Leaders And Learning
Re: A Leaderless Community
One other thing you might add is restoring Pell Grants and other educational funding for inmates. Clinton's Crime Bill eliminated them. I've worked with inmates, and, sadly, been the mother of an inmate. I remember how much it meant for inmates, even lifers, to get their GEDs and take college courses. Their educational successes had to have had an impact on their families too.
Mary Alpern
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African American leaders like Elaine Brown and Aaron Dixon are responding to this issue. Elaine made it a central feature of her address to the Green Party of Washington state convention last May 12.
Brian Lynch
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Bruce Dixon's “A Leaderless Community” has it all wrong. The brutal, failed policies he describes are not a “black problem” that can only be dealt with by “black leaders.” They are an American problem that is a legitimate concern of every citizen.
The civil rights movement was at its most effective and powerful when it built a multiracial coalition that shared the concern over civil rights issues. We need to do that again. The failure Dixon cites is not a failure of “black” leadership. It is a failure we all share. An effective response would engage all Americans of good will (remember that phrase?) in addressing this tragic situation.
Peter Fairweather
Unfriendly Skies?
Re: Rebusting The Air Traffic Controllers
Thank you for bringing to light the dire situation of he nation's air traffic controllers. Their working conditions directly affect the flying public. They have the right to know that the Bush administration and his appointed FAA top tier are putting them at risk. ATC's are not being replaced, but rather are expected to fill those vacancies with extra hours for those that remain. I believe all of this is in an effort to privatize ATC in this country. If they strike they will fired!. They need the press to spread the word of their plight.
Sandra Doanhue
Date Certain?
Re: Ending A Failed Occupation
I thought the funding for Iraq was for just until the end of September, or four months as is being reported everywhere. The article claims it is for another year.
Russell Tyldesley
Editor: The confusion is over fiscal years as compared to calendar years. The resolution funds the war through the entire fiscal year 2007, which ends September 30. The article should have made that clear.
Don't Overlook The Short Man
Re: Deadly Illusions Rest In Peace
Hi Norman,
I have been an admirer of your work for many years. Please accept this note as constructive criticism and not as repudiation.
In your article “Deadly Illusions, Rest in Peace” you mention the great antiwar work of Reps. Barbara Lee, Lynn Woolsey and Maxine Waters but you failed to include presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich on this list. Your failure to mention Kucinich has the effect of marginalizing him in the same way that the mainstream media does. I expect this from them but not from you.
Kucinich tells it like it is more than anyone else in Congress. He did an extraordinary interview on Democracy Now with Amy Goodman yesterday (see 5/24/07 transcript of show). You would be doing a service to your readers to include Kucinich on your list of congressional heroes especially now while he is using his presidential run as a platform to force the Democratic leadership into truly opposing the war.
Sincerely,
Jon Spitz
Laytonville, CA
Major Pains
Re: No More Compromise
Face it— the Democrats hold very slim majorities in the House and Senate. They may be able to ram home legislation (slightly bipartisan at best) through the House, but they simply don't have the margins to do so in the Senate. If they craft balanced legislation that could pass the Senate, many House Democrats probably wouldn't support it. Welcome to the majority!
Chris C
William Grede Revisited
Re: Rigging The Marketplace Of Ideas
Rick [Perlstein] wrote :
That was one of the John Birch Society's principles: that Eisenhower may have been a ‘conscious agent of the Communist conspiracy.’ Grede denounced this new ‘leftish trend’ in the NAM board of directors represented by the anti-Birch resolution.
First, the “principles” of the JBS never included the statement which Rick quotes. In fact, many members of the JBS National Council disavowed Welch's private comments about Ike which were originally written in 1954 in a personal letter that grew, over time, into a book-length manuscript.
In fact, many prominent JBS members were supporters of Eisenhower. Some (like T. Coleman Andrews and Clarence Manion) accepted positions in Ike's administration.
With respect to William Grede's position, he was an Eisenhower supporter but, over time, came to disagree with Eisenhower administration economic policies. For a more factual account of Grede's beliefs (not the cartoon caricature as presented by Rick Perlstein), see Craig Miner's 1989 book, Grede of Milwaukee .
Ernie Lazar
Correction
Re: Green Jobs, Good Jobs On The Way?
Mr. Jones refers to Sen. James Sensenbrenner of California. Did he mean Sensenbrenner? Sensenbrenner is a Wisconsin senator (and heir to the Kotex fortune, funny enough).
Linda Hildebrand
Brick, NJ
Editor: That was an editing error. Actually, Sensenbreener is a House member from Wisconsin, not a senator.
