The election is over and all I could think of were two quotes from P.T. Barnum. The first is "...there is a sucker born every minute" and the second is paraphrased, ".....never underestimate the stupidity of the American people."

Now that 51% of the voters in this country have done something completely irrational and illogical, ignoring job losses, the Iraq lies and mismanagement, the sputtering economy, and a liar in the White House that makes Clinton look like a truth teller, I guess we are stuck with it. You Bush voters have forced the rest of us to endure the future military draft, $750 million deficits, gas prices over $3, coming inflation, etc. etc. etc. All because Bush and his minions have either fooled you about the fact that they care about family values, scared you that a terrorist is going to kill you in your bed, or bought your vote with a tax cut during a war. Either way, you based your vote on your emotions or your greed. In other words, you were duped.

For you people who are under the illusion that you are conservative, let's give you a reality check. Attacking a country who didn't attack you for reasons that have been proven wrong is not conservative. Running up $500 billion deficits is not conservative. Letting the justice department slice up your rights is not conservative. Giving in to religious extremists who would love a Taliban-style government in our country is not conservative. I could go on, but suffice it to say that you are not conservative at all but are luke-warm fascists.

Now that the Republicans have won, they are going to say that they have a mandate and go crazy legislatively. There is no telling what they might do or who Bush will attack next. Whatever happens to you Bush voters, whether it is you losing your job or your kid getting killed in the new Bush oil war in Syria or Iran, you only have yourself to blame. I think that you plastic patriots who voted for this imbecile should volunteer your children for his cannon fodder instead of requiring the rest of us to do your fighting for you.

As far as the winners wanting us to forget all of the insults and be "one country," forget it. I think we need to be even more divided and it might even be time to organize protest marches in Washington to make Bush and his buddies miserable. It is never good for the country to give in to emotion and right or left wing extremism. The Bush people want a one-party system. The only other ones I know of are systems like communism or fascism. Both squash the little guy. It is important now to get even more aggressive and not forget the attempts of Republicans to humiliate people who don't agree with them.

America has lost in this election and the people who voted against Bush have a justified attitude that reflects our mistreatment during the contest. Being called unpatriotic, unreligious, etc., etc. isn't going to go away because the winners want to "get along." It is too easy to be a good sport when you win. Today, it is the duty of people who didn't want "the shrub" to be elected to continue to tell the truth and work to get back to a semblance of a balance of power.

Tim Price
jat-55@msn.com

* * *
Tim, I do not know what age you are, but you seem very young. Your idea of what the American people have done sounds like a spoiled brat who has never thought of any one but himself. I fear you have no idea of what America is about and will never take the time to learn.

We in America have something others are willing to die for. The freedom to choose our way of life with limited intervention by a government. In America the people are the government, not those elected to represent us. We have the right to differ with others. As long as we respect the others rights, our system works. Respect for the other person’s beliefs and our great republics laws have made us what we are.

You, with your socialist ideas, would do away with the rights our forefathers worked and die for. You will never consider that your way may not be the only way. You may do better in another country, say Cuba, China or Zimbabwe South Africa. You will find others who are the government in these countries who would welcome you and your ideas. Could it be you are like others who say they will leave our country forever if their man does not win? I have yet to see any of them packing.

Ken Whaley
LaFayette

* * *

I am not a Tennessee native, I live in Nebraska, another 'red' state. I read, however, the article by Mr. Tim Price calling conservatives and those who voted for Bush 'fascists'.

Mr. Price needs to go back to his history books at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and learn a little bit about what the meaning of the word 'fascism' is, as well as the related term that the left like himself like to label us conservatives as - Nazis.

Nazism first stands for 'National Socialist German Worker's Party'. This should first raise some suspicions about where Mr. Price is directing his statements, considering those of the Left in this country are the socialists. If one then looks into Mein Kampf, written by Hitler, you discover the four basic tenets of the Nazi beliefs. This includes control of the mass media to indoctrinate the people, as well as control of major industry. People are to become dependent on the goodness of the state to provide for them, while they work for the glory of the state. In other words, social programs keep the people in line. Lastly, of course, is the hatred of the Jewish people, but what does Hitler really say about this? He says the Jewish people control the banks, therefore the Nazis must take the banks back. But, Hitler also states that the Jews created Communism in order to subvert the Socialist ideals.

When Mr. Price, and others of his ilk, attack 'fascism', he is in fact attacking nationalism. Honestly, nationalism is a separate creed than fascism. Fascism and Nazism deal with the economics and government. Nationalism, however, is opposed by internationalism on one hand, and anarchy on the other. When those that support Mr. Price claim they are anarchists, they are in fact internationalists. Anarchy is the total absence of government. This does not mean people are 'equal', in fact anarchy is exactly the opposite of that. People are what they are, and the most powerful people rule. The days of the Tennessee frontier after the Revolutionary War are much closer to an anarchy situation than what the so-called anarchists want this day and age. They want communism, or in general parlayance, government-controlled equality. Everyone is to be forced into being equal. Not only is that the opposite of anarchy, it is also the opposite of capitalism.

As has been shown in the world, forced equality does not work. Freedom does. On Tuesday, the people of both Tennessee and Nebraska joined with over 50 million other people to vote for capitalism, for national pride which could be called nationalism, and for freedom.

Mr. Price and others want to take away your freedom in order to enforce their version of equality. Remember that the next time you go to the polls to vote.

David West
Omaha, NE
lightfinger@cox.net