Love Letters/ Hate Mail

Cage Fighting

(In response to "Love Letters, Hate Mail" in the April 22-28 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

Dear Editor:

Mr. J. Ray Hunt, I read with interest your diatribe about Republicans as printed in the April 22 UTW issue. Indeed, I read it with particular interest, as I joined the Republican Party two years ago after 27 years registered as an independent. And I think some of your points are valid.

Now, let me tell you about the Democratic Party, Mr. Hunt. To begin, I'll admit that its candidates are often intelligent enough to be well-spoken. As for personal integrity, well, since Democrats are perfectly willing to overlook crooked land deals, drug smuggling and even perjury from their candidates, personal integrity is obviously no requirement. And given that Obama promised to end the Iraqi Quagmire, then hired a warmonger as his running mate (see http://carper.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id_906), honesty is obviously no higher on their list.

Republican chicanery? Fearmongering? Pettifogging? I had fun watching American Experience the other evening. The environmentalist who mentioned flying back to New York from D.C. was particularly good. That trip takes only four hours by train -- electric train. The world will die in 10 years if we don't all do our part, according to him, but he'd rather spend two hours in the air (and two more in airport traffic) than spend four hours on an electrically powered train. If he was as worried about the Earth as his own "green" business interests, he obviously would not have flown that day. How much evidence do you need of the fearmongering, pettifogging and chicanery of your own heroes before you allow yourself to see it?

There has never been prosperity during a Republican administration? Those who refuse to learn from history should abstain from making blanket statements. Wilson nationalized many industries during World War I, including the railroads. Harding undid that damage and ended the micro mismanagement -- and precipitated one of the greatest recoveries in U.S. history. And, yes, that recovery did come "from the bottom up."

How exactly do you square your desire to see things come "from the bottom up" with your love of nationwide programs to provide shelter, food and health care?

Do you honestly believe such national programs, micro mismanaged from far-off (and far out) Washington, will be devoid of "many levels of profit-takers," as you put it? When has D.C. ever administered such a thing without involving 'many levels of profit-takers'?

Are you concerned about the state of agriculture in the world? Have you noticed that Obama's Secretary of Agriculture is Tom Vilsack? Have you plugged that name into your search engine? Do you still hope for change? And as for national health care, look again at that law. It's a mandate to buy insurance. Good for the insurance industry, to be sure, but who else benefits? Not the poor -- when they actually give that law teeth (and they will), it will basically turn into a national vagrancy law.

Soon the homeless will indeed be cared for -- in federal prisons. It has never cost money just to live and breathe in this nation before. Now it does -- and it happened on your watch, Mr. Hunt. Cry me a river for the poor, sir. Soon they will be conveniently out of your sight.

The truth is, Mr. Hunt, that there's precious little difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. But I do see a significant difference between Democrats and Republicans. In the so-called Tea Party Movement (betwixt and between the patches of "Astroturf" -- those neocons are rather like cockroaches) you are seeing a concerted effort by grass roots conservatives to take our party back. You see conservatives admitting there's a problem and trying to fix it. When are you going to admit your side also has a problem, Democrats? When will you follow our lead and try to take your party back for We, the People?

Your inability to see past capital Ds and Rs will cause you to vote for a crook over an honest candidate sooner or later, Mr. Hunt. Guaranteed. And your woefully misplaced smugness is causing you and your party to fall way, way behind.

- Anthony Platt a.k.a. acptulsa

Something of Great Price

(In response to "Pearl Divers" in the April 15-21 issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly)

Dear Editor:

Great article on Pearl divers about the Pearl District's new lake now on going forward and upcoming intersection improvements along Peoria and Sixth, Eighth and 11th. Destined to be Tulsa's coolest neighborhood! Thanks for keeping tabs.

-Gwen Christine