BUSH VISIT BRINGS BACK BROKEN PROMISE

It's ironic that George Bush's scheduled visit to Waukesha on
Wednesday is part of a tour named "Ask President Bush," as reported in
"Bush coming Wednesday for Expo Center visit" on Thursday.

Bush campaign events are generally limited to invitees, and every
appearance will be carefully scripted to screen out any dissent.
Worse, local officials see no problem in taxpayers picking up costs
for the extra security being put in place for what are purely campaign
events.

In a perfect world where ordinary citizens actually had the chance to
"Ask President Bush," I'd ask why he broke his promise from the 2000
campaign to let states set their own policies on medical marijuana.

Rather than keep that promise, Bush and his administration launched
brutal raids in states that have legalized medical marijuana,
targeting patients and providers. During a raid in Santa Cruz, Calif.,
a patient who was unable to walk was handcuffed to a bed while drug
agents destroyed the year's harvest of a dispensary that doubles as a
hospice, depriving hundreds of sick and terminally ill patients of
their medicine.

As a Waukesha native, I'm embarrassed at the welcome being bestowed on
a man who has caused so much pain at home and abroad. Thanks to Bush,
there is a lot more suffering in this world than there was four years
ago. If I were still a Waukesha resident, I'd be up in arms that my
tax dollars are being used to support the election of a candidate.
(I'd refer to it as a re-election but we all know Bush was appointed,
not elected, in 2000.)

Gary Storck, Madison