Soros’ influence

SO let’s see: George Soros is a “Holocaust survivor” and “philanthropist” -- not a rich megalomaniac who muscled his way into the American political scene and attempted to buy two elections.

Anne-Marie O’Connor’s puff piece [“A Wealth of Criticism,” July 29] portrays, without irony, a man wielding immense, unchecked personal power -- all the while deriding that other George (Bush) for seeking “undue executive powers.”

Oh, yes, the Bush administration also dismisses critics as “unpatriotic.” For this and similar crimes, Bush deserves to be linked with Hitler.

Maybe Soros missed a few things about the Nazis on his way out of town. They didn’t criticize their critics -- they killed them. It is stunning that the American left is apoplectic about the anti-democratic influence of “big oil” on the political process and oblivious to this one-man juggernaut from Hungary. I guess it depends on whose ideas are being rammed down our throats.

BILL IRELAND

Ontario

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SOROS citing the shocking similarities between the G.W. Bush regime and Hitler’s Nazi political machine is not inaccurate. He is simply vocalizing the concerns shared by millions of people around the USA and the world. Bush and other right-wing extremists, embracing their own version of neo-fascism, have compromised our nation’s status to the extent that it is no longer safe to be American in many parts of the world. The Bushists’ rabid desire to establish an imperialistic oligarchy has to be stopped. Soros casts his influence as a potent standard for preserving the common good of all people. Our world could use more people with his courage.

TIM BRISTOL

Santa Barbara