A Special Letter "excellent Read"
 

Subject: A special letter from a NEW YORKER

Subj: Fwd: An explanation of a vote for Kerry

This letter that was written by a fellow NY'er is so close to my feelings that I
thought I'd share it with you guys.
Anna

======================================

I am writing this letter to the people in the red states in the middle

of the country -- the people who voted for George W. Bush. I am writing this
letter because I don't think we know each other.

So I'll make an introduction. I am a New Yorker who voted for John Kerry. I used
to live in California, and if I still lived there, I would vote for Kerry. I
used to live in Washington, DC, and if I still lived there, I would vote for
Kerry. Kerry won in all three of those regions.

Maybe you want to know more about me. Or maybe not; maybe you think you know me
already. You think I am some anti-American anarchist because I dislike George W.
Bush. You think that I am immoral and anti-family, because I support women's
reproductive freedom and gay rights. You think that I am dangerous, and even
evil, because I do not abide by your religious beliefs.

Maybe you are content to think that, to write me off as a “liberal” - - the
dreaded “L” word - - and rejoice that your candidate has triumphed over evil,
immoral, anti-American, anti-family people like me. But maybe you are still
curious. So here goes: this is who I am.

I am a New Yorker. I was here, in my apartment downtown, on September 11th. I
watched the Towers burn from the roof of my building. I went inside so that I
couldn't see them when they fell. I had friends who were inside. I have a friend
who still has nightmares about watching people jump and fall from the Towers. He
will never be the same. How many people like him do you know? People that can't
sit in a restaurant without plotting an escape route, in case it blows up?

I am a worker. I work across the street from the Citigroup Center, which the
government told us is a “target” of terrorism. Later, we found out they were
relaying very old information, but it was already too late. They had given me
bad dreams again. The subway stop near my office was crowded with bomb-sniffing
dogs, policemen in heavy protective gear, soldiers. Now, every time I enter or
exit my office, all of my possessions are X-rayed to make sure I don't have any
weapons. How often are you stopped by a soldier with a bomb-sniffing dog outside
your office?

I am a neighbor. I have a neighbor who is a 9/11 widow. She has two children. My
husband does odd jobs for her now, like building bookshelves. Things her husband
should do. He uses her husband's tools, and the two little girls tell him,
“Those are our daddy's tools.” How many 9/11 widows and orphans do you know? How
often do you fill in for their dead loved ones?

I am a taxpayer. I worked my butt off to get where I did, and so did my parents.
My parents saved and borrowed and sent me to college. I worked my way through
graduate school. I won a full tuition scholarship to law school. All for the
privilege of working 2,600 hours last year. That works out to a 50 hour week,
every week, without any vacation days at all. I get to work by 9 am and rarely
leave before 9 p.m. I eat dinner at my office much more often than I eat dinner
at home. My husband and I paid over $70,000 in federal income tax last year. At
some point in the future, we will have to pay much more - - once this country
faces its deficit and the impossible burden of Social Security. In fact, the
areas of the country that supported Kerry - - New York, California, Illinois,
Massachusetts - - they are the financial centers of the nation. They are the tax
base of this country. How much did you pay, Kansas? How much did you contribute
to this government you support, Alabama? How much of this war in Iraq did you
pay for?

I am a liberal. The funny part is, liberals have this reputation for living in
Never-Neverland, being idealists, not being sensible. But let me tell you how I
see the world: I see America as one nation in a world of nations. Therefore, I
think we should try to get along with other nations. I see that gay people
exist. Therefore, I think they should be allowed to exist, and be treated the
same as other people. I see ways in which women are not allowed to control their
own bodies. Therefore, I think we should give women more control over their
bodies. I see that people have awful diseases.

