It's easy to become brainwashed

To the editor:

The National Democratic Party is a pessimistic bunch. In fairness, if I only read liberal-owned newspapers or only watched CBS news, I'd probably be just like them. I'd think Christianity and the religious right were too influential in the Bush administration and downplay the fight to replace "Merry Christmas" with "Happy holidays." I'd think nothing positive occurs in Iraq and curse the soldiers and Marines who return home and say otherwise. I'd think the war in Afghanistan ended two years ago because I've heard nothing about it. I'd demand a timetable in Iraq and forget how long we've been in Bosnia. I'd think 9-11 was a fairy tale or Americans are responsible for our own demise because of our Western ways. I'd think spying on terrorists by monitoring domestic phone calls was an invasion of privacy while smugly attacking our past intelligence failures. I'd curse Rumsfeld for authorizing interrogation techniques that Democrats labeled as torture while embracing the legacy of FDR who imprisoned thousands of Japanese-Americans based on their ethnicity. I'd ignore the fact we have endured a horrific domestic attack and a storm that wiped out a city. I'd forget we're fighting a global war, funding a global AIDS battle, providing global humanitarian relief and conducting the business of a superpower. I'd forget that we have a strong domestic economy, protected the homeland and reconstructed a Supreme Court that now more closely resembles mainstream America.

I choose to be optimistic, because life is pretty gosh darn good.

CHAD CRAFT, Jackson