Disarm Bush of his weapons
of mass distraction

Editors, Asheville Global Report,

Who is bin Laden? Unfortunately, many of us know him but it seems Bush and company have forgotten who this is. I haven’t heard a word about the so-called “Muslim” for weeks and nothing substantial for months.

Meanwhile, whatever happened to our commitment to help rebuild Afghanistan after bombing the land and at least 3000 of its people, including families at a wedding and eating in home dining rooms? And how did our government console the families who lost loved ones? We have now cut off at least $200 million in promised humanitarian aid. This struggling nation hardly makes the news now.

As the Bush Administration focuses an astounding amount of time, effort, and taxpayer dollars ostensibly on disarming an ill-equipped Hussein, our own Department of Defense continues churning out biological weapons for a future roster of conflicts. Regrettably, most citizens do not realize that the Pentagon recently developed a new strain of the polio virus. The New York Times and Washington Post reported this in July 2002 but I haven’t seen a word about it since.

Another underreported issue that may be of some interest for the world’s citizens is the fact that the Bush Administration abandoned planned international efforts to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention against germ warfare (see Washington Post, 9/02). If Bush is so very concerned with eliminating weapons of mass destruction then why has he rejected international efforts to do just this?

It seems to me that Bush and company concerns itself, to the detriment of us all, more with weapons of mass distraction than destruction. It’s sad to say but it’s beginning to look like Bush’s sole objective from the start -- remember, when he was judicially appointed to office -- has been to sabotage our nation from the inside. His tactics have worked wonderfully so far. His people have masterfully assimilated their PR scheme into the larger system of manufactured entertainment called prime time news. And many Americans have bought into the sound bytes of corporate-funded prime time pundits.

As the American public is preoccupied with the exciting developments of our “Showdown with Saddam,” the FTAA agreement -- the largest and most threatening form of comprehensive privatization ever proposed -- is being negotiated with absolutely no public input. Also, FCC Chairman Michael Powell, son of Colin, is eager to privatize all radio and television airwaves, and drilling plans for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are being slid into less controversial bill proposals under the cover of darkness. In the meantime, approximately 50 million Americans lack health insurance, Social Security is in jeopardy, and well-paying factory jobs continue being exported to low-wage paying countries.

Meanwhile, what is really happening with North Korea? Why is Bush allowing Saudi Arabia to, most likely, (see Boston Globe, Nov. 26 ’02 -- “US backs Saudis despite al-Qaida link”) fund al-Qaida? And where is bin Laden? The time is now for us to join together to disarm Bush of his weapons of mass distraction.

Kyle M. Hall

Boston, Massachusetts

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