Therefore, I think we should enable scientists to try to cure them. I see that
we have a Constitution. Therefore, I think it should be upheld. I see that there
were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Therefore, I think that Iraq was not an imminent danger to me. It seems so
pragmatic to me. How do you see the world? Do you really think voting against
gay marriage will keep people from being gay? Would you really prefer that
people continue to die from Parkinson's disease? Do you really not care about
the Constitutional rights of political detainees? Would you really have
supported the war if you knew the truth, or would you have wanted to spend more
of our money on health care, job training, terrorism preparedness?

I am an American. I have an American flag flying outside my home. I love my home
more than anything. I love that I grew up right outside New York City. I first
went to the Statue of Liberty with my 5th grade class, and my mom and dad took
me to the Empire State Building when I was 8. I love taking the subway to Yankee
Stadium. I loved living in Washington DC and going on dates to the Lincoln
Memorial. It is because I love this country so much that I argue with my
political opponents as much I do.

I am not safe. I never feel safe. My in-laws live in a small town in Ohio, and
that town has received more federal funding, per capita, for terrorism
preparedness than New York City has. I take subways and buses every day. I work
in a skyscraper across the street from a “target.” I have emergency supplies and
a spare pair of sneakers in my desk, in case something happens while I'm at
work. Do you? How many times a month do you worry that your subway is going to
blow up? When you hear sirens on the street, do you run to the window to make
sure everything is okay? When you hear an airplane, do you flinch? Do you dread
beautiful, blue-skied September days? I don't know a single New Yorker who
doesn't spend the month of September on tip-toes, superstitiously praying for
rain so we don't have to relive that beautiful, blue-skied day.

I am lonely. I feel that we, as a nation, have alienated all our friends and
further provoked our enemies. I feel unprotected. Most of all I feel alienated
from my fellow citizens, because I don't understand what you are thinking. You
voted for a man who started a war in Iraq for no reason, against the wishes of
the entire world. You voted for a man whose lack of foresight and inability to
plan has led to massive insurgencies in Iraq, where weapons are disappearing
into the hands of terrorists. You voted for a man who let Osama Bin Laden escape
into the hills of Afghanistan so that he could start that war in Iraq. You voted
for a man who doesn't want to let people love who they want to love; doesn't
want to let doctors cure their patients; doesn't want to let women rule their
destinies. I don't understand why you voted for this man. For me, it is not
enough that he is personable; it is not enough that he seems like one of the
guys. Why did you vote for him? Why did you elect a man that lied to us in order
to persuade us to go to war? (Ten years ago you were incensed when our president
lied about his sex life; you thought it was an impeachable offense.) Why did you
elect a leader who thinks that strength cannot include diplomacy or
international cooperation? Why did you elect a man who did nothing except run
away and hide on September 11?

Most of all, I am terrified. I mean daily, I am afraid that I will not survive
this. I am afraid that I will lose my husband, that I will never have children,
that I will never grow old and watch the sunset in a backyard of my own. I am
afraid that my career -- which should end with a triumphant and good-natured
roast at a retirement party in 2035 -- will be cut short by an attack on me and
my colleagues, as we sit sending emails and making phone calls one ordinary
afternoon. Is your life at stake? Are you terrified?

I don't think you are. I don't think you realize what you have done. And if
anything happens to me or the people I love, I blame you. I wanted you to know
that.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/di ... 32x1386853

________________________-

Words can't explain it. It was a fantastic letter.''


Thkz to Larry for finding this (member of the http://www.biahq.com forums .).

Who'd expect a bias from the "democratic underground"

Its 720 pm george bush is still president, fuck off back into your worm holes.

NOTE: It is an opinion peice. So you sayin g it is bias is completely correct. But you miss the point of the whole letter itself. The whole intent it set out to explian to you. It is like you just missed shooting at the wide side of a barn Lev....

Great read, indeed.

[quote:7f408] Is it just me, or did the election end 3 weeks ago. eek: [/quote:7f408]

great read indeed.

[/quote:81c7a]


Your missing the point of the letter.

