Mister President:

I'm writing to let you know how disappointed I am with the directions the government of the United States has taken in international & domestic affairs.

• The United States had no business invading Iraq. Certainly, the government & life-style in Iraq were not appealing to citizens of the United States, but Iraq had not attacked the United States. Doesn't the United States respect the societies & governments of other countries? If not, how can it expect other countries to respect our government & society?
• You said the invasion was to remove Saddam Hussein & his ``weapons of mass destruction'', but there were no weapons of mass destruction, & now the whole world knows it. So the United States attacked a country without justification.
• The United States had very little excuse for invading Afghanistan. That government did not cause the events of 11 September 2001.
• When the U.S. government accused Syria & Russia of helping Iraq, when it accuses Canada of protecting civil liberties too vigorously, am I to conclude that your foreign policy is based on the assumption that you can't have too many enemies?
• The U.S. government is holding prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, without charging them or allowing them to consult lawyers. Those prisoners are human beings with rights, & it is wrong -- inexcusable -- for the United States government to deny them their rights. Persons are not granted rights because the United States approves of those persons. Persons have rights because they are human beings, & it is wrong even for the United States to deny them their rights.
• The claim that the U.S. government is somehow at war with terrorism would be laughable if it were not so dangerous. We are not at war with terrorism. We cannot be at war with a concept. When you say we're at war with terrorism, you're blowing smoke.
• Since 11 September 2001, the government of the United States has reduced the rights of its own citizens with the Patriot Act, the Homeland Defense bill, the Domestic Security Enhancement Act, & others. Am I expected to believe that I live in the land of the free & the home of the brave when my own government, motivated by fear, removes the inalienable rights that were recognized in the Declaration of Independence?

In short, I'm concerned that the U.S. government no longer respects the rights & liberties of human beings, not even its own citizens. I hope you will do your best to prove that my concerns are groundless.

Sincerely,

Gene Michael Stover

cybertiggyr.com