Editor,
Like a lot of people around the world, I was deeply disturbed by the president's State of the Union Address and think that his reference to North Korea, Iran and Iraq as the axis of evil needs closer scrutiny.
George Jr. equates evil with the production of weapons of mass destruction, paranoid leaders and acts of terror or governments that support terrorist organizations.
To some people this may seem like a legitimate definition of evil.
However, if this is truly the standard upon which he judges the virtues of other countries then those same qualities must be applied fairly to all governments, including ours.
Using the president's standards, it is almost impossible not to come to the following conclusion: the United States is inherently evil, too.
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What other conclusion could we reach when we know that United States is the largest producer, supplier and user of weapons of mass destruction?
We are the only country to have ever used an atomic weapon upon other nations.
We have used and developed a myriad of biological weapons in warfare and have even experimented with them on our own citizens.
And, don't forget how we dispose of some of our radioactive waste by hardening the shells of weapon casings and using them on our enemies.
We should also question what was meant by his reference towards paranoid leaders.
It seems as if our president's vocabulary has shrunk since Sept. 11, as every fourth word that gushes from his mouth is "evil" or "terror."
In fact, his diatribe sounds more like the religious fundamentalism that we often associate with the fanaticism of other so-called paranoid leaders.
Didn't he say that there were tens of thousands - a number that seems to change daily - of terrorists still at large, whose sole existence is to destroy everything that the United State represents?
Sounds to me like the president could use a little therapy for his fears.
Finally, if we equate support of terrorist organizations as evil then what do we call it when it comes from our own back yard?
Can anyone remember the United States' secretive support of the Shah of Iran or the Contras in Nicaragua?
And speaking of terror, what was it called when we dropped bombs on Cambodia, destabilizing its government and allowing the despotic leader Pol Pot to rise to power, creating the killing fields that left millions of innocent people dead?
There are plenty of other examples one can find in which the United States was responsible for creating or supporting terror; I only use these to illustrate my point.
After closer reflection I am left with one, or a combination, of the following conclusions about our narrowly elected illegitimate president: George Bush Jr. is a hypocrite, an ignorant and arrogant fool, a man with a hidden agenda or a madman.
I will pray that the American people don't buy into his speech regarding the axis of evil, as the repercussions or blowback from actions directed towards them may prove deadly.
Doug Flynn
Non-degree student
