Sin of the Month • Abby Bardi
	Silence

Recently, I received a letter from a reader who took issue with my husband and me for expressing our disdain for George W. Bush while on a trip overseas. With his kind permission, I quote:

The letter is signed, "A Disappointed Reader."

Let me correct several misapprehensions in the Disappointed Reader's letter.

First of all, there are things (manner of speaking) in this country that please me. I think we have some really good highways; we have a wide variety of retail outlets and some pretty decent restaurants; and we have the best dentistry in the world. We have HBO, NPR, The Takoma/Silver Spring Voice, and some excellent health food stores.

What we also have, though, is a president who has made America an international embarrassment, a fact that I have, indeed, mentioned while in this country–in fact, in this very column. In our name, he has conducted a war in which he has flown in the face of world opinion, concocted a tissue of lies to justify his actions, lost American and Iraqi lives, and spent billions of dollars that we couldn't afford. I think it is my right as an American to criticize this government, especially when it is in the process of destroying our reputation, our economy, our environment, and the lives of our troops.

While I was writing this, my husband began to read over my shoulder. "Who does this guy think he is, telling us to leave the country?"

"A Disappointed Reader?" I suggested.

He has a hell of a nerve," he said. "I'd like to punch him in the nose."

Should I print that?" I asked.

Of course not," he said. "You can say that I'm willing to debate him. You can say that I will debate any Republican, from the dumbest to the smartest, from George W. Bush on up."

I said I would.

Why doesn't he leave the country?" he inquired.

I took this opportunity to opine that the most practical route at this point was for all the people who think dissent is unpatriotic to relocate to Texas and then to secede. The problem with this plan, though, is that Texas would then undoubtedly declare war on the rest of us, and we would be right back where we started.

The fact is, when Reagan was elected some years ago, I did leave the country, and stayed overseas for nine years. While I was away, I discovered three important things: (1) No matter where I went, I was still an American; (2) American policy and culture are so far-reaching that there is no country in the world that is not affected by them; and (3) Instead of running away from the horrors of Republican presidents, it's better to stay here and try to unseat them.

It seems to me that one of the most dangerous aspects of the Bush regime is its desire to stifle opposition, when in fact, opposition to barbarous, despotic policies is the essence of American patriotism. As I have said many times in this column, I wish I didn't feel compelled to discuss politics, a subject that has always bored me–but at this point in our history, I think the most grievous offense against our country would be to fail to address this government's systematic campaign of disinformation, deceit, and dumbness.

It is clear to me that the recent fiscal squeeze that has resulted in draconian budget cuts to education is part of this campaign: what serves the Bush Admin-istration best is if Americans know nothing about what's going on in the world. Recent polls have shown that 70% of Americans think that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the events of 9/11. Two-thirds of Americans can't name even one of the contenders for the Democratic nomination for president.

As long as Americans labor under misapprehensions, the Bush Administration can continue its drive to enrich its corporate cronies, such as Halliburton and the Carlyle Group, and serve as the errand boy for the PNAC (Project For the New American Century–check our their scary website: www.newamericancentury.org). It behooves this government to starve education because the only thing that can prevent the global disasters that they are fomenting is the awareness of the American people of what is going on.

So if we hang around a pub in England telling people that we are ashamed of what George W. Bush and his group of goons have done to our country, and if I write about what I think–which is my right as an American–I don't think that's a sin. I think it would be a sin to feel as I feel and to be silent.

We were actually defending America," my husband pointed out. "We were upholding our international standing."

When Eric, the Voice's editor, forwarded me the Disappointed Reader's letter, he asked if he should start publishing my email address so that more Disappointed Readers might contact me directly. I did a little quick math and discerned that based on George W. Bush's approval ratings, which are still amazingly high, considering that he is bankrupting our country in order to pad the pockets of the rich, I might be in for some pretty disturbing correspondence. However, because everyone has a right to his or her own view, I said yes. I figure I'll just let my husband answer some of them–and once he starts arguing with you about politics, you had better pull up a chair, because it's going to be a looooong conversation.

And so, to whatever other Disappointed Readers are lurking out there, I am sorry, but I'll have to disappoint you further by saying that I am not leaving the country–I like it here–and I am not going to shut up until every man, woman, and child in America realizes what is going on here: a right-wing coup led by a cynical, manipulative group of corporate bandits. I plan to go right on yapping about them until we all yap them out of office.

Because this is a free country.