Your missing the point of the letter.[/quote:546f3]


summarize it for me

very good read indeed.

summarize it for me[/quote:00529]

Summarize it for you? I think that the writer is trying to point the facts and situations regarding the current U.S. state of affairs and the positions held by each political and how it affects the people of your country. Maybe if people like your self were ablle to analize all the facts instead of relying on an interpretation or summary from some one else, the election might have had a different outcome.

fine. since you insulted me i guess i'll have to read it. I'm sorry if i just had a lethal dose of grandma's sleep turkey and am too lazy to read it.... meh i'll do it later

The entire letter is thinly veiled as an attempt to "acquaint" supposed red state voters with the "reality" of the average American Liberal. What it actually does is hurl insults at most of middle, western and southern America without much attempt to disguise them.

This is just another perfect example of morons - conservative or liberal - trying to use vivid emotional imagery to marginalize and further divide the nation.

Bottom line? Fuck off with it. Bush is President, Conservatives rule the House and Senate. We either come together as a nation and stop with the Bush is a Nazi and Red States are filled with special education candidates or we spiral even further.

Noctis go complain about cheaters.

summarize it for me[/quote:9f143]
sleeping:

Sorry dude, I forgot you guys had Thanksgiving.....Turkey enzymes knock me out too.

Yeah, I have to agree. When she started bitching about how much she works to pull down enough to have paid $70K/yr. in taxes, its enough to make me vomit. Then, to question how much people in the midwest pay because they aren't as fortunate to have achieved the social standing that she may or may not be happy with is ridiculous.

I'll tell you a little story that gave me a little perspective. I used to be a circulation manager for a major newspaper in Washington, DC. I worked downtown and in the Rosslyn/Arlington area of Northern VA for 5 years. Many of my contractors were foreign born guys.

One of my contractors was an Iraqi guy. He worked for me for 2+ years and I got the opportunity to get to know him pretty well. He was a veteran of the first Persian Gulf war. The only thing is, he was a member of Saddam's "elite" Republican Guard. He told me how bad Iraq sucked and how poorly people were treated under Saddam. He explained how soldiers didn't have enough food, didn't get paid regularly, were beaten, and how some "disappeared."

After the Persian Gulf war, he was allowed by his superiors to go home and visit family for a few days. Well long story short, he kept on walking. After about a week of walking, hitching rides, hiding, and scrounging for food, he found himself in a Jordanian refugee camp. This guy was now a dead man if he were to ever return to Iraq where he had sisters and parents still living outside of Baghdad. He remained in the camp for better than 2 years before he got word that the US State Dept would grant him entry into the US.

While living here, he worked multiple jobs at once and sent what he could to his family living in Iraq. You see, his family was an average Iraqi family living in what we consider poverty. It was almost comical the lengths that he would have to go to in order to get things to his family without it being confiscated by the government on its way. Hiding stuff in feminine hygiene products for example. Anyway this guy was so proud of the little that he had amassed working and was grateful to be working 18 hours a day to sustain himself and help out his family. He loved living in the US.

After 9/11 and conversations started about attacking Iraq, he was so excited about the prospect of his country being liberated from the Saddam regime. He knew that there would be a number of civilian deaths and that his family would be at risk, but he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. He could see himself returning to be with his family and not being afraid to be put to death. He told me that his family and neighbors were excited and they were all pulling for the US to intervene.

I haven't spoken to him since the invasion began, so unfortunately I can't speak to how he feels now. My sense is that he would be disappointed with the way that things have turned out. If I had to guess, I'd venture to say that he would say it was worth it if the country stabalizes and avoids a hardline regime taking power.

This is very long winded, I know. My point is that WMD or not, even most Iraqis thought that it was time for Saddam to go. George Bush and John Kerry both agreed with the average Iraqi and voted to go to war with Iraq. This is why it disturbs me so much when people say that George Bush is sending troops to their death for no good reason. This is also why the US can't just pull out like some would like to believe is the solution.

