Time to take back our lives
Editor,
The time once again is here and the political bees are humming. There are several issues on the table this year, but the one that is probably the most important is Mr. Bush and his agenda to change the Constitution. This is appalling and if we as a society allow this to happen we are dooming ourselves to even more government control over our lives.
Just think about it for a moment. If we allow just one change to the Constitution we are spitting on the founding fathers that gave us this document of civil rights and liberties, and furthermore we are insulting the peaceful activists like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and so many of the social activists that have defend our rights.
If we roll over and think our best interests are at the heart of Mr. Bushs plan to do this, you a greatly mistaken. Are we going back to the days when African-Americans could not drink out of the same water fountains as whites? Are we going back to the time when women were not allowed to vote? Changing the Constitution is a downward spiral from humanity.
Mr. Bush and his predecessors would have you believe this is for the common good, but is infringing on our civil rights the best for us? No, I do not think so.
Ask yourself this question: if the Constitution can be easily be altered, how safe are we really? If we allow this change, whos to say that two or ten years from now biracial marriages would be illegal, or were told how many children a man and woman can bring into this world?
If anyone thinks they are exempt from losing their civil rights, if this goes into effect, youd better think again! Just because one may fall under the status quo of 2.5 kids and a dog as the saying goes, you are sadly mistaken.
The rug can be pulled out from under your comfortable, sheltered life in the blink of an eye. Anyone who may have the false sense of security by the hype of the "homeland" or keeping ourselves quiet while our civil rights and liberties are stripped away are blind and need to wake up and smell the oppression.
I implore any and all to say no to Mr. Bush and his self-serving agenda, and to those not voting you are only making matters worse because no voice is giving up the power of choice and expression. We must keep our civil rights in place or we are totally at the control of the government to tell us how to think, how to live, and that our opinions no longer have merit or meaning.
Stop Mr. Bush and say NO. Its time to take back our state and our lives.
Joel Ring
George Bush -- the unforgiven
Editor:
Hard work -- hard work -- hard work -- how ironic that George Bush kept pushing hard work in his first debate with John Kerry. Ironic not only because of Bushs setting the record as the most vacationing president in history, but moreover because of his failing to do the hard work of treating his addiction, namely and mainly his problem with alcohol.
Instead of doing hard work involved in truly treating his addiction, Bush opted for the easy escape into the Christian promise of getting saved and being forgiven. It is easy enough to simply proclaim: "Why, I am forgiven through the grace of God!" However, without committing to and actually doing the hard work of treating addiction, residual problems are bound to linger and fester.
Listening to Madeline Albright the other night on Charlie Roses show, it suddenly dawned on me why it may well be that Bush persistently tries to deny his hard realities, especially the brutal truth of what is happening in Iraq. His constant denial could well be associated with the denial of an untreated addict.
Madeline Albright admits she she is perplexed and vexed over Bushs refusal to openly acknowledge and confess to the miserable mess in Iraq. Since that shocking and awful U.S. attack on Iraq, dislike for Americans in the Middle Eastern region has been fueled and exacerbated into violent hatred.
Yet Bush maintains his bulldoggish view that things are going well in Iraq in spite of escalating violence. Daily it seems there are bombings, maiming, and killings. Such an obdurate position contrary to reality well spells denial.
Yet another one of Bushs behavioral intrigues emerges in his changing from sullenly scowling in that first debate to loudly growling in the second debate. In the second debate his performance left me wondering if he was drugged -- drugged on uppers to charge him up and make him more aggressive. Perhaps, we should put a ban on stimulant drugs and conduct drug testing on the debaters the way we do on athletes.
Resorting to upper drugs would not be all that surprising when one considers how often Bush takes to quick fixes. Like the Shock and Awe blitz on Baghdad followed up by unfurling banners on "Mission Accomplished" -- a catastrophically unsuccessful mess-making along with wishful mis-thinking.
