Letters

100,000 dead Iraqis. Is that enough for you?

This is in response to the less-than-humanitarian Eduard Dordea letter, "Support for Professor Crosses the Line," Feb 17.

More verbal diarrhea from the right. Hmm, how to respond? Let's see, Mr. Dordea accused anyone with an opinion other than his own of being a "communist." Well, by Cold War standards, I should retaliate by calling him a fascist pig. However, why don't we put that age-old cat-and-mouse game to bed (after the last election I'll let you guess who is the mouse) and discuss numbers?

In October '04, the New York Times reported that a research team at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University estimated that 100,000 civilians have died as a result of the Iraqi war. This coming from a university that has produced its share of fat cat Republicans. Now, I am no math major, but 100,000 dead civilians in response to 3,000 seems a bit severe. Let's see, three Americans for every 1,000 Iraqis. I suppose some Bible thumper spreading democracy through demolition can justify this. I, unlike Mr. Dordea, am concerned with all the people on this planet, not just those who wear Jesus around their neck.

Perhaps Stalin was right, "The death of one is a tragedy, but the death of a 1,000,000 is just a statistic."

--David Carlisle

Henderson

Why does Bush want to destroy Social Security?

President Bush is busy trying to sell his Social Security privatization scheme. He is trying to scare us with a made-up crisis, urging us to hurry, because "this is our last chance."

This is classic high-pressure sales: make up a crisis, proclaim an emergency and say, "This is your last chance to buy, hurry." Be wary. Take a second look. This is deception.

Bush talks like we'll all be winners with his privatized Social Security. There have to be losers in order to have winners. With Bush's privatized Social Security, we will all lose.

Call your local Republican representatives and ask them why they want to destroy Social Security.

--Dan Lavielle,

Seattle

Unhappy strippers can find a way out

As Treasures reopens, I'm reminded of a fateful night nine years ago in the Crazy Horse Too when I met a girl who was so beautiful, and yet so unhappy. She hated dancing, and wanted out (after three years). So I bought her a car, sent her food and a computer, and soon she worked her way out! She got married, and now has a little 7-year-old girl to cherish, never to dance again!

From her I learned a lot, and so began my quest to help others out of this horrible business. I ran a Nifty Nickel ad: "Tired of strip club dancing? Need a friend you can trust, with NO STRINGS? Call me!" And they did.

I met many girls who found themselves locked up into a "business" that was hurting them deeply, ruining relationships and making them feel very alone in your fair, bright, famous city.

The Las Vegas Weekly printed an article titled, "The Savior of Used-Up Women: Rescuing Strippers with Keith McCracken" in its March 6, 2003, edition. I was overjoyed to get the publicity, and got many more calls from girls needing help.

What can be damaged and lost are a girl's private treasures of intimacy. Instead of being sacred, her body has to become public, and her identity hidden behind a stage name, etc. Her real relationships suffer, and sometimes are sacrificed, so she can be there for the guys in the club to look at and fantasize about. She's everybody's girl, but she's nobody's girl. What a lonely way to live!

If a girl wants out, where can she turn? There's no organization currently in place to help with making the transition. The "easy money," drugs and lack of job skills make it very difficult to break the vicious circle, and be free.

REALOVE is a new nonprofit organization to help girls who want out of this business. It offers them love and understanding, true friendship, as well as safe housing, transportation, food, education, drug treatment, legal help, babysitting... all with NO STRINGS!

REALOVE needs you! A girl's life is a terrible thing to waste!

--Keith McCracken,

San Diego

U.S. should reject entangling trade pacts

A development in California has recently demonstrated that warnings about the impact of international trade agreements on our nation's sovereignty should be taken very seriously. Because California annually generates 32 million scrap automobile tires, a state legislator sensibly authored a bill that they be disposed of in a useful and eco-friendly way as "crumb rubber" in asphalt. However, after passage by the Legislature, Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed the measure, saying it would violate international trade pacts such as NAFTA and the World Trade Organization.

What were supposed to be free trade agreements obviously have dramatic political consequences. Whether California can dispose of used tires as it wishes might seem like a small matter, but the principle involved here is significant. The issue is nothing short of national independence.

Congress will have an opportunity to withdraw our nation from the WTO early in 2005. Moreover, Congress likely will have the opportunity during this year to reject the Bush administration's plan to create the new Free Trade of the Americas, which would be subservient to the WTO. These pacts have much more to do with national independence than so-called free trade. Congress should reject each of these "entangling alliances."

--Pierre Llamas