St. Petersburg, Fla.

I have been writing letters to the St. Petersburg Times since 1989 and lately have been specifically responding to columnists who have skewed and irrational opinions either supporting the Iraq war policy or dissing on people who dispute the current sorry state of affairs. I had one printed last July, '07, responding to David Brooks' column "The Curtain Closes on Plamegate," in which he characterized David Wilson as "a strutting little peacock" and "the charming P.T. Barnum of the national security set." I rightly described Wilson and his history and rationale. this was the last letter I have had printed in the Times, which continues to flow out similar unworthy and disturbing drivel.

I do continue to post letters to the editor and then place them into my blog-club, as well as the daily blog of the local Vets for Peace . And when the columnists' e-mails are available I forward my response to them.

This has included Sebastian Mallary's assessment of Senator Clinton's real-politic courageousness, a distorted military machismo he imputes to her, this being his own agenda. Also a letter-writer defending Limbaugh's harassment of anti-war veterans as phoney, a column by Charles Krauthammer railing against Senator Clinton, and others. I will continue to do so, even though my letters are usually not printed as of late, because I have also been critical of the newspaper for its lack of a forum for discussion from differing points of view.

I hope to take this letter-writing practice into the speaking domain eventually should my friends in the local VFP score an opportunity for contact at a local high school or college.

My last public speech was at the gates of Mac Dill AFB in January 2003 at a large demonstration protesting the impending Iraq War. I went into a rather difficult series of depressive episodes, but became stronger thru them and more resilient emotionally than ever.

I will continue to look for opportunities to reply to hawkers of guilt upon the progressive and moderate candidates and personas.

I found the scope of the article's author to be breathtaking and am very appreciative.

Jim Willingham
Vets for Peace/Vietnam Vets Against the War
11/15/2007 @ 3:53pm

Madison, Wis.

Good letter, but all the same was the historical context correct? In World War I America fought for national independence, not against it. Also, it may have been more justified than was commonly thought--see Fritz Fischer's Germany's Aims In World War I. The present wars and the First World War may be considerably different.

Jim Santulli
Wis. Dept. Of Revenue
11/09/2007 @ 4:20pm

Henderson, Nev.

Jim Sleeper lists some of the writers and intellectuals who led the charge to invade Iraq. His list is very incomplete: what about Thomas Friedman of the NY Times? The Project for a New American Century (Wolfowitz, Feith, Richard Perle, the Kagans and others), the whole Commentary crowd, AIPAC and its satellite organizations.

Sleeper is right about one thing: it's not just the far right who gave us the war. It's liberals and some leftists as well (e.g., many of those clustered around Dissent magazine).

John Farley
10/29/2007 @ 09:26am