[I just got a two page letter from Rep. Mike Rogers’ office. He was responding for my call to end the war in Iraq. In his letter he said we must stay the course. All the good reasons really. Honor the sacrifice already made. Make the world safe from terror. Just bullshit, on top of bullshit. And the clincher, that made me spend an hour of my life responding — he cited to me the likely-forged letter from al-Zawahiri to al-Zarqawi as his only evidence of our need to continue the war in Iraq. And then, I ranted.]
Dear Rep. Rogers,
In response to my concerns about the ongoing war in Iraq, you wrote me a letter dated November 22, 2005.
Your letter states basically your desire to support a policy of staying the course in Iraq. Candidly, I cannot support a candidate with this outlook. This war is illegal and immoral, and is resulting in Americans being less safe in the world.
Specifically, your letter cites one piece of evidence for your belief that a continuation of the war is necessary: The al-Zawahiri to al Zarqawi letter.
That you would base much of your pro-war argument on this letter very much illustrates the problem this country will have in supporting Republican candidates in the fall of this year. As I am sure you are aware, the letter is most probably a forgery. If you are unaware of the questions surrounding the validity of this letter, then I can only assume that your ignorance on this point is willful. I’m providing you with a link to an article that will assist your understanding of this “crucial” piece of evidence that you cited to me:
http://www.townhall.com/news/ext_wire.html?rowid=7337
The letter’s validity has also been questioned on mainstream sites such as CNN and the UPI:
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/19/take.letter/
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20051019-125103-6408r
That you can cite this information to your constituents without noting the questions that have been raised about the letter’s validity, suggests that you have learned nothing from your ill-advised vote to support a war based on faulty intelligence.
I would suggest that you either stop using this questionable evidence without acknowledging the probability (or possibility, if you will) that it is a blatant forgery. If you insist on relying on this questionable information to support the war, I would suggest that you call for a serious investigation into the veracity of this document. You might call for the investigation to be open to the public, as well, if you would like any citizen to give any faith to the ultimate conclusions about the document’s validity. (And no, writing me back and telling me that U.S. intelligence agencies have vouched for the letter’s veracity is not impressive, because, as you will recall, you have been defending your vote to go to war with Iraq based on mistakes made by the U.S. intelligence community).
The prosecution of this war stinks ab initio. I think you must be aware of that. And continuing in an effort to maintain support for the war based on questionable evidence stinks more. As President Bush, our most treasured orator, has said, “Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”
Please consider voting to end the war before your re-election campaign. You will be saving American lives. Another Michigan soldier was blown up yesterday for no reason other than to support a continuing falsehood.
And again, I would urge you to read, “Dying to Win” by Robert Pape. I’ll even provide a link:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=xD6YIqNC2T&isbn=1400063175&am
p;itm=1
If you can’t read it yourself, have a staffer read it. And if you are open to real evidence, unlike the likely-forged letter you cited to me, you will see that the only purpose served by keeping U.S. forces in Iraq is to fuel a continuation of suicide bombings that will make more widows and more orphans here at home. Whether we get out tomorrow, or we get out in ten years, Iraq will certainly continue the struggle to find an equilibrium that we destroyed with our unjustified invasion. The only difference will be the number of casualties we take, and the amount of money we spend, before Congress and the President wake up to this reality.
Sincerely seeking an end to this ridiculous war,
Terry J. Olson
Incredible letter! As for the poll — there were no options! ;>
Great letter. Are they really that uninformed or do they hope that we are?
Rumi, you’re correct on all three points, IMO.
Thanks BJ, you are truly an inspiration…I wish I could write as well.
Peace
It’s an insult to our intelligence to assume we would believe some of their claims. I can take plenty of insults, but that one in particular really pisses me off.
I wish I remember where I heard or read this, but when caught out about the planted news one Bushite responded concerning embedded reporters that “they’d lost control of the context” and that was the “real problem.” Sometimes I think that the Willfully Ignorant are also Incredibly Arrogant. Why would they believe that they can weave any narrative they please and the sheeple will follow like Walmart shoppers to a loss leader? Do they really believe that since they control the corporate media that some stories won’t surface, or that the CM can keep the lid on for them forever? The arrogance of it all is almost amazing.
Arrogance has Always pointed too Ignorance!
That’s what Arrogance is, Not Excepting Any View But Your Own!!!
I think it’s a combination of all that you mentioned but a greater overall problem of then not searching for information on their own. Whether they live in their own bubble by arrogance or laziness it still hurts the people they represent.
Does anyone else notice the honest looks of surprise on some faces when they are presented with information that’s well known in our world of discussion? For instance, Chris Matthews had that look right after David Suskind’s article on the WH inside workings concerning faith and ‘perception management’. He also seemed to have little knowledge of the religious influence growing in voters coming up to the 2004 election, before it was MSM ‘news’.
It seems to be a larger version of Bush’s controlled access to information from only their trusted sources. Trouble is, they lack credibility on all subjects when they’re seen to believe something that goes against evidence presented based in common sense.
They hope that we are. Truly.
But of course, you already knew that, too! :<)
Outstanding letter BJ. I have written so many letters to my criminal congressman “Duke” Cunningham and have gotten similar responses. Your writing is much nicer than mine. I won’t even post what I wrote back to him in response other than “see you in court Duke”.
