The right man chosen?
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 1:16 AM PST
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E-mail this articleNov. 18 Letters to the Editor
The right man chosen?
While the election is over (finally) and the country has made its choice, we should recognize the long hard battle that John McCain has fought. We should also acknowledge the many years of service and dedication he has given to our nation.
However, there is one major area of confusion I have concerning his policies and beliefs. To send our already-spread-thin troops, some with physical and/or mental illness, back into Iraq to achieve victory, increase the number in Afghanistan, venture into Pakistan, invade Iran, threaten North Korea and even Russia leaves me to wonder, is this reasonable the sound judgment concerning the use of our military?
Then you factor in that most of the equipment they are using is well past its serviceable limits. Is this really supporting our troops and keeping our country well protected? I don’t think so. I served our nation during the Vietnam era and it’s my belief that thought before action is an absolute necessity. I also believe that as a nation, we chose the right man to lead and defend us.
J.A. Fogler
Longview
Homeless need a hand
I read in the article titled, “Longview to tackle homeless camping” in the Nov. 7 Daily News about the city council reading the ordinance against homeless, giving cops and fire officials tools to “cite” them. Councilman Andy Busack has a heart and open mind. He equated the ordinance with harassing the poor who have few options, and said it was “making it a crime to be low income.”
Hank Sowerwine said, “They’re coming here because we do a great job taking care of these folks.” Who is “we”? Churches, CAP and God’s Closet at Community House. Read the Bible instead of ordinances.
Arrest the homeless for littering, loitering and vagrancy, and provide a warm bed and food in bad weather. Confiscate their camp gear and belongings — who suggested that? Will we take their jackets and shoes? Are we a Third World country or beautiful Longview? Didn’t emergency shelters used to be opened in winter? Why not now? Never being in jail, I’d prefer that.
I never had a dream of living in a box. Some disagree, saying homeless are lazy, drunks and tweakers. Some are veterans. All are human beings, God’s children, needing a hand up, not thrown to the gutter.
Donna Karthauser
Kelso
Do away with laws?
After reading Amy Childs’ (nov. 10) letter about the issue of abortion, I am completely baffled. Using laws, society takes away individual’s free will in regards to actions all the time. Restrictions against heinous acts such as murder, armed robbery, rape, child molestation and not such serious offenses such as traffic violations reflect society’s desire to create safety for its members.
People can make choices to ignore the law, but if they do, they face consequences. Yet for some reason, Childs thinks that society has no right to say, “Do not murder your unborn child.” If society has no right to make such a statement, then we should just do away with all laws now. After all, what gives any of us the moral authority to say to someone “do not rape” or “do not steal”?
The logic she expressed in her letter, if applied to other actions, would leave us in the awkward position of making statements such as, “I personally do not molest children, but I should not enforce my beliefs on others” or “I do not rob banks, but I have no moral authority to take away the free will of another to do so.” To do so would be ridiculous, just as it is with regard to abortion.
Julie Bean
Castle Rock
Time to wake up
Before the advent of the electronic age, with television and radio, we were basically raised conservatively. We had the option of choosing our own path once we matured to the point where we were capable of making a rational decision. But we were given the tools to make that decision first, including a basic understanding of the concept of God in our lives.
Now, however, we are raised by television and decidedly liberal standpoint, with no understanding of God whatsoever. We had better wake up and shed some light on our children. A conservative upbringing is a good thing ... even to a liberal.
Oh where, oh where are our apologists? Oh where, oh where can they be? I look around for some, but I can find not a one, anywhere there is a real need. Wake up my friends before it’s too late.
Kenneth L. Carroll
Kelso
Incompetence
Lower Columbia College’s original 1934 ledger and newspaper volumes 1 through 9 had been offered as a donation to LCC over the past three years and declined on each occasion. Starting with Mike Gabriel, the interim president from New York, who doubted their authenticity without even seeing the items and not reading the article that was in The Daily News (Nov. 29, 2005).
Finally, Pier David, director of the library, contacted me indicating her research into the items showed they are genuine and she would match the $350 the college would pay. I don’t know how she arrived at the sum, but that was fine with me and it apparently satisfied the state auditor. But like all good things, it fell through as I was not contacted again about the matter.
As I later found, this was about the same time LCC President James McLaughlin was on a paid, roughly two-month vacation; I’m sorry, he called it a sabbatical, and I never heard from him.
After trying to help preserve LCC’s history only to be treated with disrespect and incompetence, I will no longer try to preserve this history. I have a fireplace and have no problem heating my home with it.
Jack Arnold
East Kelso
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