Rochester LTE on Iraq War meeting: Walz said positive things

In today's Post Bulletin, there's a letter to the editor that resembles the Town Hall meeting we attended in Rochester--and those in North Mankato and Winona. Rochester resident James Colville writes in  Walz said positive things:

I share Bill Rood's frustration with the inability of Congress to reign in the Bush administration occupation of Iraq and its desecration of our civil liberties. However, I came away from the Walz town meeting with a more positive feeling.

I heard Mr. Walz say that 

(1) he was no longer willing to give the Bush administration the benefit of the doubt on the permanent changes to FISA under consideration;

(2) we must seriously consider whether the Iraq occupation is the best way to spend our limited tax dollars (Minnesota -- $11 billion to date);

(3) if we can spend $200 billion to fund the Iraq occupation for the next six months, we can surely find $35 billion to fund healthcare insurance for the children of the working poor for the next five years;

(4) Congress must re-assert its constitutional role in our government;

(5) we must begin serious diplomatic discussions with Iran, Syria and other Middle Eastern countries that have legitimate concerns about the future of the area in which they live; and

(6) the concept of "security" goes beyond the immediate terrorist threat and includes protection of our civil liberties, re-establishment of our moral position in the world, and our economic well being and that of our children who will have to pay for the Iraq occupation.

Rood's original letter is here.  The Rochester Post-Bulletin's coverage is here; BSP live-blogged the Rochester meeting (as well as those in Winona and North Mankato). The Winona Daily News and KEYC-TV covered the public forums as well.

Comments

[Jeff]

You should take a look at the Wounded Warriors Project. It raises awareness for severely wounded combat U.S. combat veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan. It really puts a face on the cost of this war. Here's a link:

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/aarwebshow

Jeff