Accidental activist no longer applies to you my friend. Thanks for all the work you do on behalf of all of us.
You must be so proud of your Congressman. Ha! Now that dude knew how to steal. I’ve got a couple of former clients I would like to introduce him to. They would love to get the tips.
out of this creep? They hire people to keep people like you away from them so they don’t have to give out answers. And you actually got an answer (drafted by one of the flunkies no doubt) and you are still unhappy because the beknighted idiot wouldn’t know truth if he fell over it?
I’ve given up on my Senators. I have some faint hope in the congressman who is a dem, but only a faint hope cause I know he is one who “likes to go along to get along”.
We need some fire in the belly from out reps. But all we get is heartburn.
I know some of those “flunkies.” OK, not the rethug ones, but any rate, they’re getting paid to do a job, which is to represent the view of their boss. True, I wonder how they could do it willingly sometimes (this goes for some Dem members, too), but still. Likely they share the same view as the member, but sometimes they don’t.
The legislative correspondent (LC) writes letters based on their boss’ positions. The legislative assistant (LA) assigned to that issue area checks for content and/or editing, with a final check from the legislative director (LD).
But you have to keep writing in, regardless. Pressure is pressure, no matter what the form letter back to you says. (And yes, it’s mainly going to be a form letter with some differences here and there b/c of the volume.) Even if they never publicly tell the truth, they know the amount of mail they get and the nature of the letters. They measure pro and con on issue; mail volume, etc. So they know, even if never publicly acknowledged, who’s pissed off about this war of choice or any other issue.
Will it change their minds? Probably not–but you never know. Stranger things have happened.
Like Walter Jones of NC. Truly a right-wing piece of work. Or like Jack Murtha calling bullshit a few weeks ago.
I like that positive attitude. Just keep head down. Keep believing in peace. Keep acting for peace. And one day we are going to look up and see peace. I believe this. I am a believer. And you can call me naive. And probably be right. But I’m changing the world. One letter. One march. One comment at a time. We all are here.
I’m an optimist, realist and pessimist all in one on most days, believe it or not. I just keep on going…often times, inexplicably.
But both the optimist and the realist says that if you keep applying pressure, then you’ll yield some results…sometimes from the most unlikely places.
One other thing: Most cong. offices measure 1 constituent letter to equaling about 100 people.
The rethugs–the poor dears ((snark))–are scared to death of this administration. But if they are tracking the tenor of their letters; getting called out in town meetings, in local newspapers; etc. then they might just reassess before they draw a challenger. Not always. But sometimes it happens.
even though I have Bond and Talent for senators. And I’ve called. But Bond was one of 9 senators who voted against the torture ban. Talent is clueless. And Bond, I suspect, has potomac fever (alcoholism). But even our local dems support Bond.
Well. At least you are trying. I’m glad I’m not the only one writing hopeless notes.
People get that way from the combination of ignorance and arrogance cited in the above posts.
Rep. Rogers is obviously a politician whose proclivities inhibit critical thinking, a syndrome that has infected many politicians, much of the media, and a majority of eligible voters in this country.
I fear you have wasted your words on that audience. But thanks for sharing them with this one; they make me feel righteous.
You are righteous. You are posting here. At the Booman Tribune. You believe in peace and justice in the world. Don’t ever let them make you feel you are not a voice for peace. And beacon for justice. We will change this world.
Democracy works only as long as people question, challenge, hold-their-feet-to-the-fire, and dissent from the acts of their government.
At times, it seems our voices are not heard. At those times is when we must raise them loudest and most often. Like you did.
I vote no. Bang away. Maybe when their craniums become bloody pulps loosely covering their brainstems from all the banging, they will finally do the right thing.
Do I believe they will? Probably not.
Is it safe to say that they don’t know what you think they know about what you think they know? Jimini Christmas, I don’t know.
Will they continue to cover their leaky craniums and massive moral black hole they call patriotism with a multitude of tiny transparent bandaids? You bet.
Bang away dude…F’in BANG AWAY
All right super. For you. I will. Getting dizzy though. You the man.
Of course I love everything you write, but I can’t bear to see you waste all that lovely energy on a useless fool.
Yes, you are beating your brains out. They won’t even bother to read it.
Your concern is touching. Writing is free for me, though. I’m not really losing anything. It is like wrestling. Better with practice. And I used to love the blood. I really did. And the dislocated elbows, too.
Oh, Joe, what a great letter. You may not be Irish, but somewhere in the past, that Blarney stone was kissed.
IMO, however, I’d have preferred to see that prose in an op ed piece in the Daily Lansing Screed (whatever it is called) – not that they would print it, mind you. Or offered up when the time comes, in a speech to whoever is running against this man. Meanwhile, let this poor excuse for a people’s representative be lulled into thinking that his constituency just loves him.
That’s the Irish pol roots in me: don’t let the opposition know what you are thinking.
Of course, what do I know?
And, by the way, who is running against Rogers?
All he got from Zawa was another one of those snarky little postits about Zarq always eating his lime fluff yogurt every time he gets killed.
They are both so immature.