Open Letter to George W from Generation X
March 2003
by David Brown

Dear President Bush,

What's up? How are things in the White House? It must be really cool to live there. I mean, it's obviously a really tough job (especially now!). But still, it must be great to be the President. You get to meet lots of celebrities, order people around, and generally be a big shot. Do you ever call up ex-girlfriends late at night just to laugh at them? I sure would.

So how are you? Things must be difficult with all this war stuff going on right now. Don't worry, I'm not gonna start bitching at you or anything. I just have some questions for you to answer. You see, I don't really subscribe to all that sixties hippie crap. Sure I've been to my fair share of Dead shows, but it was mostly just for the drugs. The fact is, I think most of those people are just out of touch with reality. I mean, the sixties, that was like 30 years ago. It was all fine and dandy for a little while, but life just doesn't work like that.

Of course, I'm not just some rich yuppie either. I mean, I have values – I'm just not entirely sure what they are. But life is not just about making a lot of money. Don't get me wrong; I want a TON of money if I can get it. But I don't think I'm willing to do anything to get it. So money isn't the most important thing in my life, but I guess it really does drive me. Otherwise I wouldn't be in this crappy job which I fucking hate for 10 hours a day. Are there any openings in the government right now?

So since I'm not just all about peace or all about war, I'm not quite sure where I fit in with this war on Iraq. I think war is a terrible thing, but Saddam Hussein is clearly dangerous and must be stopped. I just need to sort a few things out, and I was hoping you could help. Here's what I need from you:

1) Will we be better off economically if we stick with the inspections or if we go to war? Maybe you could do a hard-core economic study on the cost-benefit analysis of a war with Iraq. You see, money isn't everything, but it's pretty damn important. This war is going to cost us a lot of money. What does that mean to our shitty economy? (I know it's not your fault, at least not completely.) Could a war pull us out of a recession? If so, that might make me lean towards invasion. What about gas prices? I have a 45 minute commute, and public transportation sucks. And what about taxes? Health care? Education costs? Airline prices? Cable and satellite TV? What's the bottom line?

2) Will a war with Iraq prevent another September 11? That attack represented our worst fears realized. Will we lower the chances of another similar attack by getting rid of Saddam? I know the war on terrorism isn't like the old days when we were fighting a country or countries. Terrorism knows no borders (I heard you say that in a speech). So will it really do any good to destroy the Iraqi regime if bin Laden and others are the ones attacking us? I know Hussein could give weapons to bin Laden or whoever he wants. I just need to know if killing Saddam would really improve our safety.

3) Just to show that I am not motivated solely by self-interest, how many innocent Iraqis can we expect to be killed? Please be realistic.

4) Shouldn't we be more worried about North Korea? I don't mean to bombard you with too much, but doesn't North Korea already have nukes that could strike US soil right now? If we're busy fighting a war in Iraq, what is happening with them? If we go to war with Iraq, I can only assume that they are more of an immediate threat than North Korea. Please let me know whether or not this is actually true.

5) Should we care what the rest of the world thinks about any of this? Personally, I don't really care what France, Germany, or Russia thinks. We're the USA, and we can do whatever the hell we want. I don't see those countries taking any leadership when times are tight. But I just want to get your opinion since you've actually been to those places and talked with their leaders. You're a bit more tuned into the international scene than I am (after all, you are the President!).

If you can take the time to answer these questions for me, it would really help out in terms of figuring out how I feel about this war. With all the protests going on, I'm really pretty confused. I'm sure you're doing the best you can, and I really appreciate it. Even if a lot of us didn't vote for you, you're still OUR PRESIDENT. And just remember, if you make the wrong decision, we're still the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

(David Brown is a volunteer staff writer for 2 Walls Webzine)