A Record Of Deceit And Stupidity

To the Editor:

Of the three heartfelt letters to The Bee last week against war protest, the most heartbreaking reminded us of the sort of honesty Americans expected of a public servant like former General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In the 43 years since Mr Eisenhower said, “I shall stand definitely behind the president,” we have seen presidents betray and squander the public trust with the Watergate break-in, the abuse of FBI power, the Iran-Contra arms scheme, adultery in the Oval Office, lies about weapons of mass destruction, and falsely painted connections between a monstrous Iraqi dictator and the Saudi Arabian terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center.

Faced with that track record of deceit and stupidity, and observing an administration that awards noncompetitive war contracts to cronies but can’t provide armor for its soldiers, why shouldn’t the people who stood vigil at Town Hall question a war for which the only rationale to keep fighting seems to be to honor the deaths of brave Americans misled into doing their duty?

Justin Scott

Parmalee Hill Road, Newtown                                 August 29, 2005