E-mailer #1:

On U2’s last tour, they were dedicating Bullet the Blue Sky to the “men and women of the US armed forces.” Which seemed really strange, since I believe it was written as a reaction to observing a US bombing raid on Nicaragua in the ’80’s.

E-mailer #2:

I agree with your reader that there are few–if any–entertainers in U2’s realm that would say ANYTHING positive about GWB or the USA in front of so many people. I remember the U2 show I went to shortly after 9/11. I believe it was during “One” when Bono opened his jacket to reveal the lining was an American flag. Shortly thereafter, he got a genuine flag from a fan, wrapped himself in it and finished the song just standing draped in the red, white, and blue.
Fantastic.

E-mailer #3:

For me it boils down to this: Bono recognizes the fundamental decency of this country and its people. That comes out not just in his praise but his criticism, and it makes all the difference in the world to me.

E-mailer #4:

During the last tour, I saw U2 in Charlotte. During the One Campaign part of the show, Bono explicitly thanked Jesse Helms for his work on AIDS funding for the third world. He said that Helms was a “native son of North Carolina” and told how he had just visited with him earlier that day.