Letters
to the editor
The
real Clarke
I
recently read an opinion piece about leading
democratic candidate Gen. Wesley Clarke
here in the On-line Forty-Niner and was
very disheartened by the author's attempt
to discredit a man who's 34 year military
career and sparkling public service record
make him one of the most respected and honorable
citizens this nation has to offer.
The
author cites quotes from a Bush dinner and
other carefully spun sound bites as cause
to not support the general. What he fails
to mention is the decades of tireless service
that Clarke has rendered our land, not in
the name of politics, but in the name of
service. The author must not have heard
about Clarke being shot four times in Vietnam,
and receiving a Purple Heart and Silver
Star. All while Bush was serving the United
States by going AWOL from the Texas Air
National Guard. Anyone can cut and paste
various quotes, and make a case against
a man. But I'm imploring all of the CSULB
community to research who Clarke really
is.
It
is our duty as educated citizens to be skeptical
about what we hear and read. The conservatives
of this country can not win an argument
based on logic, they must resort to spin
to trick voters into losing focus on what
is important. What's important in the 2004
presidential election is electing a man
who knows what it is like to be a middle
class American, and cares about issues like
health care, the environment, unfair tax
burdens on the middle class and the welfare
and compensation of our brave men and women
serving overseas. We need a man who understands
that dissent is a part of our democracy,
and who has four bullet holes to prove that
he understands the real meaning of patriotism.
We need a man who doesn't believe that the
interests of Halliburton and Exxon-Mobil
are parallel with the average American's,
and will end tax loopholes for corporations
and the wealthy, to ensure they pay their
fair share.
I'm
not asking you to vote for Wesley Clarke
in 2004. I'm asking all of you to do your
own research and find out who he really
is. Look into his real NATO record, and
find out why he was awarded the Presidential
Medal of Freedom after his military service
ended. And most importantly find out why
conservatives perceive him as such a threat
to their beloved Bush, and why the spin
machine has been churning against him so
powerfully and so early in this campaign.
Don't be fooled by the spin, do your homework,
and make an informed choice in 2004.
--
Ryan Lauterbach
masters of business administration
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