If not exactly disgruntled, this reader is certainly far from being gruntled.

I’m up getting drunk and watching the Ron Paul money counter which is up over 4.2 million since yesterday ($100 of mine)…..
My wife is from the Philippines, having emigrated in 2004 to marry me. She doesn’t pay much attention to politicians except to suggest their worthlessness but when I was watching Fox and talking about Musharraf she made the astute comment that he was “another Marcos”. We heard that the U.S. gave 2 billion dollars in “aid” to the “Musharraf government” and Fox even broke it down to a certain amount for military assistance in the war on terror and a certain amount for “food” assistance.
My guess is Musharraf and company are eating pretty good nowadays. The Fox analysts all talked tough, saying Bush should “threaten” to hold back some of the aid to get him to do what we want. My guess is that means 3 to 5 billion next year.
I’m voting for Ron Paul, hoping against hope people like Musharraf won’t get a plug nickel any more. Just where in the constitution does it say they can take two billion dollars from us and give it to Pakistan any way? (Or better yet, where does it say we can borrow 2 billion from China, give it to Pakistan, and charge it to the American taxpayer)?

[Me] I share the mood of general systemic disgust, Sir. I also expect, as I’m sure you do, that a President Giuliani or a President Clinton would still be shovelling your money and mine into rat-holes like Pakistan, for reasons their shills will be glad to explain at 5,000-word length in Foeign Affairs. There’s something innately and systemically wrong—I agree. I just don’t see how a suicide charge next November will help. Do you really imagine that 50 million Americans will be able to pull themselves away from the federal teat for long enough to listen to Ron Paul’s message? I don’t.