Mailbag

It seems the editor who wrote the sub-headline on the story was struggling to retain whatever journalistic impartiality he could muster. In the end, his effort wasn’t very successful.

The first “tell” was the implication that “members of the peace vigil, supporters of U.S. troops” are mutually exclusive categories.

I hail from a proud military tradition that includes both a grandfather wounded in combat behind enemy lines and a young cousin currently serving in Iraq.

One of the main motivations for my activism is my ever-increasing horror at how the current administration has treated not only our men and women in uniform (ignoring military experts about troop levels, denying crucial equipment to our soldiers and using unconscionable “stop loss” policies to save political face by avoiding a draft) but also our returning veterans (as evidenced by appalling conditions at Walter Reed and the Department of Defense playing games with denial of and/or slashing of benefits).

In addition, make no mistake that I wholeheartedly support the free speech rights of the counter-protesters, but to portray as the article did the two viewpoints in this “battle” as having proportionate representation is disingenuous at best.

A CNN poll conducted March 14-16 shows that 66% of Americans now oppose the war, and 71% believe the spiraling cost is responsible for our poor economy. A CBS news poll that ran March 15-18 also bears out these numbers, with 64% stating the war was “not worth it” (while a mere 29% believe it was).

I can tell you that at Wednesday’s vigil to mark the fifth anniversary of President Bush’s war, we had a grand total of three people who expressed negativity toward us, while literally hundreds drove or walked by flashing us a peace sign or a thumbs-up, honking in support. The media certainly seems to be.

Lastly, City Councilman John Drayman might do well to remember that a written policy regarding the right of dissenters to fly the U.S. flag already exists.

It’s called the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I doubt anything Drayman and his ilk could draft would improve upon it.

MICHELE A. EASON

Montrose