Naturally, out-of-the-blue coups have nothing to do with hard work. Bushs rush to war has nothing to do with the hard work of diplomacy and art of negotiating. Such work would clearly have been far less costly to us. Billions of dollars have been poured into this war effort. Far more tragically, of course, lives totaling over 12,000 American and coalition troops along with some 14 to 15,000 innocent Iraqis have been lost in addition to thousands more men, women, and children left wounded and maimed.
Yes, its true: we are faced with hard work all right -- the work of somehow creating peace out of a disastrous plunge into the hell of war. Weve been strapped with a self-proclaimed war president in George Bush, a president in denial of the catastrophe he has created through rushing to war. Now we must turn to a leader who is willing and able to do the truly hard work, that of finding peace.
Will Strong
Honor God -- vote for Kerry
Editor,
Ron Reagan said it best....some politicians wear their religion on their
sleeves to get political gain!
I was thinking about that statement when I came up with some thoughts I
would like to share with you...
If you are a religious person and believe in God, the only way to honor
God and serve God, and your country, is to care for your fellow man/woman.
Therefore, what the Democratic Party (therefore John Kerry/John Edwards)
stands for IS in the service of God/religion.
To say it another way, helping the less fortunate, and supporting the vast majority of Americans, is serving God and having values. What George W. Bush stands for is making the rich richer, making corporations richer, destroying God's creations (the environment), cutting back programs that help "lift up" those who need some assistance to advance themselves in education (to name only one), and sending our boys and girls to die for "intentional" lies and
misconceptions. This is an Oil War... power, money and greed!!!
I can only delight in the votes that might be won from misguided people
who think that, since Bush doesn't believe in abortion, etc. that he is
truly a good, trustworthy, and religious person.
Actually, what has he done to merit the "good and trustworthy" person tag? I can't think of any reasons and believe me I've wracked my brains trying to think of some. I too don't personally believe in abortion. Is that enough to counteract all
the harm he's done to this country... I don't think so.
Now onto the voting machine:
After the 2000 election, almost all respected universities, respected
newspapers, to name a few different resources, continued to count and
investigate the actual totals. All found Gore to win the 2000 election.
Just to name a few: A study conducted by California Institute of Technology, studies done by the Washington Post (2 times), MIT and Cal
Tech, The Palm Beach Post, USA Today.... those are just a few.
We won't even mention the conflicts of interest of those and the Supreme Court decision. Five Supreme Court justices elect Bush. Five Supreme Court justices, led by Antonin Scalia, handed the presidency to George W. Bush on December 13, 2000. The five conservatives had always been the defenders of states' rights against federal intrusions.
In this one and only case, they sold out their states' rights philosophy. They stopped the recount, the court, publicly divided 5 to 4 even before oral argument, proved they were determined on putting Bush in the White House.
Please note I am a TRUE PATRIOT (by the people and for the people), I was
NOT A DEMOCRAT and used to vote by person. I'm also not deeply religious,
as far as following a specific religious practice, but do believe in God and know that serving God is serving all our people and not only those in the top two percent.
Look into your hearts for the truth... vote Kerry/Edwards in November!
Help is on the way -- just open your minds and hearts.
Bev Begnal
Bush: al Qaedas poster boy
Editor,
George Bush has become al Qaedas greatest asset for terrorist recruitment in our history by launching his ill-conceived and illegal war against Iraq, while at the same time he has effectively abandoned the War Against Terrorism in Afghanistan.
The War Against al Qaeda is no longer perceived by the Arab world as a War Against Terrorism, but has largely become a War Against Muslim Nations. As a result of this perception by the Mid-East Countries, the terrorist organizations of the world are recruiting a far greater number of radical members than was ever thought possible; - all swearing allegiance to an international jihad against the United States.
We are now less safe than we were immediately after the successful Afghanistan war. The Terrorist Organizations of the world would like nothing better than to see George Bush re-elected in November so they could recruit even more members.
