To the editor:

When Republicrat Rep. Joe Wilson accused President Obama of lying recently, it created quite a furor. At this time, both Wilson and his opponent have experienced substantial gains in fundraising, each over a million dollars.

Calculated or not, wrong though it was, I couldn’t help but think of another time in the recent past when America needed a similar voice. What if a Demican had challenged President George W. Bush in his speech before Congress leading up to the war in Iraq? If someone had called Bush a liar, about weapons of mass destruction, their known whereabouts, how short the war (illegal invasion and occupation) would be, and other misstatements, perhaps history would look different.

Today some 4,000 of our troops might still be with their loved ones. Tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi children and adults might yet be alive, with hope for a better future, and millions of Iraqis would not be displaced, facing an uncertain existence. Soon, another generation of Iraqis will only know car bombs, civil strife, and war.

Sadly though, America’s perpetual war for profit churns on. Earlier this month, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $128 billion in military spending for President Obama and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan for next year. This brings the total spent in these areas to over $1 trillion since September 11, 2001. And we can’t afford health care for all!