Vitriolic views of our president are disguised as truth

Re: A citizen's duty is to ferret out the truth, Dec. 31.

I was simply amazed at reading Bill Maxwell's column regarding a citizen's duty and truth. I was hoping for a real article based on facts and self-reflection. Instead I read a column based upon personal cynicism, hatred and jealousy. To state as truth that President Bush has been "exploiting memories of 9/11," has outright lied, created "a national siege mentality" and that the press has been steamrollered defies common sense and logic.

I have occasionally read Maxwell's column in the past, and even though I disagree with his opinions, I admire his background and intelligence. Unfortunately to disguise his verbal vitriol as truth is insulting to my intelligence. Maxwell should have read the article next to his by Robert Samuelson of Newsweek (It's not easy to be a country of haters). It has 10 times more facts than Maxwell's "truth."

Exercising our rights as Americans

Re: A citizen's duty is to ferret out the truth.

Thank goodness for people like Bill Maxwell, who I know will keep his New Year's resolution to continue being a "good American citizen and a patriot." Maybe it is because I studied history that I know the principles upon which this country was founded, principles that seem to have no place in the Bush administration's agenda. These are the principles of free speech, the right to dissent, the right to an attorney and to know the charges against oneself, the right to privacy - and the list goes on.

Yes, 9/11 was horrific, but for the majority of Americans to tolerate going to war without knowing the truth and then when learning the truth not to care saddens me.

Thank you, St. Petersburg Times and Bill Maxwell, for exercising our rights as Americans.

"Truths' lack support of facts

Re: A citizen's duty is to ferret out the truth.

I enjoy reading the fiction espoused by Bill Maxwell in his too-frequent columns. Maxwell seldom lets the facts interfere with his perception of "the truth."

He says that President Bush "dissembled" to win support for the war in Iraq. This is a tired left-wing accusation that most citizens recognize for what it is: an attempt to discredit George W. Bush. The "fact" is that the president acted on the best available intelligence. This intelligence was also held to be true by President Bush's predecessor, Bill Clinton.

Maxwell writes, "We have allowed Bush to routinely mislead us . . ." This is one of Maxwell's favorite methods of his journalistic style. Make a statement as a "fact" and then neglect to give any examples supporting the "Maxwell Truth." He further writes that "Bushites, therefore, have no reason" to care "about the public interest . . ."

Well, polls show that a significant majority support our president and to say that because we support President Bush we have no reason to care about our public interests is absurd. Most of Bill Maxwell's columns contain "Maxwell Truths" which in the final analysis are not supported by facts.

Finding hope for our democracy

Re: A citizen's duty is to ferret out the truth.

Bill Maxwell is a true patriot. I know, as usual, he will be viciously criticized for the truth he has the courage to say. I congratulate the St. Petersburg Times for having such an intelligent, fearless writer on its staff.

He correctly says that too many Americans have no sense of what being a real citizen of democracy means, and that "real citizens demand the truth because they know that the first principle of living in a democracy is their obligation to know the truth."

Maxwell will not be one to be steamrollered, as is much of the press, by the "wrongheaded arrogance of this administration [that] goes virtually unchecked." In this atmosphere of bashing those who have the courage to speak the truth, Maxwell gives me hope our country will show the strength to fight for the power each citizen has to ensure the continued existence of genuine democracy.

As Eleanor Roosevelt said, it is necessary for each generation to fight for these rights or they will soon disappear.

Ignorance is winning

Re: A citizen's duty is to ferret out the truth.

While I applaud Bill Maxwell's call for the American public to hold the Bush administration - and all politicians, for that matter - accountable for their policies and actions, I certainly don't hold out much hope.

Mass consumerism, pop culture and junk politics are all that most people in this country care about - the truth be damned. I'm sorry, but in America, ignorance has taken over.

Where was the truth?

Re: A citizen's duty is to ferret out the truth.

Bill Maxwell's "ferreting out of the truth" has one big problem. Where was the truth? I saw a bunch of specious rhetoric, half-truths and outright prevarications.

