Velma Berger – 2/12/07

This page was last updated on February 25, 2007.

It’s our duty to object; Velma Berger; Beaver County Times; February 12, 2007.

This is the latest in a series of at least 18 Bush and Iraqi-bashing letters written by Ms. Berger dating back to February 2005. In one letter, Ms. Berger told us she was proud of John Murtha.

Below is a detailed critique of the letter.

“A recent letter to the editor from Phil Laughlin said it all (‘Ignoring the lessons of history,’ Feb. 2). After Vietnam, the people said never again.”

[RWC] Who is Phil? Rich Laughlin wrote the letter to which Ms. Berger refers.

“Now, we are engaged in a similar war. Our president took us into war ignoring anything we might have learned from Vietnam.”

[RWC] Note Ms. Berger doesn’t tell us how the wars are similar. Why didn’t Ms. Berger mention the Korean War?

“We had Saddam under surveillance both from the air and inspectors in Iraq. There was no reason to rush to war.”

[RWC] Hmm, we had Osama bin-Laden under surveillance as well long before 9/11. That worked out well – not.

What does Ms. Berger consider a “rush?” The buildup took over a year, excluding the more than a decade Iraq violated UN resolution after UN resolution.

Regarding the “inspectors in Iraq,” though he opposed military action, even Hans Blix conceded the documents provided by Iraq were incomplete and fraudulent.

“When it seemed to be evident that we were not winning the war, Bush stubbornly refused to make any changes. The biggest mistake was keeping Donald Rumsfield [sic] in charge of the Pentagon. Bush even said Rumsfeld was doing a great job.”

[RWC] By “any changes,” Ms. Berger means running away. In none of her letters has Ms. Berger expressed a desire for us to win.

“Meanwhile, our casualties continue to mount and are fast approaching 3,100. Those of us who support bringing our troops home are called unpatriotic.”

[RWC] I know Ms. Berger doesn’t believe this, but everyone wants to bring our troops home. Those referred to as “unpatriotic” are not labeled so for wanting our troops back home. They are labeled unpatriotic because of their tactics. How is what Ms. Berger writes any different from what Tokyo Rose and Axis Sally broadcast during World War II?

“When we have a leader who calls himself a ‘war president’ and refuses to see things as they are, we have the right to disagree. In fact, it is our duty.”

[RWC] Hmm, if you don’t see things as does Ms. Berger, you refuse “to see things as they are.”