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A Taste of Right-Wing Hate Mail

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After one of my previous articles - "More Lies: Bush Finally Comes Clean On Secret CIA Prisons" - I received some very interesting hate mail from a few readers who felt they needed to give me a piece of their minds. While almost all of the feedback I've received over the years has been from fellow progressives encouraging me to continue to voice their same ideas and concerns, for some reason this article in particular seemed to trigger a variety of right-wingnut backlash. In the spirit of Al Franken's "Hate Mail" segment on Air America, I thought it would be interesting to share this feedback with my readers, and even respond to their criticism... #1:
Nice reporting, sport. I guess you don't do any writing for Fox News, huh? Can you offer any valid reasons WHY the general public would have benefited from knowing about "secret" prisons? There IS something to be said for what you don't know, won't hurt you. Maybe you should try a new writing style; one with a little tact and grace, you might get through to more intelligent people. As it is, the only idiots who believe what you have to say are the blind sheep who remain loyal to the losing party, just because they know no better.
My response: You're right about one thing - I don't do any writing for Fox News. FNC is clearly recognized as a right-wing, conservative, Bush Administration lapdog. Their motto of "Fair & Balanced" is the biggest joke/lie in the mainstream media, as they produce a format with Bill O'Reilly & Sean Hannity slinging garbage which is rarely accurate, uniformly conservative, and almost always pro-Bush. My issue with the secret prisons is not the fact that he kept them secret, as you seem to suggest. I'm not okay with these prisons now that they're no longer secret. The fact of the matter is that the United States has been torturing prisoners, and proudly continues to do so. I'm not okay with torturing prisoners. I don't believe that the information gleaned from tortured prisoners is necessarily accurate (one of the false justifications for the war in Iraq came from a tortured prisoner who gave them what they wanted to hear just to stop the torture), and I believe that our mistreatment of prisoners puts our own soldiers at greater risk. As for my writing style being untactful and ungraceful - Thank You! This is exactly what I hope to hear from right-wing sheeple like yourself. Tact is for negotiators, and gracefulness is for figure-skaters. I tell it like I see it, and I pull no punches. If it hurts - too bad. Get over it. You may not choose to believe this, but you have the intelligent people and the idiots mixed up. The intelligent people know that Sadaam Hussein and Iraq did NOT have weapons of mass destruction, and had NO connection to al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, and the attacks on 9/11 (perhaps you'd like to download the Senate Intelligence Committee report - 7mb pdf). It's idiots like yourself (the minority, btw) who watch Fox News and still think Sadaam Hussein was the one who attacked us on 9/11 and that the war in Iraq is justified. #2 (copied-and-pasted unedited):
Who gives a sh*t if we torure a few terrorists. I dont think any real person in this country objects and for those that do, they need to be deported to Afghanistan. Stop hammering Bush and go on your merry f*ggot ways and get some other folks killed by the terrorists. Personally as a Verteran I find your writings disgusting, uneducated and you are obviously morally confused. Just my opinion of course. I am a network engineer with two masters degrees and have seen much of the world. Apparently you didnt pick up the body parts of a loved one on Sep 11th. And if ou did and still have the veiws you do , Check yourself in to the nearest State hospital.
My Response: I think one of the biggest differences between you and me is that I DO give a sh*t. (btw.. for a guy with two masters degrees, I'm surprised you never learned how to use a spellchecker.) How can we be sure that the people renditioned to secret 'black site' prisons, for extraordinary torture, are all terrorists? Isn't this type of brutality the same reason we labeled Sadaam a vicious dictator? You assume & accept that the Bush Administration is telling the truth, and you trust them. I, on the other hand, have watched the Bush Administration very closely over the last 6 years, and have seen them lie to us repeatedly and consistently. I don't trust them... at all. That's why I'm a big fan of oversight, transparency, and checks-&-balances in our government. These are the things that the Bush Administration has mutilated. These are the unspoken casualties of war. But there's a lot more to it than that. I care very deeply about how people are treated. I care very strongly about our Constitution and how our country was built on a foundation of rights, protections, and tolerance for diversity. And, I care unequivocally about the truth, and that the people who we elect to positions of responsibility, tell us the truth with unmitigated honesty. The Bush Administration has rarely been honest with the American people, as evidenced by the 6-year disparity between what they've said and what they've done, not to mention the multitude of documentation & evidence that has surfaced over the years debunking their claims. Since you're a veteran, I certainly owe you a debt of gratitude. I have the utmost respect and thankfulness for our men & women in uniform who have given of themselves and put themselves at risk to protect us. Granted, I have criticized the rare occurrence of soldiers who have abused their authority (i.e. the atrocities of Haditha & Ishtaqi). However, I have also been extremely supportive of our troops while criticizing the Bush Administration and the mission. I think it's deplorable that your fellow soldiers were sent into harm's way under fraudulent circumstances and without proper protections. I think it's deplorable that so many of your fellow soldiers have been killed and/or maimed in an effort to fuel the military-industrial-complex's greed. And, I think it's deplorable that your fellow soldiers have returned only to find that their benefits have been cut. #3:
You are such a know it all. Why don't you join the muslim fascists and kiss up to those you love?

My Response: I am not a Muslim, and I'm certainly no fan of fascism. In fact, I believe that the Bush Administration has brought our country perilously close to a fascist state. Yet, they've managed to label "our enemies" as "Islamic Fascists", in their patently hypocritical and paradoxical 'doublespeak'. Before you start throwing around the word 'fascist', I suggest you do a little research. I have. As for kissing up to those I love, I hope my wife appreciates all the kissing up I can muster.

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Scott Shuster is a progressive columnist, publishing since May of 2005. His liberal ideology is a refreshing diversion from 'politics as usual' in Washington.
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