I received a mailing, okay a solicitation, from Amnesty International today. I have no idea how they got my name, why they think I am interested in their work, or why they think I would give them money, but I got a letter anyway. The tip-off was that it was addressed to Dear Friend. Me? A friend of Amnesty International? I think not!

In the mailing was a card they wanted me to sign. I believe they called it a card of hope. They said they would mail it to some poor prisoner and it would make his day, save his life, cause dictatorships to crumble, or some such non-sense. About all it would do is cause some liberal to feel better and give them a false sense that they are doing something. The material also said that Amnesty International was responsible for the release of many prisoners of conscience. They made it sound like dictators and oppressive regimes the world over tremble at the thought of getting mail with a return address of Amnesty International. If onlu it were that easy.

Naturally, they did want the card returned with a small donation. I opted not to send the card and I also declined to contribute. But it did get me to thinking. Who is responsible for the release of hundreds, if not thousands, or prisoners? Who brought down evil regimes and gave freedom to the people? Why Geroge W. Bush did of course. Kerry was flip-flopping; Bush was fighting a war. So I did make a small contribution to the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign. Thanks Amnesty International!