Dear Editor:

Please consider this article for inclusion in your Editorial/OpEd column. Thank you. -CZ

Massachusetts Is A Swing State: Five Things to Consider Before Casting Your Vote:

The Basics of 9/11Osama bin Laden orchestrated and financed the attacks. Bush claimed it was our “number one priority” to find bin Laden. When that failed he tried to distract the American Public by pursuing Saddam Hussein – who had no connection to 9/11 – a fact backed up by the 9/11 Commission.

Job InsecurityMore than 3.2 million jobs have been lost since Bush took office. It is the largest sustained unemployment rate since the Great Depression. Chances are you personally know someone who has been laid off. Compare these depressing numbers to Cheney’s wealth and profit from the war – he still has ties to Halliburton – the company that has made the most money from no-bid contracts in Iraq. In 2002, Cheney’s total assets were valued at between $19.1 million and $86.4 million.

Intelligence Was BypassedWhite House aides have acknowledged that Bush never read the 90-page National Intelligence Report on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction – which have never been found.

Vital Social Programs SlashedBush’s plan calls for slashing America’s social programs that support education, national parks, environmental protection, healthcare, and low income assistance. He recently requested, and was approved to use another $87 billion in Iraq.

American Civil Rights Are Being ViolatedUnder the Patriot Act, anyone suspected of “ties to terrorism” – a vague term at best – can be arrested and subject to federal and state surveillance. It is our basic constitutional right to a speedy trial and the right to an attorney. Hundreds of people have been detained, denied legal counsel, and never even been charged with a crime.

Christina Zettner1530 Alison DriveWest Chester, PA [email protected]