Letters From Our Readers
August 1 - August 31, 2005
By Editorial Board
Aug 23, 2005, 01:00

On August 23, Angie Pratt sent this to us in response to the article we published on Pat Robertson:

Pat, You Have Strayed  
 
Pat, when you say things like the President of Venezuela should be assassinated, you are not following in the footsteps of Jesus.  You have strayed.
 
As a Christian you have failed.  Your focus on the Old Testament has skewed you away from Jesus' message of peace and love in the New Testament.   Your message of hate and revenge borders on something that the Antichrist might say and do.
 
You need to step down from your position as spokesman for God and collector of his tithing.  You can not lead when you have lost your moral compass.
 
I wondered about you when you came out in support of torture.  Jesus would not have done so.   I mused about when you suggested that we should start the war in Iraq in the first place.  Your use of God as justification seemed fantastic.
 
I have no more doubts.  Your words have indicted you. 
 
Pat Robertson said on Monday during his show, The 700 Club:
"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it," Robertson said. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."
 
I beg to differ with you Pat.  It is a whole lot more expensive.  It costs you your soul.
 
Angie Pratt

Dear Axis of Logic,

You article "God Bless Their Little Pea Brains" by Ed Nelson (Aug 16, 2005) sparked a few memories.

Some 20-25 years ago I took an elective at the University of Kansas (long before the current Kansas school board embarrassment [threat]). The religion department at that public university was considered (and I hope still is) one of the most intelligent departments.

As a public university they studied religions more as scholars, sociologists, archeologists, literary analysists and so forth. In other words they studied the histories and methods of religions and their effect on the world and their societies. And their societies on religious texts - and so forth.

The elective I took was a literary analytic look at the New Testament. At that time I was very interested in absorbing all the information I could to support my search for religious understanding which would match me. Before I was done with the course I had to wonder why anyone would invest a major portion of their lives studying religion for devotional reasons.

Once I learned not just about errors and contradictions but about out and out smears, lies, usurping of previous writings by later copyists (who added their own spin and insertions) I figured there wasn't any point in relying on any of it. Referencing, okay, maybe, but relying on it no.

But that also left me somewhat puzzled because the teacher of this particular course was a long-time teacher in a local bible college (Nazarene, at that) and was himself a believer. How, I couldn't figure because as I saw it, his course had just impeached the heck out of the New Testament and by systemic implication, any other sacred texts.

One clue may be that we really see only what we choose to see. Between this course and a number of other books and classes I devoured at that time, I was amazed to realize how much material I had read previously but never really read. I have heard people recite detailed passages from memory and then deny the contents (usually something horrific that I liked to point out). I used to think they were lying to me.

Anymore, I don't see them as lying. To me, their brains, acting on their pre-conceived perceptions of the material, and on their belief that their values come from this book, only see what already seems to support their current values, even when they read the words directly. Our brains are always selecting, picking, and modifying material (vision, hearing, touch, word meanings, etc.) before presenting it to us in real time. That display, or presentation is what we call perception. That is our world, as each of us knows it.

To see the real stories as written in any sacred text you have to pull back like an editor, or a first reader, as if this were new material and you are the copy editor. Without pre-conceptions, what do you find?

Regards,
Mike

Mike Strong urls: dancer@kcdance.com, artfuldancer.com, artfuldancer.com/lessons emails:strongm@umkc.edu, dancer@kcdance.com mails: 722 Walnut #104, Kansas City, MO 64106 Phones: (816)471-4110, (816)674-1133

Les,

Thanks for doing the piece by Ed Nelson. He's very talented and good friend of mine.

Arthur Shaw

(This one was sent to one of our readers and passed on to us)

Dear ...

This is a copy of an e-mail I sent to Ian Blair (Metropolitan Police Commisioner)

Best Regards,

Jim.

FTAO Ian Blair

I note that after the murder of an innocent man your face was never off the television. You even warned that there may be more innocent people killed. You gave the country a bullshit account of what happened. If you did this knowingly you should resign. Some of the truth is now emerging through the mainstream media. ITN broadcast this tonight yet when ITN asked you to comment, astonishingly you said "that it was inappropriate to comment".

