Working in media always gives one insight on how "spin" is directed by politicians & their handlers. If you can make yourself look "good" then anyone who supposedly goes against you is "bad" or perceived that way. It's all public relations.

One such device used is "kissing the baby". It involves picking forums or subjects where no one would even possibly go against you like crime or victim's rights and claiming it as a virtue. There is not one person in this nation who will honestly go against safer streets & less crime. Therefore it is always a "good" idea to kiss that baby.

Meanwhile since you drew our attention to the Middle East in the first place, we are all waiting to see if Mr. Powell has been successful in his mission, or if talks have broken down again. Surely it was a lot to place on his head as a burden, but one always hopes that diplomacy will win out over warfare.

When it comes to unemployment that is an ugly baby the no one wants to kiss save for Mr. Gore. Showing that subject attention surely is not a priority of this administration.

-- Mr. T (workingstiff6198@yahoo.com), April 16, 2002

Answers

Venezuelan Oil Junta

Of course Chavez is a Communist instigator that put "so called" cronies in charge of all things oil exports. That's why he took a plane to Cuba after the latest military "junta" made to destabilize an OPEC member nation, and give access to cheap "oil". This is also why most Central & South American countries tend to mistrust the good ol' USA when it comes to our policies and methods to reach a desirable end for corporate concerns.

Since the issue of the Monroe Doctrine we have pretty much claimed ownership to just about every resource in the western hemisphere whether it is south or north of our borders. Cuba has stuck out like a sore toe for years, and now we want to throw Venezuela, and Columbia right on the fire. columbia is a big log that has been repeatedly reburned and charred over the years, so it provides "good" fuel for controversy.

It is not unusual for this administration to play with the viewpoint. Now the arguement is the Friday "timeline" of when the Venezuelan coupe happened. Let's not distort the importance of when it happened as opposed to what happened in this instance.

If I grant you leeway here then how am I supposed to justify that Zacharias Moussaui was picked up on August 17th, 2001, and Massoud was killed on September 9th, 2001? Yet we knew about nothing that was afoot on September 11th, 2001?

Sorry, but maybe I grant our intelligence community with being smart enough to know that 2+2 does not equal 5. They must be smarter than the FAA that recently sent a mailer to another "dead" hijacker.

-- Mr. T (workingstiff6198@yahoo.com), April 16, 2002.

CUBA is a DUMPING GROUND

That's where the present administration loves DUMPING THEIR CRIMINAL DETAINEE TRASH. AFTER ALL, IT'S ONLY CUBA! We are just getting EVEN WITH CASTRO FOR CLEANING OUT HIS JAILS DURING THE "BOATLIFT". TO THOSE OF YOU WHO VOTED FOR BUSH BECAUSE OF ELIAN GONZALEZ. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO LET THIS ADMINISTRATION DUMP "TERRORIST" TRASH AT YOUR DOORSTEP?

-- Florida Cowboy (floridacowrustler@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002.