Regarding the well-written article about the new art gallery in Brighton called Junior (“Of Art and Discourse,” issue of Nov. 9-15), it’s gratifying to see so much of what we at Manifest have been working very hard to introduce into the city — as others have done in the past — show up in yet another article about yet another artist-run gallery.
It’s great to know there’s an echo in the city for our efforts. Some would see such replication as a threat. However, it gives me hope that what we’re doing is actually having a positive effect, by providing inspiration for such small but very important efforts. This is, in fact, part of Manifest’s mission — to prove it can be done, and done well, so others will follow suit.
In my opinion, Cincinnati can not have enough galleries like Junior, Manifest, Publico and Semantics. Now what we desperately need is for the local print media to match our efforts by devoting more attention, more print space and more literary resources to the vital visual arts in the region.
Welcome to the neighborhood, Junior!
— Jason Franz Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center, Walnut Hills
New Course in Iraq
Regarding U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt’s rallying cry of “Stay the course,” I say of course!
Having left Afghanistan with our objectives there by no means fully met, we moved on to Iraq.
Fine. Let us move on and save another country, for there are many under brutal dictatorial rule and in need for democracy.
Having lost the lives of only 2,000 or so Americans in Iraq, let us send to their death a few more hundred in their honor! Stay the course!
Having provided an Iraqi magnet for terrorists, let us continue. Perhaps we can create even more magnets for them. How else is George W. Bush to revel in being a heroic wartime president? A war without a foreseeable end against the terrorists? Of course! Stay the course!
Having reduced the taxes of the very wealthy so that they might become even wealthier while the rest of us flounder to meet our bills, by all means enrich the rich! Stay the course!
Having failed to effectively move our energy-based economy from nonrenewables and pollutants, let us drill into the Alaskan tundra, irreparably damaging it. Its petroleum might temporarily supply a relatively small amount of all the energy we need; it might, really wind up being shipped to Japan! Stay the course!
Rather than protect our forests from clear-cutting or opening our remaining wildernesses for corporate profiteers and the entertainment of tourists, stay the course!
Having proven presidential juvenility, lack of foresight and administrative inability of which the Katrina/Rita mess is but a recent example, we cannot possibly change in midstream. Stay the course!
Having increased our federal deficit and our international trade imbalance beyond all previous measure, let’s face the future with unlimited credit. Stay the course!
Having increased the secrecy with which we guard federal actions, including even the government’s secret ability to ferret out personal secrets, let us indeed extend Bush’s concept of democracy! Stay the course!
To demonstrate our international moral leadership, we must continue to ship prisoners of war to secret camps and deny that they’re subjected to torture although we have invented a new category for our favorite captives that has no precedent in international or national law. Stay the course!
I remember that one afternoon during World War II we had driven to Naha to take care of some technicality and were hurrying back to our tents toward the south end of the island. Okinawa has broad tidal flats along its western shore and, speeding by, we noted a truckload of marines had driven out onto these muddy flats at low tide and the tide had turned and was now coming in. Did they stay the course?
— Laurence G. Wolf, Clifton
Plan for Victory
I fully support and believe in President Bush’s clear plan for success in Iraq. As articulated time and time again by the president, we will be successful when the terrorists are defeated and can only withdraw troops to the extent Iraq’s forces are able to fight on their own.
The troops on the ground vote their agreement with their feet, by re-enlisting, and even senators such as Joe Lieberman agree that tremendous progress is being made. Democrats who advocate that we cut and run or advocate a timetable for withdrawal are wrong and irresponsible. Our enemies will only perceive that as weakness. Those same Democrats don’t vote the same way as they speak, as typified by the House’s overwhelming defeat of a resolution to establish such a timetable.
Furthermore, the U.S. economy is growing at a tremendous pace. Despite the doom and gloom predictions following Hurricane Katrina and despite increases in energy prices, the third quarter growth rate was over 4 percent. The economy has grown over 3 percent per quarter for 10 straight quarters. Coupled with historically low unemployment, the success of the U.S. economy should be front page news each and every day. It is truly inspiring.
I do fear one thing economically, which is a lack of recognition by the media and politicians regarding the true driver of economic success these past 10 quarters — tax cuts. Without President Bush’s tax cuts, we would not be seeing the current economic growth and resiliancy of the U.S. economy and we’d also not collect the increased tax revenues that go with economic growth. Congress should immediately make these tax cuts permanent and should look at further reforms to reduce the burdens on taxpayers.
— Christopher Calvert, Mount Washington
This article appears in Dec 7-13, 2005.