WHY WERE YOU HAPPY TO MAKE SO MUCH COMMENT WHEN YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT (OR DID YOU)?, YET NOW THAT THE TRUTH IS COMING OUT YOU DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT?

WERE YOU INVOLVED IN THIS COVER UP?

PLEASE BE ASSURED MR BLAIR THAT MOST PEOPLE NEVER BELIEVED YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE. IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GO.

Subject: WAR

Dear Axis of Logic,

This is so reminiscent of the un-American activities conducted during the Vietnam war, while I was in Vietnam. You don't know what this does to troop moral. I have a nephew going to Iraq this month, several of my friends have recently returned. Two had been wounded. They thought what we are doing in Iraq is a good thing, I believe we are doing the right thing, attempting to bring civilized living to a country desperately in need of help.

Much of the Middle East will wind up under the rule of fanatical religious leaders if we do not give them a chance to be a free nation. They have been under the rule of a despot for the last 30 years, let's give them an opportunity to be free. Look at Iran, Lebanon and Palestine, all three under the rule of fanatics, who have declared war on the rest of the world, because of religious differences. They have decided to change the world religion to Muslim, that does not interest me in the least, and I am prepared to fight these bastards any where any time. Hopefully, we will not have to fight them here in the USA, but, if it comes to that I am prepared to give my life in defense of our way of life, not theirs. Are you? Are any of you prepared to die to preserve our Republic? Ms. Sheehans son was!

I am a totally disabled vet from the Vietnam war, and I have tried to get back in the military to go to Iraq, they say I am to old, and shot up. I truly thought we were doing the right thing at that time. Look at Vietnam now, you know as well as I do, that what were attempting to do was, the right thing. I served with a CAP unit and 3/5, 1st MARDIV.

I feel very sorry for Ms. Sheehan, and all of the other mothers and families that have lost sons and daughters in Iraq, but, Ms. Sheehans son was happy doing what he thought was the right thing and he seemed to have loved the military. In WAR, everyone does not return home, just the way things are in the real world. My father was in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. I am very proud of him and my brothers, who have all done some military time, and one who will very soon have his youngest son in Iraq. I could not be more proud of this young man, he followed my footsteps into the United States Marine Corps

Thank You for your time,

Richard Elias, USMC Retired
richard elias [ymbarnif@earthlink.net]

Subject: A Federal Whistleblower
 
Dear Axis of Logic,
 
You may be aware that, as a 28-year veteran of law enforcement, I recently served as the head of one of the top uniformed Federal law enforcement agencies in this country – that is, until I unwittingly became a whistleblower.

Sometime after being permanently silenced in retaliation for speaking with a reporter, I prepared an op-ed, which is copied and pasted beneath this message.  It was not prepared as an exclusive for any one media outlet or individual organization.  The circumstances of this case and the impact on media and citizens across the United States make that impractical.

I hope that you will find a meaningful use for the document and that you will consider publishing it and/or passing it on to others in whatever forum you deem appropriate.  Please know that I am available for interviews, guest appearances, and speaking engagements.  My contact information is included below.  You can read more about my case at www.honestchief.com and hear some of the previous stories posted by its webmaster as well as many of my recent media interviews in the audio library, accessed via a button at the top left of the home page.

Please consider keeping this story alive by informing others of these outrageous actions by Federal officials who should be concerned for your safety and who should be upholding the values of freedom of speech and honesty and integrity in government.  Feel free to reach out to me for any additional information I can provide.

Thank you for your consideration.

Teresa Chambers
Huntingtown, MD  20639

 

Dear Axis of Logic,

I am glad to see that others in this great country of ours(minus the administration) are not completely blind to the fact that she (our country) is being raped by the thugs at 1600 Pennsylvania. I just wanted to extend my gratitude and support for a wonderful organization like this one that still promotes free speech and free thinking...not to mention, independence from the main-stream media, which lies to the American public on an hourly basis (thus, shaping there small-minded opinions). Thank you for being here and keep up the good work!

Charles Powell Jr.
Patriot and Proud American