Words of the People

How often do you read letters to the editor in newspapers? I do everyday. They can be a treasure house of golden nuggets. In today's New York Times (subscription required), Carol Shlesinger, of Livingston, New Jersey, wrote the following about the Protect America Act recently passed by the Democratic congress and signed into law by President Bush:

"I have no objection to increasing powers of surveillance by the administration as long as there is a quid pro quo: give the voting public the same rights of surveillance of their elected executive branch.

We could start with records of the lies leading up to the invasion of Iraq; continue with the list of those attending Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy conference; include phone records on the role of Alberto R. Gonzales and others in the firing of United States attorneys and ascertain who was responsible for inadequately protecting our troops with proper equipment and support.

After all, these are matters of national security."

Now why didn't I think of that? Ms Schlesinger, you should start a blog.

And this caustic letter from Fred Roberts of Decatur, Georgia absolutely speaks for me:

"To their shame, 16 Democrats in the Senate and 41 in the House voted to hand the president monarchical powers that the signers of the Constitution had withheld. The Fourth Amendment has served to safeguard citizens against warrantless searches and seizures; this president says instead: Just trust me.

These Democrats will no doubt be astonished, but Republicans will not stop calling them weak on terrorism. The rest of us just think they’re weak, period."

Mr. Roberts, that's what I call telling it like it is.

The American people are broadly culpable for empowering the Bush Administration's six year reign of indecency. Thankfully, in Ms. Schlesinger and Mr. Roberts there are at least two citizens who get it. A generation ago President Nixon referred to the "silent majority." I desperately hope that Ms. Schlesinger and Mr. Roberts represent the emergence of a newly empowered progressive majority that will keep silent no longer. Silence has empowered the agents of indecency for too long.