I found the letter by Antoin O’Maille “Red States Never Change” (November 24-30) to be an arrogant disparagement of all the voters who expressed their hard earned democratic right on Election Day.

It is quite typical of what we read these days in Irish and Irish American publications. O’Maille letter, in my opinion, is inaccurate and is just a continuation of the anti-American, anti-Bush tripe that gets published without any consideration for merit or validity.

Here are the facts — of the approximately 118 million people who went to the polls on Election Day, 60.5 million voted for President Bush and 57.5 million voted for John Kerry.

In the “red states” approximately 34.5 million voted for Bush and approximately 26.5 million voted for Kerry, a significant majority for the president.

In the “blue states” approximately 31 million voted for Kerry and approximately 26.5 million for President Bush (much closer). Are the blue states leaning red?

Contrary to O’Maille’s inference, is it possible that the 26.5 million Bush voters in the blue states care as much about America and what happened on September 11 as the 31 million who voted for Kerry in the blue states?

If one is to give any credence to O’Maille’s self-proclaimed pursuit of understanding American society in a “global, balanced and intelligent way,” then one could deduce that there are approximately 87 million American voters (the 60.5 million Bush voters and the 26.5 million red state voters for Kerry) who are uncomfortable with the abolition of slavery. Such arrogance. 

And does O’Maille really believe that only those in the blue states were attacked on September 11?

The election is over. President Bush won. He was elected by 60.5 million American citizens who love America and freedom. All 60.5 million of them live in large numbers in all of the states.

Kerry ran an honorable race. He lost. He got 57.5 million votes from American citizens who love America and freedom and also live in large numbers in all of the states. As Senator Kerry once said, “That is democracy at its greatest.”

Unlike O’Maille I do not possess a degree, but I do believe the numbers are the numbers and the numbers don’t lie. This fact was driven home to me in a long ago rural Irish National School by the nuns. God Bless them.

M. Dolan. Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Let’s All Get Along!

The presidential election has inspired more looniness than the fullest of moons. As brilliant as any was the contention by Antoin O’Maille in his letter “Red States Never Change” (November 24-30) that the slave states voted red, the free states blue.

The obstacle here is what lawyers term “the tyranny of facts.” Delaware and Maryland, both slave states, went for Kerry, whereas Iowa, Indiana and Ohio, free states, went for Bush. 

The relevance of this sort of analysis is somewhat diminished by the likelihood that most of the voters who participated in Lincoln’s 1860 election are by now dead.

This was indeed a bitter election, but perhaps it’s time to halt both the whining and the gloating. In that spirit I wish all the readers of the Irish Voice a joyous Christmas, and come January a bright, beautiful and blessed day on the inauguration of our beloved president.

Tom Mahoney. Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Bush Voters Are Fools

The American voters have been taken in by the Bush campaign’s simplistic and perverted moralistic view of the world. If you repeat the same moronic one-liners over and over again you win. 

If you try and take a more complex and intelligent view you lose. That’s how politics works today in America.

Now it will be four more years of the nightmare in Iraq (so far, more than 1,240 Americans dead and 15,000 wounded, over 100,000 Iraqis dead), a mismanaged war on terrorism, the loss of international cooperation, an economy that benefits the wealthy, the eroding of civil liberties, the continued dismantling of environmental laws and the creeping influence of Christian fundamentalism (whose bigotry and intolerance are anti-Christian!)

The Bush administration, through its abject failures on every front — the economy, public services and foreign affairs — has proved itself to be appallingly ignorant, arrogant and incompetent as it goes about doing whatever it perceives to best serve its corporate interests, to the extreme detriment of the American people, our neighbors and all of our children on this rapidly shrinking and beleaguered earth.

The rest of the world, apparently a lot more aware of what is happening here than many of us are, has watched the unfolding policies, actions and inactions of this administration with increasing dismay and disgust, but hasn’t blamed the American people individually.

Now that just half (51%) of the American voters have convincingly demonstrated their own ignorance, arrogance and incompetence, America — and individual Americans too — will complete the transition from being the most admired nation and people on earth to being the most despised. And we will truly deserve it, for we have buried our heads in the sand.

Finally, there are two things I know for sure. One, those who voted for Bush will live to regret it. (For example, Princeton economics professor Paul Krugman says that Bush’s $400 billion annual deficits will bankrupt both Social Security and Medicare during the next decade.)

Second, when historians chronicle the decline and fall of the U.S., they will cite the 2000 Supreme Court selection of Bush as the beginning of the end, the illegal invasion of Iraq as furthering our decline, and the 2004 election as taking us beyond the point of no return.

James V. Burke. Sayreville, New Jersey

Seeking Relatives

I would like to contact any descendant of the persons listed below. I would be most grateful if any reader could assist me in this matter. 

I am in the process of researching my family history and the persons listed were grand uncles of mine who emigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s. They are three brothers, and all of them were born in Loughglynn, Co. Roscommon. 

Thomas Francis Wymes was born July 7, 1900, and died in Levittown, Long Island in October 1975.

Edward James Wymes (known as Ned) was born April 22, 1896, and died in East Hampton, Long Island in July 1979. One of his sons, John Edward, was born in Ireland on February 11. 1929.

Alfred Francis Wymes (known as Frank) was born August 29, 1897, and died April 1976 in North Babylon, Long Island.

Please contact me at 7 St. Cianans Villas, Duleek, Co. Meath, Ireland, or gweymes@eircom.net.

Michael Weymes. Duleek, Ireland

Grow Up, Colin!

As an Irish American, I am at a loss to understand how “bad boy” actor Colin Farrell receives so much press coverage here in the States and elsewhere.

What movie has he been in that has received such critical acclaim? He is an awful role model to the young and in my opinion an utter embarrassment that perpetuates already existing stereotypes of the Irish.

He needs to grow up and show some class which he indeed sorely does not have.

Sean Patrick Canny. Washington Heights, New York.