To change the perception of the Arab World, the first and foremost step
must be to ensure that George Bush and his neo-conservative group are NOT
re-elected to office. Under a new Administration, perhaps the United
States can begin to repair the damage caused by the Bush Administration.
Make your vote count to ensure the safety of our country -- vote for the
Kerry-Edwards ticket to return sanity to our government!
Please withhold my name due to fear of reprisals. I am a Conservative
Republican and Military Retiree.
Name Withheld by Request
Tybee bomb writer responds
Editor,
I was appalled by the letter from former Air Force Col. Howard Richardson in your Oct. 6-12 issue referring to my earlier article about the Tybee Bomb.
As a rule, I do not respond to those who disagree with me, conceding that
this is their prerogative. However, this letter questioned my ability as a journalist and, having been in this business for 50 years working for a half dozen publications here and abroad to hone my skills and establish my good reputation, I am compelled to take issue with the Mr. Richardson.
I will preface my comments by saying I respect the retired colonels proven ability as an Air Force pilot in the service of his country and have taken special pains to mention this in several articles,
specifically referring to his being awarded a prestigious medal for bringing the heavily damaged B-47 bomber from which he jettisoned the bomb to a safe landing under difficult circumstances.
However, his criticism of my reporting is misdirected. It is wrong to blame a journalist for statements made by a news source they are quoting. Questions regarding the accuracy of such statements should be directed toward the spokesman rather than the writer who
records their remarks.
Richardsons letter said he never gave the coordinates he recorded when
he dropped the nuclear bomb to fellow former Air Force pilot Derek Duke. But Duke says Richardson gave him the coordinates and he used them to locate what he believes is the missing bomb in Wassaw Sound.
Duke said this in his official report to the Air Force; during interviews with
representatives of national television; to government officials and the news media during a recent press conference in Savannah and, on several occasions, to me.
These are Dukes words, not mine or others who have quoted him. Richardson also said I "grabbed out of the ionosphere" a reference to the scurrilous action of government officials involved in Watergate when I suggested that government spokesmen may sometimes be less than honest.
That reference actually alluded to statements made by U.S. Rep. Jack
Kingston -- not Richardson -- during a telephone interview I conducted with
Kingston several years ago.
Kingston said Air Force officials told him during a special meeting about the bomb held following one of my earlier stories that the bomb was irretrievably lost and no further effort should be made to locate it since it posed no danger.
Kingston said he believed them because he did not think representatives
of our Air Force and government officials present at the meeting would lie to him.
I suggested such trust might be misguided in view of the fact that former
U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell, White House Chief of Staff Bob
Haldeman, his assistant John Ehrlichmann and President Richard Nixon himself lied to Congress and the media about their knowledge of
Watergate.
It seemed to me that if people of this high station in our government would lie, others of far lower rank might do so as well.
People do lie. People in high places lie. It is naive -- particularly after Watergate, during which time I was employed by The Washington Post -- to
assume they dont lie to cover their misguided actions and plans.
The fact that representatives of the Air Force, the National Weapons Laboratory, the Department of Natural Resources, national security agencies, radiation experts and a team of military scuba divers returned to Wassaw Sound recently to investigate the area where Duke believes he has located the bomb seems to give credence to my suspicions.
If the bomb cannot be found and poses no danger, as the government said, why would they conduct their recent intensive search and say one of their prime motivations was to ensure the safety of the people of Georgia?
I also speculated that Richardson may have been subjected to pressure from the government to disavow the Tybee Bomb was armed, even if it was. I did not say he was pressured, nor did I say he said he was pressured, as he alleged in his letter. I simply suggested this was a possibility since other military personnel
familiar with loading nuclear bombs on Air Force planes say it was customary to fully arm all such weapons at that time. This was during the Cold War when, in the absence of ICBMs, we had no means for rapid retaliation against Russia other than keeping armed planes in the air.
Richardson failed to mention that I drove from Savannah to his home in Mississippi where I interviewed him regarding the dropping of the Tybee bomb and his other experiences as a pilot.
