An Open Letter to George W. Bush: Including a Great Number of Select Quotations

In recent years Nichols has felt a growing sadness and regret that some of the things her own generation was able, at times, to take for granted, many children today (including her own grandchildren) have not yet been able to experience. These include a nation at peace, an America esteemed by other countries and with strong ties to our allies, and an administration in Washington DC committed to our nation’s ideal of the “common good”—with the goal of creating a better life for everyone. Like many of her friends, for several years she was too afraid to speak out. She did not want to be thought of as unpatriotic or traitorous. She came to realize, however, that remaining silent out of fear meant she was accepting the current administration’s message that docility and patriotism are—if not synonymous—somehow linked. That was not the example she wanted to pass down to her grandchildren. Despite her friend Mary’s warning that she would be put on some kind of “special Bush administration list,” she began her letter—with a great deal of humility. (She is a retired teacher, not a politician). She emphasizes in her letter, however, that “We the People” have both a responsibility and a right to speak out and be heard by our government leaders.