You know it is bad for the GOP when you see letters like these....

...in the Indianapolis Star:

GOP plans to leave no millionaire behind

Republican members of Congress held true to their unofficial motto by simultaneously passing in the House sweeping cuts to student loans, food stamps and other social programs while passing in the Senate extensions to tax cuts on investment income but blocking higher taxes for oil companies.

Now Congress is considering granting $2 billion in hurricane relief funds to Northrop Grumman, an enormous defense contractor. This proves that the Republican Party plans to leave no millionaire behind in its quest to trample the poor underfoot.

Aaron Hubbell

Indianapolis

Be wary of calls to give up freedom for safety

Richard Feldman's column (Nov. 15) encourages giving up freedoms for security. I wonder why so many writers are telling us to give up more liberty to be "safe." Does anyone remember history class? The USSR and Nazi Germany convinced their citizens that certain liberties and freedoms were to be given up for the safety of the many. Eventually, all liberty and freedom was gone. We don't need more laws taking away more freedom. I for one do not want to be put in a "safe environment" (read "ghetto"). Our ancestors fought for our freedom; the least we can do is hang onto it.

Sondra Jarrett
Indianapolis

Critics of war critics blindly follow Bush

I am growing very tired listening to Bush supporters slam Democrats for criticizing the president for his blatant manipulation of war intelligence. Angie Spaulding's and James Gregory's letters to the editor are prime examples of conservative Bush supporters who have been brainwashed by this administration into believing what is not true. They claim that there is "too much evidence" supporting Saddam's weapons of mass destruction. There may have been evidence supporting Saddam's WMD, but there was also an extraordinary amount of intelligence that proved that Saddam did not have WMD. The president did not lie about the intelligence he chose to present to Congress and the American people, but he clearly did manipulate intelligence by refusing to present credible evidence that would have weakened his case for war. I suggest Spaulding and Gregory objectively investigate the whole truth instead of blindly following their conservative leaders.

Patrick Wanzer
Indianapolis