J.B. Chimene
The Woodlands, TX
Thank you for Knute Berger's editor's note on the tragic possibility that Bush will win. If so, there will undoubtedly be numerous violations of voting rights and possibly a reoccurrence of another U.S. Supreme Court appointment. What should happen, given this scenario, are impeachment proceedings against George Bush and the members of the U.S. Supreme Court who voted to give him a second term.
The charges against Bush would be numerous but would include: war crimes, misuse of funds appropriated by Congress, failure to uphold the U.S. Constitution, and failure to protect American soldiers. Charges against members of the Supreme Court would center on the failure to uphold U.S. constitutional guarantees of state's rights, separation of church and state, and citizen voting rights, and on the creation of a monarchy.
This occupant of the White House deserves the same demise as Richard Nixon. The right-wing conservatives need to be driven from power now and hopefully forever.
David Hecker
Seattle
Knute Berger asked what readers would do if Bush steals another four years. I have gritted my teeth and pondered that very question. I know I would be miserable, inconsolable and very angry, but I did manage to make myself a promise.
Having written material for comedians and done a smattering of stand-up myself, I have decided if he gets appointed again, I am going to do Bush-bashing stand-up comedy for the entire four years he's in office.
He may be a prick, and a stupid prick at that, but not a day goes by without the news mentioning one more screwup, lie, or otherwise fucked-up thing Bush has done. He's a gold mine of potential comedy material.
So that's my plan. "The Bend Over Bush Show," from deep in the heart of Texas.
Karen Zipdrive
San Antonio, TX
Great column. I've been listening to friends claim they would flee the U.S. if Bush gets another four years. I'm more inclined to stay and fight, but how? If he wins fair and square, well, then he gets to reap all the seeds he's sown in the last four years. I almost think it will be worth it to see him deal with the mess rather than Kerry. The real question is if there is another fishy election. If they try to postpone or cancel the election, then the Constitution is violated, all bets are off, anything goes.
First step in that case—general strike. Look at the electoral map. All the blue states are on the coast and account for a huge percentage of the economic activity of the country. Could we get the longshore unions to take part? Don't know. If only a large minority of that population stays home from their jobs, the Bushites will have to do something. Send in the military and we are off to the races.
Fred Koster
Seattle
Thanks for Knute Berger's column. I've been considering an appropriate response to the Bush administration should there be any unfair play in the November elections. Of course, if they win because the American people are not yet ready to wake up, I'll just have to keep on with the good fight.
But I won't be complicit with a racist election this time; I won't sit by like in 2000 with my mouth agape. And I don't think America should, either. We should be aware that an election hijacking is a very real possibility, as it's happened once already—and of course, that's the point of Berger's column.
My proposal is that there be a national strike. All those opposed to shady election results should not go to work until every vote is counted and/or recounted. Could you imagine if 50 percent of the voting America who supports Kerry or even the 1 million (per the reporting of Greg Palast) Black Americans who were cut out of the voting process in 2000 simply refused to go to work? What if this time all the 2-plus million MoveOn members simply refused to go to work? What if Seattle alone, where there's a 9 percent approval rating for Bush (so I hear), started the beginnings of a national strike like a rolling blackout across America?!
We need to organize on this level. We should build such a will for democracy from the American people that our leaders get the message: We take our elections seriously and won't stand by again.
Joshua Coberly
Seattle
