SPEAK UPJill Stein (see "Yet another Jill Stein puff piece") has not called for the dismantling of the CIA, the DHS, or the NSS. This is concerning. She doesn't call for holding Bush and Obama administration officials accountable. Without justice, if there is no rule of law, if elites have immunity, if the erosion of civil liberties and the increasing authoritarianism of government continues, then we can have no democracy or republican government.
Daniel Ellsberg, a former Marine, analyst for the DoD, and whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers, said in 2007 that a coup had occurred in policymaking. A secret government, operating according to its own rules, unaccountable to Congress, the courts, and the American people, is a domestic threat. Stein needs to speak on this matter.
Another related issue is the bipartisan aggression toward Iran. The Democrats and Republicans are the parties of war and Wall Street. There are no substantial differences between the blue and red team. Stein ought to speak more about the war-based economy, foreign policy, and government of Washington, and make opposition to war on Iran's 75 million people a larger part of her campaign. Already, politicians from both major parties approve of crippling sanctions (an act of war), illegal assassinations, spying, cyberwarfare, on Iran — all unnecessary, illegal, and not in the interest of the people of America or Iran.
VIVEK JAIN
RICHMOND, VA
PRO TIP
I read with interest the article by Chris Marstall about Somerville Theatre projectionist David Kornfeld. I find the article very educational from the technical point of view of film projection. I have enjoyed watching films at Somerville Theatre for several years. It's good to know that it's still affordable, given the current bad economy.
However, there is a particular situation not mentioned in Mr. Marstall's article at all: films projected on the screen show distorted, incorrect aspect ratios, more evident in close-ups.
That situation does not happen in the other auditoriums, so things look without distortion on those screens.
I wonder if the projector in Movie House 1 needs a special lens to show films with the correct aspect ratio, without distortions of shapes.
PETER BUONGUSTO
CAMBRIDGE