Thursday, September 16, 2004
I am responding to Dave Gamble�s Sept. 3 letter to the editor.
Gamble asserts that, because the NAACP has leveled harsh criticism at President Bush and the Republicans, it is acceptable for Bush to be the first president since the 1930s to decline to speak at the NAACP conventions.
Let�s remember that our government derives its power from the consent of the governed. Three out of every 10 of the governed who empower Bush are members of a minority group.
The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure equality. Bush should have welcomed the opportunity to address the group�s criticisms.
Bush has repeatedly avoided facing those who criticize him. Until just recently, he allowed only his supporters to attend his rallies in order to reduce distractions.
When did "We the people" become a distraction to a serious presidential candidate?
Our government "of the people, by the people, for the people" works only if those who govern have the courage and integrity to face "We the people."
JENNY SABOLEY
Worthington