My letter to Victor Hanson Re: "Pathological Hysteria"

[mwb970]

Mr. Hanson -

A very strange column of yours appeared in the Columbus Dispatch today (Oct. 20) under the headline "Liberals issue an awful lot of inane babble these days." While bowing to your obvious intelligence and general acumen, as manifested in this column and voluminously on your website, I found myself struck as I read by a deep sense of he just doesn't get it. You ask, "What sends liberal criticism (of Bush) over the edge into pathological hysteria?" You then answer your own question by announcing that we on the left are driven into a frenzy by Bush's Iraq policy and by his "Christian Texas demeanor," whatever that is.

Victor, Victor, Victor.

You have fallen into the trap that seems to snare all right-wingers, that of shooting the messenger. You make no attempt whatever to understand why we despise and fear this man and his regime. You ignore the many, many provocations and focus only and exclusively on the reaction. It reminds me of Mr. Hastert's outrage, not at the behavior of Mr. Foley, but at having been caught knowing and doing nothing about it. It's always the reporting, and hence the media, or the reaction, and hence the "liberals," that are to blame for all Republican wrongdoing.

I am a pleasant, mild-mannered individual, but I am as MAD AS HELL at our awful president, not for his "demeanor" but because of what he has done to America, my country. Are you honestly saying that if you felt your country was under attack at its very foundations, by its own government, you would sit back and just watch it slip away? Would you feel no anger? And then when you expressed your anger, how would you feel if that government's apologists and co-conspirators referred to your reaction as "pathological hysteria"?

This horrible regime and its Congressional toadies have:
- destroyed the idea of checks and balances, the underpinning of our government
- manipulated elections, advocating easily hacked electronic voting systems
- violated the Geneva Convention on detainee treatment
- violated the Constitution with their illegal wiretaps on American citizens
- issued "signing statements" announcing they will defy the law
- "disappeared" innocent people with no charges, sending them to secret prisons
- chipped away at habeas corpus, the basis of civilized justice since 1215
- made America into a torturing nation
- destroyed America's reputation in the world - we are now hated everywhere
- lied us into an unnecessary war in Iraq, creating new terrorists
- been shown to be wrong with every single statement they have ever made about Iraq
- given medals to those who failed most prominently in 9/11 and Iraq
- fired and smeared those who have told the truth about Iraq and the regime itself
- let Osama get away with 9/11 and failed to even try to bring him to justice
- given away our treasury with tax cuts for wealthy contributors, during a war
- given tax breaks to highly profitable oil companies, as gas prices rose
- placed cronies and hacks in positions of importance, e.g. Brownie
- allowed additional pollution of our air and water
- allowed the continued loss of American jobs to other nations
- increased spending recklessly, saddling future generations with debt
- balked at investigations of 9/11 - many mysteries remain
- balked at investigations of the runup to the Iraq War and the use of intelligence
- received an "F" grade for failing to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, five years after 9/11
- failed miserably when Katrina struck, an event that had been predicted for many days
- failed to protect our chemical plants - the industry doesn't want to
- failed to protect our nuclear power plants - ditto
- failed to protect our transportation systems
- failed to inspect incoming cargo at our ports
- imposed the Schiavo fiasco on the nation
- hampered life-saving stem-cell research
- tolerated mind-numbing levels of corruption and graft in its ranks
- called anyone disagreeing with them "traitors" - Democrats want the terrorists to succeed, they say

Incredibly, I could go on, but I'm tired of typing. Now, you may say that I am in a state of "pathological hysteria" as I try to clarify for you why we who despise the Bush regime feel the way that we do. I notice that none of the provocations I have listed are mentioned in your clueless column, aside from a vague reference to "Iraq policy." Instead, you theorize that we are inexplicably enraged by Bush's "Christian Texas demeanor." Good Lord.

Victor, Victor, Victor. Your stance would be comical were it not so deeply sad.

[Gabi Hayes]

1. thanks! a formerly sane radio host on WGN/Chicago just

had this half wit on his show, as part of an analysis of the recent North Korea fiasco

he was part of a panel he hailed as some of the greatest political scientists of our era

they included him, Max Boot, one of the Kagans, and John Fund, among others!

I hope you publish this crete's response, cause I'd like to see him try to defend his idiotic sputa.

[Jed Dilligan]

2. God I hate that man.

He's inspired me to write a half dozen LTTE's, none printed... probably unprintable.

He is a shithead who uses his education to blind people.

[geek tragedy]

3. That wanker has said--twice--that Rumsfeld is the greatest

secretary of defense in the history of the United States.

[ProfessorGAC]

4. You Are Far Too Kind

Hanson is a buffoon. His academic credentials, upon which he will expound ad nauseum, are grossly overstated. And, his logic is subsimian. He's dumber than dirt, but simply ACTS like an intellectual. He's a mental midget! And, i would have called him so. (In fact the Chicago Trib printed an LTTE by me in which i challenged his intellectual acumen.)

Your's is a good letter, but too, too kind.
The Professor