA Today, "Recent statements defending Bush claim that the National Guard was not a haven for those who wished to avoid Vietnam; but it was.

"Bush used his father's political influence to move past many on the Texas Guard's waiting list. He was not required to attend Officers Candidate School to earn his commission. He lost his flight status after failing to show up for a required physical.

"These facts alone raise the eyebrows of those who took a different path in a war that for the Marine Corps brought more casualties than even World War II.

"Bush arguably has committed the greatest strategic blunder in modern memory. To put it bluntly, he attacked the wrong target.

"While he boasts of removing Saddam Hussein from power, he did far more than that. He decapitated the government of a country that was not directly threatening the United States and, in so doing, bogged down a huge percentage of our military in a region that never has known peace.

"Our military is being forced to trade away its maneuverability in the wider war against terrorism while being placed on the defensive in a single country that never will fully accept its presence...

"The reckless course that Bush and his advisors have set will affect the economic and military energy of our nation for decades. It is only the tactical competence of our military that, to this point, has protected him from the harsh judgment he deserves."

So who was this extreme left wing anti-patriot? Tim Robbins? Michael Moore? Al Franken? No, this was the notorious left winger (and former marine platoon and company commander in Vietnam) James Webb.

By the way, he was also Secretary of the Navy during the Reagan Administration.

Sincerely,

Joel Kinney

* * *

To the Editor:

Your editorial cartoon on "What could Ralph Nader bring to the White House" in the February 25, paper makes me wonder if you are against all third party candidates or only those who might detract from Democrats.

How did you feel about (Ross) Perot's candidacy which I am sure cut into the Republican vote totals?

E. Paul Janssen

* * *

To the Editor:

It is not only the Democrats making and substantiating claims that the Iraq war was "trumped up and premeditated." Many Republicans as well are seeing the truth.

To seek a regime change in Iraq is one thing; to declare unilateral war against an entire people because of a group of terrorists is another.

Bush went against the advice of the U.N. and the majority of our allies and the world's population. Marches were held in protest all over the world, but our voices fell on deaf ears.

But now people are beginning to listen. The truth is coming out.

Despite all efforts to find them, there is no evidence of WMD or links to al Qaeda.

You want specifics? Here are just some of the many experts who understand that what the Bush administration is doing is WRONG:

1) Former Secretary of Treasury Paul O'Neil, CNN, 1/14/04.

2) Statement of top State Dept. Intelligence officer Greg Thielmann, PBS, 10/9/03.

3) "Blix Says No Smoking Guns Found In Iraq," AP, 1/9/03; "Blix: No Weapons of Mass Destruction Found," AP, 2/14/03.

4) "$166 Billion and Counting," San Jose Mercury News, 3/15/03.

5) IAEA Report, 10/8/98; "Experts question key Iraq nuke evidence," UPI, 9/19/02; "Bush Aides Disclose Warnings from CIA," Washington Post, 7/23/03

6) "Allies Find No Links Between Iraq, Al Qaeda," LA Times, 11/4/02; "Bush: No Link to 9/11 Found," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 9/18/03; "No one who has seen the intelligence says it proves Saddam had a role in 9/11," CBS News, 10/1/02

And there's plenty more.

If you don't want to believe me, that's your right as an American. All I ask is for you to read the evidence that's piling up and then see if you can still believe Bush didn't lie. Two good places to start are www.moveon.org and www.truthuncovered.com.

Pamela Jo Hunter

* * *

To the Editor:

We are in for a treat which is rare and wonderful. Brigham Young University's Ballet Theatre is granting us a performance of "The Snow Queen" in Sisters on Tuesday, March 9.

Ballet of this quality has never been seen in Central Oregon, and it is a gift which everyone will want to share.

Ballet is not an uptight, boring art, but rather an upbeat, enthusiastic and exciting demonstration of athletic skill and artistic surprise. Costumes and sets for this performance will be particularly beautiful, and up to 15 dancers will be on stage. This is the perfect opportunity to check ballet out and discover it is a performing art which all kinds of people can enjoy.

The local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is generously donating all the proceeds from the ballet to SOAR and Central Oregon Boys and Girls Club. The SOAR Foundation hopes that you will come enjoy truly professional ballet that night and help the important youth projects which mean so much to our communities.

See you at the ballet.

Sincerely,

Bonnie Malone