To the editor,
Politics is everywhere and inescapable this year, it seems. The media continues to tell us of the candidates, and their strengths and weaknesses in the smoothest of pablum possible. To sum it up for you: Barack Obama is the candidate of change and unity, although he is young and comparatively inexperienced. John McCain is strong, seasoned, and...tortured? More and more, we hear about his experience as a POW from voters, the news, himself. Whenever anything against him arises, his campaign self righteously dares the attacker to mess with a POW and patriot.
My question to you is, "How does being tortured qualify him for the presidency?" Of course his sacrifice and grandpa-esque eyes make our hearts swell, but, logically, being a tortured POW is not a good experience for a U.S. president to have had.
First of all, torture is damaging to the mind, body, and one's emotional health. Torture has been proven to have long and terrible side effects including musculo-skeletal problems, brain injury, post-traumatic epilepsy and dementia, or chronic pain syndromes, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety disorder. Psychic deadness, erasure of intersubjectivity, refusal of meaning-making, perversion of agency, and an inability to bear desire. For a man that would be the oldest of our presidents, do we really need more health concerns?
Also, because of his experiences in Vietnam, he may be more emotionally involved in certain matters. He is already known for having a "temper," which has been commented on even by his fellow GOPs. According to a report in USA Today (Nov. 2) McCain can "hold a grudge for years”. Understandably, but inappropriately, John McCain is vehement about issues dealing with POWs. How long is it before that vehemence affects his decisions and therefore this country? Our relations with North Korea and China are already strained, we don't need a president that has bitterness toward any part of Asia.
Military service is one thing, but being put through psychologically damaging processes is quite another. As voters, I would encourage you to ponder and research John McCain's convictions, health, and condition for yourself before you vote for a ticking time bomb.
http://www.usvetdsp.com/dec07/mccain_suicide_ptsd.htm
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/audio-torture-Reyes-230605
http://www.ccvt.org/effects_torture.html
Anna Remus
Ray, MN
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Ms Remus brings up an...
Back to page topMs Remus brings up an interesting point. Sen McCain had two choices as a Viet Nam Vet. He could heal from his war wounds and go on to serve his country with distinction, or he could be like the thousands of other Viet Nam Vets, and grow long hair, sit on the corner with their field jackets on, begging for money so they could sit in the Border Bar or the Ranier Muni. Read about Bill Clinton's rants and raves he had every other minute while President. The only reason he didn't push the nuclear button, was because his hands were preoccupied!! He had a "hair trigger" temper, but the Liberals thought is was a "cute attribute"! So if not McCain, then we are left with "The Chosen One", Mr Obama. Yes, Mr Obama, Commander In Chief. When confronted with a serious threat, he can turn for spiritual advice from his Minister, Rev Wright. Remember? "America's chickens coming home to roost" or "G*d Da*n America". What wonderful words of encouragement for our President to make major decisions upon! Or Mr Obama can turn to his right hand man (and friend), Mr William Ayers, the admitted bomber and terrorist, who said he was "at war with ALL rich people"!! So, in the end who do we want as Commander In Chief? A man from Chicago, who's only real job was as a community organizer (huh??), a State Senator, who voted "present" on ALL votes, so that we couldn't hold him accountable for his decision making on voting. But, wait, he became a US Senator and for the entire time he has held Office, his only job has been to run for President. Now, does all of this really make him qualified for the most important job in the USA? No, I think I will take my chances with a "crazy, lunatic, Viet Nam Vet" (McCain) any day of the week. By the way, I would think that with the value systems presently in place in the frozen wilderness of Northern Minnesota, I would think that most of you would be squarely behind McCains VP pick!! She sure seems like a "Northern Girl" success story to me.
This is very well written,...
Back to page topThis is very well written, but an absurd argument.
I don't know anyone who has said that him being a victim of torture “quality’s him for the presidency” and these possible “terrible side effects” don’t appear to have effected his ability to lead so far.
If a firemen suffers burn injuries while saving kids from a burning building, does that mean that he shouldn’t ever be considered for the job of fire chief, because he may develop “post-traumatic epilepsy” or “perversion of agency“ thus becoming a “ticking time bomb“.
On the contrary, how he handled himself while he was in captivity does show you the character of the man. McCain is an American hero (if you don‘t think so, I recommend that you learn more about him, maybe read his book). No, that doesn’t make him a great president but the traits that he has shown in the past are those of a good leader. Traits like loyalty, courage, unselfishness, integrity are those of great leaders. Obama has shown that he is a great speaker and a good Democrat. Never deviating from the party line. But that does not make him a leader of any sort.