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It’s Terror Alright
President Bush calls it, The War on Terror. Yes, I am afraid. But, I’m not afraid of the terror he speaks of. I’m afraid of the terror he has created in our minds, hearts, and souls. I’m afraid of the personality that our country has taken on; the “I am better than thou” viewpoint, the “mine are more precious than yours” outlook, and the “I am worth being protected more than you are” projection.
Bush’s unwavering belief in his decisive actions and his failure to acknowledge any mistakes he has made, have allowed him to create a convincing testament for the American people to believe in and fear.
Terror is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as: Overwhelming intense fear, violence by a group to achieve a political objective. Terrorize: to control and dominate by intimidation or violence.
We have lost more than 1,200 American individuals, many of which went to fight the “war on terror” believing it to be just. We are bringing home 7,000 maimed sons and daughters who will forever have to live without an arm, leg, or hand. We have killed tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis. What is that? A charitable contribution to promote Democracy? Is that not terrorism?
If a country invaded our soil and bombed us relentlessly, and killed our children and families, would we not be enraged? Would our lives not be terrorized? Just exactly who are the terrorists in this war?
If we cannot see the Iraq War from all perspectives, as all cultures may view it, how can we be so sure that we are so right?
Katherine Grossert
Knoxville
Soldiers: Honor Yourselves
I am an American citizen who is concerned about the troops serving in Iraq. The soldiers who fight for our freedom and put their lives on the line to keep us safe are made up of the everyday heroes that come from places like Knoxville. These brave soldiers serve us all without question, and I just wanted them to know that I, for one, appreciate their service.
Tennessee has a proud history of living up to the state nickname, “The Volunteer State,” which to the people of Tennessee means so much more than just words they put on their license plates; it’s the way they have always met the challenges of America.
A lot of American soldiers have been traumatized by being in battle, and they need to understand very important truths: You are not bad or evil; it is not your choice to be in battle; it is the choice of your government, and you are following orders because it is your duty. Your actions in combat are not your choice but the necessity to survive, and those actions are not who you are but what you need to do at the moment.
Never let go of the truth of who you really are! Too many have forgotten and lost their way. Never forget you are honorable and decent men and women! Never be afraid to face the truth of combat because it is not your choice but it is the reality you are in at the moment. Never let the actions of a brutal enemy define who you are.
Don’t ever let anyone distort or tarnish your honorable actions, because you always know the truth of your own intentions. Do not be disheartened by what you hear, because you know why you are there!
Come back to us whole of spirit, because your spirit is good and true, and we need you in peace too, and rest assured that we will do whatever it takes to keep your families safe and make sure you come home as soon as possible.
Brian Stettler
Tampa, Fla.
Get out the Liberal Message
They were right, this was a decisive election. Not just for the nation, but also for the Democratic Party. If you are anything like me, you are still asking the question, “How?” Everything was going our way—so what happened? Green Bay beat the Redskins, and the ever-faithful Zogby poll had us up by nearly a hundred electoral votes at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 2. So what went wrong? We had the highest number of youths that voted in history. We rocked the vote alright. But there was a major glitch in our communication system this time.
The conservatives have it easy. Everyone believes the same thing; they can program a message into whatever network they please and soon enough, whatever they say becomes true. However, the liberals do not have it that easy. We are by nature more open-minded and tend to think outside the box, causing a common difference among nearly every liberal in our country today.
We failed in one area: Sending out one or two solid messages that the common person could take home with them after work. I guess you could say our strength was our weakness this time. For the next four years, the liberals need to take a page from the conservative playbook and start now by sending out a unified message that uniquely depicts the values (not morals) held by every liberal in this nation.
We should avoid mixing morals with values, because the Democratic Party is based on values and can more easily draw the line between religious morals and good politics. A caveat to all Democrats: Do not feel pressured by the religious right to involve religion as our primary motivation for our political choices. We are a party founded on values, praising the growth of minorities in our overwhelming society, empathizing with the hardships of the common man, cherishing the rights of all human beings, but not for ideological bigotry, and we should be proud of that.
Andrew Lenczyk
Knoxville
Mentally Ill Left Out?
Tennessee is in the process of cutting services to some of its most vulnerable citizens—people with mental illness such as depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Several factors are coming together at the same time, each building on the others, like a perfect storm. The result is that if you are one of the 285,000 Tennesseans with a serious mental illness and you aren’t rich enough to pay mental health care bills, you’re likely to suffer from your illness on the street, in jail or worse. The safety nets are rapidly disappearing.
First, Gov. Bredesen is considering cutting TennCare, meaning that 400,000 Tennesseans will be completely uninsured. Meanwhile, Magellan contracts have cut funding for housing and rehabilitation services, both of which keep people stable and in their communities when they’re battling mental illness. Finally, Tennessee is losing an exception to Medicaid law, meaning that in July federal funds for psychiatric hospitalization will be phased out unless people are in general hospitals or in small free-standing facilities. The original intent of that law was to help people get treatment close to home, but when there aren’t enough beds available locally—and in Tennessee there aren’t—the effect is to keep people from getting psychiatric hospitalization when they need it. This is a collection of calamities.
It’s a truly ironic situation, because cuts in funding and treatment are arriving at the very moment in history when we finally understand how to treat mental illness effectively. We finally know what works. People with serious mental illness used to be completely dependent on the state, but now with treatment and medication they can become contributing members of their communities. Yet resources are disappearing.
Sadly, the outcome is predictable. More Tennesseans with mental illness will end up on the streets, in the hospital and in jail. I wish Gov. Bredesen would take the longer view. Short-term cost cuts cannot outweigh the long-term benefits that mental health treatment has to offer.
When we cut off support from the very ill, we weaken families, we weaken communities, and we weaken our state. The long-term price is high, both in dollars and in pain.
There is one hope for changing this situation. When other states have been in similar straits, they have received federal funding to turn things around. I urge you to call your congressman, your senator and your state representative. Encourage them to request federal funding to stabilize TennCare and assure that Tennesseans with mental illness will receive the humane and effective services they need to remain productive members of our communities.
Sita Diehl
Executive Director
NAMI Tennessee
Nashville
November 11, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 46
© 2004 Metro Pulse
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