Velma Berger – 10/9/07

This page was last updated on October 15, 2007.

We must live with war daily; Velma Berger; Beaver County Times; October 9, 2007.

This is the latest in a series of at least 23 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. In her last letter, Ms. Berger actually claimed she has “a clock ticking down to Bush’s last day in office” and that she “carr[ies] it on [her] purse everywhere [she] go[es].”

Below is a detailed critique of the letter.

“In 2004, I sent a letter to the editor that had the headline ‘War dead are front-page news.’ We then had lost 505 troops.

“Now, three years later, with more than 3,800 killed, the news is still back-page news.

“The Sept. 30 front-page featured an article titled ‘Take time to be a couple!’ I found the World news in section B but had to search to Page 7 for the war update. There were pictures of our wounded troops with limbs missing, blind and some with mental problems. At the very bottom were pictures of nine young men killed.

“They are returning home to poor medical care and loss of jobs and homes. During World War II, the war was front-page news. We lived with it every day.”

[RWC] Where’s the evidence to support the claim of “poor medical care?”

“I think we should honor our troops every day by facing their sacrifices, not just on special days.”

[RWC] Gee, based on her letter history, why do I believe “honor[ing] our troops” has nothing to do with Ms. Berger’s motives?

“As long as this president is in office we will be at war. As he says, ‘I am a war president.’ On the day that I write this letter, we still have 477 days of George Bush.”

[RWC] I know it’s an inconvenient truth for folks like Ms. Berger, but we didn’t attack anyone until we were attacked.

“Bring our troops home now.”

[RWC] It’s not a real Velma Berger letter without “Bring our troops home now.” Of course, Ms. Berger never tells us what to do afterward.