To the Editor:I recently read Jonathan Lerner's Oct. 8 letter to the editor, "Wrong to continually bash Bush" and thought I should share with him, and the Brandeis public, the most disturbing memory I have from my time here at Brandeis.

Like Lerner's moment, mine too occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. But, it was not the actual slamming of the jets into the buildings (although that was frightening as my neighbor ran into my room, shook me out of my sleep, and we both stood there stunned watching his television as the second plane hit) nor the horror of how many had died (although my father worked near the building and a number of family friends and acquaintances were actually killed), but rather later in the day when I was numbly listening to the radio and heard a caller say how America should kill "all those people" and just drop atomic weapons on the Middle East.

The absolute horror of knowing any American could feel such absolute hatred chilled me to the core. When I discovered later in a number of my classes that such feelings were actually echoed by Brandeis students, I began to worry about the future of this country.

You say that you hate to hear people bashing our illustrious Resident of the United States (and let's remember that that's what he is before we start blindly following anyone) and I say it's long past time we stop bashing the left. When did Liberal become one of George Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words?"

Two decades after Reagan's election, people are still frightened to admit to being . gasp ... Feminists. Have we bought into a new McCarthyism where we are hunting the sabotaging Liberals (and I use that capital letter with pride) before they undermine the beauty and perfection that is the American way? I see nothing wrong with bashing George W. Bush. I do not say we should do it blindly, but I think the man's actions speak for themselves.

Lerner said in his letter that "we should be very grateful to the United States of America for allowing people of various ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, religious and political beliefs to all live here openly." I would remind him that such things have not always existed in this country, and some people might argue that they still don't exist today. The levels they do exist at are the work of those bleeding-heart, pinko, Commie-loving, America-hating, President-criticizing, "Give Peace a Chance" singing, "young people and hippie wannabes" Lerner seems to have such a hatred for. Maybe he should think about that before he tells me to appreciate what I've been "given" by the illustrious Dubya.

-- Dave Firestein '05