Thoughts on Dean - Howard Dean - Letter to the Editor

Progressive, The, June, 2003

Ruth Conniff does an excellent job of highlighting some of Howard Dean's more conservative attributes ("An Old-Style Centrist," May issue). However, she completely avoided writing about Dean's more progressive characteristics, such as his strong support for gay rights and civil unions.

As governor of Vermont, Dean signed the bill to legalize gay civil unions, despite protests from Republicans and some Democratic colleagues. Since that time, he has met regularly with gay rights groups and has came out in support of ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) and the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military. And while other Democratic Presidential candidates may have voiced support for civil unions, Dean is the only candidate that has shown he can take action on this issue. Dean has made gay rights one of the biggest issues in his campaign, and, in completely avoiding the topic, Ruth

Conniff's article was truly incomplete.

Matt Denney

Boise, Idaho

The only thing I do not like about Howard Dean is that he is a drug warrior. If he were for legalization, he would probably obtain the Green and Libertarian vote. I am surprised that a doctor does not treat drug addiction as a medical problem.

As a doctor myself, I see daily the victims of drug turf wars, dirty needles, and the mass incarceration of poor blacks and Hispanics in expensive taxpayer-funded schools of crime. Since the drug war is being used as a tool for repression of minorities, I cannot in good conscience, nor can many other progressives and libertarians, vote for a drug warrior.

At least with Bush, things are going to hell so quickly that people may wake up and revolt. More benign authoritarians, drug warriors all, would leave the drug war victims twisting in the wind.

Dr. John Crow

via e-mail