The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Fear factor

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Friday, Nov 05, 2004

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Fear factor

Sir, — Mr. Bush owes his victory to the last-minute videotape of Osama bin Laden. It aggravated the fear psychosis of Americans who concluded they were safer in the hands of Mr. Bush.

Suhail Sabir,
Aligarh, U.P.

* * *

Sir, — It is not an exaggeration to say that the Osama tape clinched the election in Mr. Bush's favour. I feel sorry for John Kerry who had a more pragmatic view on issues such as Iraq, terrorism, and unemployment.

Shadab Ahsan,
Gaya, Bihar

* * *

Sir, — Thanks to the eleventh-hour intervention by Osama bin Laden reopening the wounds of the twin tower tragedy, Mr. Bush won.

T.R.S. Sarma,
Bangalore

* * *

Sir, — It is unfortunate that the U.S. has transformed itself from a nation of the brave to a nation of people living in fear. It seems to be a frightened democracy.

V. Jyotsna,
Ernakulam, Kerala

* * *

Sir, — That a person who was responsible for the death of thousands of Iraqis and his own countrymen in the name of the war against terror won is surprising. It is not just Mr. Kerry's defeat but the defeat of humanism.

R. Reefath,
Mysore

* * *

Sir, — Mr. Bush's victory reflects not only the Americans' fear of terrorism but also the change in their perception of democracy. Already, the free American society has been fettered by draconian measures promulgated by the Bush administration in the name of tackling terrorism. Mr. Bush's bouncing back to power will only embolden the President to curtail more freedoms.

G.M. Rama Rao,
Visakhapatnam, A.P.

* * *

Sir, — Mr. Kerry's convictions drew a blank with the hoi polloi. They were uncomfortable about unseating a known President for an unknown contender during wartime.

Rex S. Arul,
Smyrna, Georgia

* * *

Sir, — The Americans have not only overlooked the failures of the Bush administration but also vindicated the illegal war imposed on the Iraqi people. The ambivalence of Mr. Kerry over the Iraq war and a marginally less impressive economic manifesto led to his defeat after a close fight.

Anuj Sharma,
New Delhi

* * *

Sir, — The result reflects poorly on the concern of the average American for global issues. Contrast this with India, where the `India Shining' campaign was shown its proper place. Indians are more capable of ensuring that their government plays a more inclusive role, be it on the national or the international stage.

Mushtaqh Ali,
Chennai

* * *

Sir, — Mr. Bush could not win with a great lead because of his poor record in office. The verdict can be interpreted as Mr. Kerry's defeat rather than as Mr. Bush's victory.

S. Sudhir Kumar,
Athens, Ohio

* * *

Sir, — In his concession speech, Mr. Kerry underlined the need for unity in fighting the war on terror. For his part, Mr. Bush in his victory speech said he would reach out to all Democrats to strengthen the country and fight the war on terror. The bottomline: we are all Americans, we work together.

R. Hariharan,
San Diego, California

* * *

Sir, — Looking at the difficult tasks ahead for Mr. Bush such as getting America out of Iraq, Mr. Kerry might just end up being glad he lost.

Rajesh Padmanabhan,
Strathfield, Sydney

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