Danger at our door

It is common for people receiving bad news to want to “kill the messenger.”

Witness Tony Hershey’s attempt to assassinate my character with accusations that I hate America, our military and our president. He says I’m entitled to my opinion but not my own set of facts.

Well, Tony, you can refute my interpretation of history, and you are entitled to your opinions about me, but by proclaiming that “we know Sue Gray hates America …” in print, you are guilty of the crime of libel (I hereby exonerate The Aspen Times for the crime of publishing that lie).

I don’t hate America, I hate the fact that America is being destroyed not by foreign attackers, but by the very individuals who are sworn to protect it.

I hate the decline from democracy to fascism as corporations gain more power, while citizens’ rights are eroded by such legislation as the Patriot Act. I hate that American ideals of freedom, justice and equality are being overshadowed by militarism, imperialism and feudalism.

I don’t hate our military. I hate the misuse of our armed forces in carrying out military actions that have nothing to do with protecting the safety of American citizens.

I hate that our men and women in uniform were exploited to illegally invade and occupy a sovereign nation, destroying its infrastructure and reducing a civilized society to chaos, all to the benefit of U.S. corporations now in control of Iraq’s resources.

I don’t hate George W. Bush. I hate being lied to about the threat that Iraq posed to the U.S. I hate that our nation has been hijacked by deceitful individuals whose goal is to line their own pockets at the expense of the American taxpayer. (By the way, thanks to Tony for pointing out another parallel between Bush and Hitler; Bush was appointed, not elected, leader of the nation.)

The U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights were created by men of foresight to protect American citizens against the misuse of power by corrupt individuals in government. We citizens do not pledge allegiance to our elected leaders, but to the Republic.

Our responsibility, and the responsibility of our elected officials, is to uphold the U.S. Constitution; the contract under which American government works FOR the people, not the other way around.

Because I love America and cherish my rights, I will continue my duty as a patriot to expose government corruption, and work to restore the integrity of our great nation. It amazes me that seemingly intelligent people can ignore the crimes of the current administration and support the rise of fascism just like the Germans did under Hitler.

Being a student of history, Mr. Hershey should be able to see the danger at our door. Instead of trying to kill the messenger, he should be grateful for concerned citizens who are willing to risk public ridicule and character defamation to warn others of the impending threat against American democracy.

Sue Gray

Carbondale