On tolerance
Sunday, May 4, 2008 11:30 PM PDT
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Regarding the reader pleading the case for religion’s attributes of peace and love, perhaps the message of peace, love and charity would not be lost on the “Christian Identity” movement, neo-Nazis, Posse Comitatus, white supremacists, the Church of Jesus Christ Christian, Aryan Nations, skinheads, the Cosmotheist Church, the Covenant, Order and Sword of the Lord, the White Aryan Resistance, the Christian Patriots Defense League, The Army of God, James Jones, etc.
Does the writer believe in taking up serpents, speaking in tongues, that Jesus visited America after his resurrection, that it’s his duty to blow up folks that don’t believe as him? These are sacred truths to some.
Review the history of the Jihads, crusades, pograms, Inquisitions, the Taiping rebellion. These are just a few examples of the faithful, when failing to alter a population’s beliefs, believing it their duty to alter its density.
The writer is free to remind me these are fundamentalist religious zealots. We can certainly agree on that.
Then I will remind him that the slippery slope is a two-way ramp. Perhaps, if I could tell a fanatic from a non-fanatic, I would be less concerned. That’s why I appreciate G.W. and his posse keeping bin Laden busy.
Ronald Teigen
Castle Rock
There’s only uncertainty
The letter from Sam Hane was the perfect demonstration of the global warming crowd approach. Their case is weak, so they throw out words such as ice age, uninhabitable desert, flat earth, indisputable, etc., then finish with a seemingly simple, easily accepted statement defending Al Gore.
One problem: The finishing statement that global warming has been around for decades was totally incorrect.
The concept of global warming was around in the 1800s, but catastrophic climate change really took hold about 1895. The New York Times wrote, “geologists think the world may be frozen up again.” The Los Angeles Times reported, “the fifth ice age is on the way,” and the Chicago Tribune reported as late as 1923, “scientists say arctic ice will wipe out Canada all the way to the Great Lakes.” Nothing happened.
About 1929 the Los Angeles Times changed its mind and reported, “geologists believe the world is growing warmer and will keep getting warmer.” The warming alarm lasted into the ‘60s, but again nothing happened.
Global cooling alarmists began their pitch again in the 1970s and the Washington Post proclaimed “dawn of a new ice age.” Again it didn’t happen.
Then in 1981 the New York Times predicted “global warming of unprecedented magnitude.” It was low key until Al Gore published his book in 1992 — the vocal cult was born.
Don Cullen
Kelso
Honoring the oath
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
These are the words of the U.S. Senate oath of office. We have three senators running for the office of president. They are Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and John McCain. It would behoove every registered voter to look in-depth at each senator’s performance and voting record, and pay close attention to how their record, as well as their pet issues, compare with the Oath of Office that each one took when elected as a senator. I submit that the best candidate for president is the candidate whose performance in the U.S. Senate more closely parallels and honors their oath of office.
Do your own homework. Do not listen to the spin of the media. Check out each candidate for yourself, then make a wise decision, no matter what party the candidate is from. We need a president that honors the Oath of Office.
Michael Stone
Longview
Irresponsible scheduling
When "Dexter" debuted on CBS, the American people were promised that it would be “scheduled responsibly in the last hour of prime time.” These are the very words of the CBS Network executives. But their words are no longer true. As you know, CBS scheduled back-to-back episodes of Dexter on Sunday, with the first episode airing as early as 9 p.m. on the East and West coasts and 8 p.m. in the Central and Mountain time zones.
It is the height of irresponsibility for CBS to schedule this intensely violent, premium-cable series so early in evening when millions of impressionable — and easily frightened — children are still awake and watching television. You’ve had time to see for yourself just how gruesome and disturbing "Dexter" is, and how grossly inappropriate this series is for the broadcast medium.
The CBS broadcast license is contingent on its acting in the public interest and convenience, and failing to take this community’s concerns into consideration when making broadcasting decisions will surely be an issue when it’s time for the FCC to renew CBS’ broadcast license.
Dave Bellamy
Longview
Servants have become masters
On March 7, I finally decided that I had enough with co-workers who commit harassment as a policy, foremen who waste as much as four hours a day playing cards and other childish games and upper-level administrators who look the other way and even go so far as to blame the complainants so as to avoid holding the responsible parties accountable for their failures.
Had it with — yes, you guessed it — employment with Cowlitz County, and not just its lack of effective leadership, but their adamant refusal to hold their employees to reasonable standards of accountability. The taxpayers are being blatantly lied to. I am an eyewitness of 15 years as an employee. I have filed complaints and been told "It is all your fault."
You are being robbed. Your public officials believe in the old ways of the servant becoming the master. If they ignore you enough, you will just go away. I am urging you to join me in insisting on change and accountability at all levels of government leadership within Cowlitz County. They owe you more than you will ever know. And they do know exactly what they are doing wrong.
Matthew L. Price
Kalama
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