Mike Bryan contributed a letter to the president on Common Dreams about the state of Appalachia:
"You have promised the Iraqis that they will share in the wealth of their oil. We could use some of that same sharing here. We have coal and timber that is being extracted, yet very little of the profits remain in our area. If the Iraqis are to share in the profits from their natural resources, we would like to share in the profits from ours. You have promised healthcare for all Iraqis. We could use the same thing here. Far too many of us are without health insurance and adequate access to good healthcare facilities. You have also promised to rebuild the schools in Iraq. We too have schools that need rebuilt and that need more funding. Certainly you can find a justification for attacking us. After all, Appalachia is America's third world. Terrorists are breeding everywhere. Where there is poverty there is unrest. Where there is poor education there is suspicion. Where there is neglect there is anger. As far as potential dangers go, Appalachia should be near the top of your list. Stomp out the bad before it turns thoroughly evil. Pre-emptively strike us now before it becomes too late. Do it before we make something else out of our fertilizer ingredients."Pretty powerful stuff and pretty accurate, too. How quickly we forget that terrorists like Timothy McVeigh, a Gulf War hero, who returned to America where he couldn't find work, couldn't grow a family, and couldn't build a life. He became so disillusioned that he lashed out at the government, blowing up the Murrah Federal Building and killing and injuring hundreds of innocent people. How much longer will it be until more domestic terrorists are created?
Technically, there ARE more domestic terrorists. There are criminals who rob and steal; murder and maim, terrorizing millions of our citizens. As I have said for years, crime and disillusion is all about economics and opportunity.
And the best our government can do is pass more laws rescinding our rights, ship all of the low skill, decent wage jobs to slave states overseas, and give away the store to big business and millionaires. It really is pathetic.