I am not aware of any other journalist writing about the bomb who took the trouble to make that journey but going the extra mile to ensure balanced news coverage has always been my practice.
J. R. Roseberry
Tybee Island
Disputes faith article
Editor,
It is unfortunate that Margaret DeBolt has decided to distort history with misinformed quotes and speculation. Her article on the Faith of our Fathers is an example of how easily we can by taking the wrong information distort the truth.
It is also equally unfortunate that Ms. DeBolt has implied to the reader that conservatives are calling for a fundamentalist, Christian nation; subjecting all others to their faith - which is entirely unfounded.
No prominent conservative or Christian leaders are calling for ending all other faiths. There is not evidence to support her claims nor was the attack warranted. But first lets set the record straight concerning our Founding Fathers and subsequent Presidents.
Harry S. Truman: This is a Christian Nation. 1947
Theodore Roosevelt: I reverently invoke for my guidance the direction and favor of Almighty God. 1901 Inaugural Address
John Adams: The Christian religion is, above all the Religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of Wisdom, Virtue, Equality, and Humanity. 1778 Journal
John Quincy Adams: My hopes of a future life are all founded upon the Gospel of Christ. 1811 letter to his son
Jimmy Carter: We believe that the first time were born, as children, its human life given to us; and when we accept Jesus as our Savior, its a new life. Thats what born again means. 1976 interview
Calvin Coolidge: The higher state to which she (America) seeks the allegiance of all mankind is not human, but of Divine origin. She cherishes no purpose, save to merit the favor of Almighty God. 1925 inaugural address
Herbert Hoover: The whole inspiration of our civilization springs from the teachings of Christ and the lessons of the prophets. To read the Bible for the fundamentals is a necessity of American life. His writings
Thomas Jefferson: To the corruptions of Christianity I am, indeed, opposed; but not to the genuine pre
cepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian in the only sense in which he wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others, 1803 letter to Benjamin Rush
John F. Kennedy: We in this country, in this generation, are -- by destiny rather than choice -- the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. As was written long ago, Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. 1961 inaugural address
Abraham Lincoln: In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man, All the good Saviour gave to the world was communicated through this Book. 1864
James Madison (Father of the Constitution): Religion is the basis and Foundation of Government. 1785
We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God. From his writings
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a nation without reck
oning with the place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic. Where we have been the truest and most consistent in obeying its precepts, we have attained the greatest measure of contentment and prosperity. 1935 radio broadcast
George Washington: The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian Soldier defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country. Order issued to troops 1776
Do these quotes assert that the Presidents wanted a Christian nation? No. But it is both historically inaccurate and naÏve to claim that they did not place great emphasis on their faith in Jesus Christ as inspiration for their actions and the founding of our government.
We are doing a great disservice to our children when we misconstrue history to support our own ideology. Restructuring history is a misuse of the efforts of earlier generations and is a practice associated with the greatest of tyrants throughout history. The historical record is vast concerning the Christian roots of our Founding Fathers and many of our presidents.
Russell Long
Letters To The Editor
[
{
"name": "Air - MedRect Combo - Inline Content 1",
"component": "14680855",
"insertPoint": "7",
"requiredCountToDisplay": "5",
"parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
},{
"name": "Air - MedRect Combo - Inline Content 2",
"component": "14680856",
"insertPoint": "15",
"requiredCountToDisplay": "9",
"parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
},{
"name": "Air - SVP - Leaderboard - Inline Content - 2",
"component": "16852291",
"insertPoint": "10",
"requiredCountToDisplay": "10",
"parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
},{
"name": "Air - SVP - Leaderboard - Inline Content - 3",
"component": "16852292",
"insertPoint": "20",
"requiredCountToDisplay": "18",
"parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
},{
"name": "Air - SVP - Leaderboard - Inline Content - 1",
"component": "16852290",
"insertPoint": "25",
"requiredCountToDisplay": "22",
"parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
}
]
© 2024
Connect Savannah
