COLUMBUS _ When the telephone
rang Saturday morning,
I didn’t answer. I had furniture
moved, ladders set up, windows
open and I was ready to coat the
staircase with amber shellac.
But I did listen to the answering
machine, and when I heard,
``This’ll only take a minute,’’ I
picked up the cordless.
``Aren’t you coming over later?’’
``Yes. But I want to finish this
first,’’ said Uncle Chet.
``What?’’
``A letter to the president.’’
``He’ll never read it.’’
``In the form of a guest editorial,’’
he said.
``Maybe on Daily Kos.’’
``About the Taliban and health
care.’’
“That’s quite a combination.’’ I
walked to the table where I’d left
my half cup of coffee.
``And how it’s not good enough
just being better than Bush,’’ said
Uncle Chet.
``He’s way better than Bush.’’
``Well, that’s not good enough,
considering
what we’re
up against, so
I thought I’d
speak up,’’ he
said.
``Go ahead.’’
``Dear Mr.
President: I voted
for you and
would again,
if you had the
same lunatic
opposition, but
I’m disappointed
you haven’t
taken bolder
action at home
and abroad.
``Afghanistan
is a lost cause
and always
has been.
Rebel forces in
mountainous areas are cheap to
maintain and nearly impossible
_ and therefore very expensive
_ to defeat. And why bother to
defeat them? What threat are
they to us? The Taliban, for all
their religious fanaticism, are
not al-Qaida. Before we attacked
Afghanistan, in 2001, the Taliban
said they would turn Osama bin
Laden over to us if we’d show
them proof that he was behind
the 9/11 attacks.’’
``Is that true?’’ I asked.
``Yes, but let me go on with this.’’
``OK.’’
``But Mr. Bush, whose family
was heavily invested in the
`defense’ industry, refused this
request. Instead, he launched an
air assault, and we’ve been mired
in the desert ever since, blowing
up munitions, men and money.
``In the end, it’s all for nothing
because Afghanistan will revert
to its former state, a loose collection
of associated tribes with a
token central government. You’re
wasting time, energy and capital,
Mr. President, trying to delay the
inevitable, so it won’t look like
you lost Afghanistan.
``You didn’t lose Afghanistan.
It was never won and now it’s
time to stop the hemorrhaging.
``You have a parallel problem
at home where the Taliban have
taken over the town meetings.
``Now these Taliban can be defeated,
because the key players
are not acting out of conviction
but are guns for hire.
``Even Republican pollsters
agree that an overwhelming
majority of people support health
care reform only if it includes a
strong pubic option.
``What you, your doctor and
most of the world realize it
that we need a true American
plan, where Medicare is open to
everyone at a price we all can
afford. But you’ve determined
we can’t do what is obviously in
the national interest, because
the insurance companies are so
powerful, they must be served.
``As a compromise, you proposed
the public option, an alternative
to corporate health insurance, for
those who don’t love to see their
rates climb and coverage cheapen
every six months.
``I support the public option.
Medicare is better-run than any
insurance company. If you couple
the public option with incentives
to make medical school more affordable,
to turn out more family
doctors, P.A.’s and nurses, we might
win the war against parasites who
profit on human misery.
``But don’t give another inch,
Mr. President. The public option IS
the compromise,’’ said Uncle Chet.
``Anything less is just a sham.’’
___
Cooperstown News Bureau
Reporter Tom Grace is traveling
with his Uncle Chet, who he says
is imaginary. Grace’s column appears
every other week.
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