He asked what is our exit strategy for Iraq. Mr. Maxwell, what is our exit strategy for Bosnia and Serbia? After World War II, we didn't turn power back to the Germans and Japanese for seven and 10 years, respectively. We are still in both countries. These two examples occurred under Democratic administrations. These convenient facts must have slipped Maxwell's erudite mind.

Bill Maxwell can keep on writing for those in society who want their news devoid of any truth. I will "ferret" for myself.

Trying to get Bush re-elected?

With my subscription teetering in the brink, the supposedly left-leaning St. Petersburg Times' attacks on Howard Dean are continuing. I find it humorous the depths you will sink to forward your agenda. Let's see, attacks on Gov. Dean by George Will and Robert Novak! Who's next? Richard Perle? Nosferatu?

Actually, I can't tell if you have an agenda or if you are just incredibly lazy parrots. Whichever the case, one thing is for sure, this once respectable independent voice has caught a case of political Tourette's Syndrome.

Attacks based upon the tortured parsing of a candidate's off-the-cuff remarks helped elect George Bush. Are you going to help re-elect Bush in the same fashion?

French contradictions

Re: Public display of religions, by Martin Dyckman, Dec. 28.

Dyckman noted that "the French take the separation of church and state as a given."

Really? Even though the same column says that the French are "routinely contributing tax money to religious schools"? Even though, according to Dyckman, "six of France's 11 legal holidays are rooted in Christianity"?

How can these obvious government subsidies to religion be equated with "taking separation of church and state as a given"? Please, enough comparing us unfavorably to and confusing us about the French.

Inconsistency on prescription drugs

Re: Policy a prescription for defiance, Dec. 27.

In its efforts to block cities and states from importing U.S.-made prescription drugs from Canada, the FDA is protecting the high profits of U.S. drug manufacturers, not the health of U.S. citizens. As Sara Fritz reported in this article, witnesses at a Senate committee hearing in November could not answer Sen. Olympia Snowe's challenge to name one person who died from an imported drug.

It is safe to say that more Americans die in one month from the over-the-counter drugs tobacco and alcohol than would die in 100 years from prescription drugs imported from Canada.

It is inconsistent of an administration that champions the free market to oppose the efforts of cities and states to obtain lower-cost prescription drugs for their active and retired public employees. And it makes even less sense at a time of budget deficits.

Put the spotlight on HIV

Re: If HIV went off radar, it's back on, Dec. 26.

In reading your article on HIV, I was gratified that at last something has been written about this dreaded virus, which is usually swept under the rug. Unfortunately, the article emphasizes the danger to the homosexual community, and not enough information was given to the fact that all groups are at risk: male, female, young and old, homosexual and heterosexual.

A series of articles should be written on HIV, each article giving the facts about each group and how the HIV virus has affected them. The public needs to know about HIV and be educated about how to prevent this devastating, ultimately fatal disease.

An inspirational article

Re: A Southern treasure is buried far too soon, Jan. 2.

Upon reading this timely column by Diane Roberts, I retrieved scissors and cut it out of the paper to share with my students. As a public school middle school counselor, I am always in search of meaningful heroes/heroines, for students to learn about. Bailey Thomson, the Alabamian newspaper journalist Roberts describes, is such a person.

With this inspirational article displayed in my office, hopefully a student, parent or faculty member will stand with strength and fortitude when facing adversity. By our actions, may we each make a difference to all of mankind in this world.

Christmas memories

Re: Gifts of Christmas past.

I so enjoyed Bill Maxwell's Dec. 28 column. It reminded me of the early Christmases my older sister and I shared with our mother. Our father and she divorced when we were 5 and 8, a time when divorce was somewhat of a scandal. The column reminded me how tough it must have been on her financially to feed and clothe us, let alone buy gifts.

I, too, wore a towel clipped around my neck to play Superman, and I, too, jumped off many a fence trying to fly. However, my favorite Christmas memory is coming in early Christmas morning to find a genuine Lionel train set.

This year as I am now in my 50s, I played Santa and bought myself a new Lionel train set. Must be midlife crisis time.

Thanks Bill, for reminding us of Christmas past.

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