This Week's Review of Political Theater

Letter to the Editor of the Seattle P-I (published on www.seattlepi.com, 5/1/2008)

OBAMA AND WRIGHT

Let us attempt to string events together. Sen. Barack Obama spends two months without making a clear statement about where he stands with the views of his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, all while Wright is as carefully managed (hidden) as Salman Rushdie on a bus tour through Tehran. Wright finally blasts on the scene with inflammatory rhetoric designed to be suitable for his followers and his detractors. Obama then issues a scathing repudiation of his "outrage" of Wright as if to say, "American people, now that I know what that man really stands for I feel fooled and betrayed. I know you've been there, too. Feel my pain."

It's tempting to suspend disbelief long enough to swallow this carefully staged political Kabuki. Perhaps if we hadn't already endured 18 seasons of MTV's "Real World," this sort of contrived drama would be believable.

Obama is a worldly man and there is no debating that he wants us to elect him to a position that requires its holder to execute the most flawless of judgment. But, if he can't see through his pastor, a man with whom he has spent countless hours and intimate moments, I think we have to consider whether he fails the test that one must pass to be President. Even if one is to allow him a "free pass" with Wright, what about William Ayers? What about Tony Rezko?

If Obama chooses to claim lapses in judgment as to who he associates with, doesn't the growing pile of such relationships also paint the picture of himself as being dense? Or does he present voters with the possibility that he simply changes his affiliations based the political needs of the moment? Or is he simply running away from who he really is because it makes him unelectable? I'm not sure that any of those options gives the people a very positive impression of the once-anointed candidate.

Try again, Senator. We've been entertained. Now give us the truth.

Bryan Myrick
Bothell

Find a non-military solution to nuclear threat

Letter to the Editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (printed June 9, 2006)

As tension builds around Iran's nuclear program, talk of war again comes to the forefront of our national conversation. At a time when U.S. prestige around the world is low -- and our ability to wage an effective war is seriously compromised by ongoing commitments -- it is crucial that a non-military solution be found.

A framework for cooperation already exists. There is clear consensus among our traditional NATO allies that Iran should be prevented from operating a weapons-capable nuclear program. The countries of Eastern and Central Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East all have a vital stake in keeping the region nuclear-free, but the State Department and White House appear slow in assembling these partners. It will be the combined weight of these emerging economies that will enhance eventual threats or impositions of sanctions.

The response so far from Tehran has been increasingly defiant and hostile rhetoric, which would lead one to conclude that efforts to date have fallen short of goals. Even the most pessimistic analysts estimate that the world has at least five years in which to deal with the issue before the Iranians possess some form of nuclear weapon. This will almost certainly be a problem handed over by President Bush to his successor, but policy must be set and partnership forged now to preserve our future security.

Bryan Myrick
Lake Forest Park

Shame on MLB - Letters to Editor

The text of a letter to the editor published Saturday, December 15th, 2007 in The New York Times:

To the Editor:

Our nation's pastoral game has now been officially dragged kicking and screaming out of the Age of Innocence, going the way of all things pure and decent. With the release of former Senator George J. Mitchell's detailed investigative report, the veil has been thrown aside to expose Major League Baseball's dirty little not-so-secret.

We are all to blame. Organized baseball (and organized sports as a whole, if one wants to be fair about it) can be fingered for creating an environment of avarice and greed in which players are rewarded for casting aside ethics and sportsmanship.

Fans can hang their heads, choosing ignorance in favor of home runs and supercharged play on the field.

We, the people who pay for the game to be played, should demand honest competition and settle for nothing less in the future.

BRYAN MYRICK
Bothell, Wash.

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The Seattle Times also ran the letter in the Sunday sports section, with a different editing:

We deserve better

Our nation's pastoral game has now been officially dragged kicking and screaming out of the Age of Innocence.

With the release of Sen. Mitchell's detailed investigative report, the veil has been thrown aside to expose Major League Baseball's dirty little not-so-secret. We are all to blame.

Organized baseball (and organized sports as a whole if one wants to be fair about it) can be fingered for creating an environment of avarice and greed in which the reward comes for casting aside ethics and sportsmanship.

Fans can hang their heads choosing ignorance in favor of home runs and supercharged play on the field.

We, the people who pay for the game to be played, should demand honest competition and settle for nothing less in the future.

If we love this game we should not be afraid to demand that the sport cleans its house.
America deserves an honest game.

— Bryan Myrick, Bothell