As far as 9/11, Clinton had opportunities to kill Bin Laden after the first bombing or the World Trade Center, the USS Cole, and the African embassies. He elected to pass on these opportunities. Clinton is as much to blame as any conservative for what happened 9/11. But you know what, I don't hold him responsible for the actions of lunatics any more than I hold Bush responsible for the insurgency in Iraq.

Well said tom. beer:

Dave Chappelle on conan (not exactly how it is said)

Conan: So who ya going to vote for

Chappelle: Well I was leaning Kerry, but after this 50 million dollar contract with Comedy Central, Bush is looking pretty good now.

I want to fuck albow....can that happen?

wait WTF oOo:



















pps: mans3chs? kthxbai

[img]http://s92915907.onlinehome.us/smilies/huge_hake.gif[/img]

GOLDEN.

Bleh. I for one never said that liberals, lefties, dems, or whatever you think we call you are evil, ammoral, dangerous, o whatever. I don't believe they take into account the long term effects of their p;ans for peace, the economy, or anything else. I'm tired as shit of these urban elitists saying that people in the red states are ignorant fundamentalist red-necks. Or all klansmen, or whatever. All white liberals bowing to the word and beliefs of the likes of jessie jackson and al sharpton, while real workin black people wish he'd stfu. I personally would like to see the "blue" states cecede and form their own country, like so many are now suggesting. See how well the get off without farmers and other red state hillbillys producing foods, doing all the physical labour. Heres an interesting fact: real working people tend to vote republican. they know that the republican agenda works for working americans. Urban elitists have no touch with these working americans. actors in hollywood have no idea what these people want or need. So please, urban elitists of america, SHUT THE FUCK UP

Politics...yay.

/me goes to post in the Officers forum about a Politics Forum

give piece a chance












yes i know its spelled wrong. thats the whole point you moron

[quote:72884]As far as 9/11, Clinton had opportunities to kill Bin Laden after the first bombing or the World Trade Center, the USS Cole, and the African embassies. He elected to pass on these opportunities. Clinton is as much to blame as any conservative for what happened 9/11. But you know what, I don't hold him responsible for the actions of lunatics any more than I hold Bush responsible for the insurgency in Iraq.[/quote:72884]

Clinton did a lot more about terrorism. You all claim Bush to be tough on it, the Truth of the matter is Clinton did a hell of a lot more.

http://cronus.com/terrorism/

It might be a good idea to rebuild the government; I guess that is called reforming. This country is big and has been the same for ... uh... 200+ years? Really, that means, this nation is very strong, but this nation is and has been growing very weak. Those are just some "side" thoughts. oOo:

[quote="Short Hand":bf110][quote:bf110]As far as 9/11, Clinton had opportunities to kill Bin Laden after the first bombing or the World Trade Center, the USS Cole, and the African embassies. He elected to pass on these opportunities. Clinton is as much to blame as any conservative for what happened 9/11. But you know what, I don't hold him responsible for the actions of lunatics any more than I hold Bush responsible for the insurgency in Iraq.[/quote:bf110]

Clinton did a lot more about terrorism. You all claim Bush to be tough on it, the Truth of the matter is Clinton did a hell of a lot more.

[url="http://cronus.com/terrorism/"]http://cronus.com/terrorism/[/url][/quote:bf110]lolzorz

where is the lollorzcaust when you need it ?

If the democratic party cant figure out that they need more than the north east and california to win the election, they are too dumb or too out of touch to deserve the presidency.

When this whole thing started, it was "anyone but bush", but kerry was so far left, he would never carry the south or the midwest.

Which demorats have been in the whitehouse in the last 20 years? And where have they come from? The south you say? Hmmm......

Which ones have been defeated? And where have they come from? The northeast you say? Hmmm......

And to think, you dont even need to pay me for this consulting work.

Quit letting the liberal northeast decide who wins the primarys, and the democrats may have a chance again. But as it stands, they are out of touch with the politics of the majority of the country. Howard Dean, John Clark, even Edwards would have beaten bush, Kerry was doomed from the start.

Fix.