President Bush is a master of negative emotional language as a political tool. He uses dependency-creating language to dominate others, shaming them into submission with the language of contempt and intimidation.

One of his dominating linguistic techniques is empty language: broad statements with so little meaning they are difficult to oppose. His plan to attack Iraq was reduced to: "We will answer every danger and every enemy that threatens the American people."

Another is personalization: focusing the listener's attention on the speaker's personality. He implies that only he is capable of producing results. After Sept. 11, 2001, he said, "I will not yield; I will not rest; I will not relent in waging this struggle…." He substitutes his determination for the nation's.

"You" rarely appears in Bush's speeches. "I made up my mind that Saddam needs to go." Such statements were given in lieu of actually presenting a case.

His most frequent linguistic technique is negative framework: instilling the image of a dark, evil and hopeless world. This imparts learned helplessness: the electorate's conviction that it is powerless and that only Bush has the strength to deal with our problems. Hence we must transfer power to him, thus crushing the power of the citizen, Congress, and the Judiciary.

To restore democracy in America (constitutional separation of powers, civil liberties, etc.), We must revitalize the optimism of the electorate. Those opposing Bush in the next presidential election should heed the example of Franklin Roosevelt: against Hoover and the pessimism of the Depression, he said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." This is the key to retiring Bush in 2004.

John S. Dearing President

Corvallis Secular Society

Drug war wasteful use of resources

Why should taxpayers trust their leaders on school funding issues? The largest impediment to school funding is the "War on Drugs." It does a quadruple whammy on school funding:

Because drug prohibition increases drug abuse and crime, total tax revenues are smaller due to productivity and crime losses in the general economy. This smaller tax revenue is shrunk even further when more taxes are diverted to law enforcement and prisons to deal with higher crime rates due to prohibition. Furthermore, additional health and social service revenue is diverted to deal with problems associated with higher drug abuse rates due to prohibition. Schools have to divert money used to educate children to deal with problems of higher drug abuse among parents and children due to prohibition. Families leave public schools for private schools that screen out dysfunctional families victimized by prohibition — further draining money available.

If unchallenged, prohibition will continue to drain money away from public schools. Any leader who claims to care about public safety, taxpayers, children's welfare or schools — and is not speaking against prohibition — is deceiving the public. Yet not one of our legislators, county commissioners, school board members, principals or superintendents within Benton County has ever challenged the War on Drugs and its lies. This is one reason why no prohibitionist will ever stand up and defend this vile policy in a debate or honest discussion of drug policy issues: they have nothing but lies, and lies only work when they are unchallenged.

J.T. Barrie

Philomath

Blair bests Bush at communication

Why is it that Prime Minister Tony Blair of England is the one who gives us eloquent and articulate speeches regarding the Iraq war, and not our President George Bush, who can only say that the reason for the war is that "our intelligence was darn good."

I cringe every time Mr. Bush opens his mouth.

Lois Wright

Corvallis

Lincoln forced the shots on Ft. Sumter

The words quoted from President Lincoln's first Inaugural address (Gazette-Times opinion page, July 4) to do not prove that "Lincoln sought to avoid Civil War," as the heading suggests. His fine words prove only that Lincoln wanted everyone to think he was trying to avoid war.

In 1861, the 11 seceding Southern states had become a new nation — the Confederate States of America. The CSA could not allow a foreign nation, the USA, to control the entrance to one of its principal ports in Charleston, South Carolina. Lincoln knew that. He had been advised by his top military commander, Gen. Winfield Scott, and most of his cabinet, to abandon Fort Sumter. Lincoln promised many times that he was not planning on reprovisioning Fort Sumter, which had almost run out of food, oil and other provisions. He did not tell the truth. He sent a naval force, accompanied by heavily armed battleships.

Lincoln wanted a war, and he maneuvered the South into firing the first shot. Many Northern newspapers recognized this. The Providence Daily Post wrote, "For three weeks the administration newspapers have been assuring us that Fort Sumter would be abandoned. Mr. Lincoln saw an opportunity to inaugurate civil war without appearing in the character of an aggressor."

David Prichard

Corvallis

Bush tax cut a break for the rich

Here's some food for thought about Bush's $350 billion tax cut:

Over the next four years, the bottom 60 percent of income earners receive only 9 percent of the benefits, while the top 1 percent receives a 39 percent windfall. One half of Americans will receive less than $100 in 2003, but Americans making 1 million or more receive $93,500 each, according to the Tax Policy Center. This is not a tax plan to stimulate economic growth and help average, hard-working Americans. It is a plan to put more money in the hands of those who don't need it and are least likely to spend it.

As for those dividend cuts, most middle class Americans who own stock have it tied up in 401K plans and will see no benefit from this provision. Who will see the benefit? Four dollars out of every $10 dollars will go to the top 1 percent. Meanwhile, the price tag of this cut is a staggering deficit for our children, less or no benefits for our elderly and impoverished, and less aid to states who are struggling to stay afloat. And that or course means less teachers and librarians, less community programs, less medical care — less of the things that we value the most. So as you and I are pocketing that few hundred dollars, perhaps we should ask ourselves if our gift to the top 1 percent of Americans was worth the cost.

Julie and Johnny Mathison

Corvallis

Kobe Bryant in 2004? Why not?

The lightweight nine in the Democratic primaries are washed-up has-beens.

The one true heir apparent to our adulterous, unimpeachable Darling Billy Boy has emerged to assume his rightful position in the Oval Office.

Kobe Bryant for President; He did have sex with that woman.

Robert Souders

Corvallis

Iraq war takes toll on the children

Up to 10,000 Iraqi children have been killed in President Bush's "Iraqi Freedom," war.

For what? To enhance the Bush family's oil business?

Most certainly to put Vice President Dick Cheney back in business. No smart bombs found his building in Baghdad.

D.J. Arbogast

Corvallis

Why report two vs. thousands?

The liberal and biased media reminds us almost daily that one or two U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq. When will the media remind us that each day in the United States, about 120 human beings are killed in traffic accidents, and that each day more than 3,500 unborn human beings are legally murdered by abortion? To maintain a proper perspective for arriving at sound judgements is expecting too much from the biased media with their own agenda of gross distortion.

Roman Schmitt

Corvallis

Gee, thanks! It's our pleasure!

Here's to our local newspaper, the Corvallis Gazette-Times, for keeping us aware of the news, national and international, as well as developments in our own community and products and services it provides. Having lived in big cities throughout the world, I am grateful to look forward to spending my last interest-filled days in Corvallis.

Majorie K. Morray

Corvallis