A False Sense

Of Security

To the Editor:

G.W. Bush is not only in command of the most effective and ruthless political machine in the nation, but he also has self-proclaimed skills as a campaign prophet by convincing a majority of voters that John Kerry, if elected President, will raise taxes on the middle-class; will not be capable of using diplomacy and thus continue the failure in Iraq; will not be able to rein-in a derelict and runaway budget; will not be able to bring the nation to self-sufficiency of an energy policy that is porous and under siege by major domestic and foreign interests; will make our nation less secure from terrorists than the currently frightening state; and, most importantly, John Kerry is too liberal to govern effectively against an administration that mismanages our economy with reckless endangerment.

In fact, these ominous visions are a reflection of G.W. Bush’s self-fulfilling prophesies which have been conveyed repeatedly to the nation with deliberate deception, messages of fear and a false sense of security.

G.W. Bush has given the nation a false sense of security on homeland security when he claims that Tom Ridge is doing everything possible to keep America safe when in fact he is subjecting the country to heightened alerts and emergency security measures based on inconsequential intelligence information at best. Our ports and cargo are not adequately screened. Our chemical and nuclear plants, our bridges and tunnels, our water supply systems, and other valuable targets have all been largely neglected by this administration.

A false sense of security has also been cleverly conveyed to us on foreign policy and global terrorism. This administration has purposely ignored pleas from North Korea and Iran to negotiate in response to nuclear arms escalations. North Korea in particular has wanted to negotiate disarmament directly with the United States in exchange, primarily, for desperately needed food and aid for its impoverished people. While traditionally nations in need are readily awarded such assistance, in this instance, the administration would not heed North Korea’s plead because G.W. Bush planted the seeds for an all-out confrontation when it proclaimed to our nation that Iraq, Iran, and North Korea comprised the Axis of Evil that needs to be made accountable for harboring or sponsoring terrorists. Consequently, the goal and purpose of the administration is to reject negotiations essential for peaceful resolution with Iran and North Korea and create events and consequences to justify waging wars.

John Kerry, if elected President, would dispel any false sense of security by reversing this reckless and dangerous foreign policy and resume immediately negotiations with North Korea and Iran. North Korea would be assured, with major participation by affected nations, to receive necessary food and aid for its people in exchange for monitored dismantling of its nuclear program. Equally intensive diplomacy would be afforded to Iran by John Kerry. Once Iran’s concerns are identified, diplomacy with full participation by NATO and the UN will undoubtedly result in peaceful compliance.

It should be apparent that G.W. Bush has inflicted a devastating blow to the nation from the quagmire he has created in Iraq. The pretenses used to go to war with sketchy intelligence information is becoming increasingly obvious and a case can be made that former CIA Director George Tenet’s announcement of “A slam dunk” for justifying the war was apparently staged and was designed to divert blame from the administration. Past and current events in Iraq are exemplary of how Bush’s handling of the war demonstrates a pattern of callous disregard for Iranian and American lives.

We also have been given a false sense of security on our economy, on our social security program, the Medicare program, our balanced budget, our national debt, the level of poverty in our country, unemployment compensation, health insurance, our air and water quality and global warming, to simply name a few issues affecting us all.

Every issue that G.W. Bush has addressed during his presidency, whether by legislation, executive power, or administrative action, has resulted in measures that have benefited primarily Bush’s influential few and his loyal base of pretentious inclination with little or no concern how the majority of people in our country are impacted. Bush is not concerned with any possible public outcry for his actions of defiance for he has the best political machine ever assembled that is primarily designed to distort all of these injurious misdeeds into intangible accomplishments and thus effortlessly luring the nation into a false sense of security.

Bush’s deceptive rhetoric has been effective in Iraq and on the war on terrorism because the full outcome of these events may not yet be obvious to many. However, his dismal performance on issues of the economy, the nation’s welfare, and the environment have already manifested their consequences on us and the administration, Bush’s seemingly impenetrable political machine will have a meltdown if it does not survive November 2. If it does survive that climactic day, his political machine will become even more formidable and destructive and, with G.W. Bush at the helm, it will drive our country to unthinkable depths. The outcome is all up to us.

Peter L. Alagna

55 Head of Meadow Road, Newtown                        October 23, 2004