July 7 Letters to the Editor

U.S. is ‘home of the brave’

This letter is directed to Michael Kinsley’s June 18 letter in The Daily News titled, “Nation needs a new anthem.”

How can Kinsley stand to logically or rationally state that the feelings of inspiration and respect written by Francis Scott Key have no real purpose or meaning? He dares to stoically reduce what is considered a historical representation of American fortitude in the face of adversity? He claims that the reason is largely due to the difficulty in singing it and declare the lack of harmonic flow is out lived? To be frank, I sincerely doubt that Mr. Key was at all concerned with symphonic criticism when he watched the bombarding of Fort McHenry in 1814.

Kinsley’s statement, “By contrast, ‘… home of the brave’ is empty bravado,” is an insult to many who have sacrificed so much for this nation. Being a soldier in the U.S. Army, I have proudly worked with many (military or not) who epitomize those words that Kinsley sanctimoniously tears down.

However, Kinsley is indeed entitled to his opinion, and I judge there are others who agree with him. The core values behind this nation gives Kinsley that right to do so. The freedom he has to put his words to paper is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? And to think it was made possible by the brave living in America, their home.

Steven Lepine

Olympia

Dear U.S.A.

Please, in heaven’s name, wake up. What are we getting to be, a country of hate? What has happened to us all? We used to love one another, now it’s let me see if I can kill you before you kill me. Instead of giving our children trucks and cars, dolls and dishes, it’s let’s give them guns and show them how to put them together at an age when some of them are still babies. What has become of mankind? We seem to be thinking of killing all of the time.

It used to be a young man used to court a girl, after he asked the father if it was okay. Now the young men look at a girl like she is a bartering tool, here you can have her as long as I get from you what I want, be it dope, coke, guns or what have you. Oh, to be sure I’m no saint, but when will all this end?

Life wasn’t meant to be like it’s being lived now. If we don’t stop somewhere we will have no country nor will we have people to live in it. We won’t have food as we know it now, cause no one will know how to plant it. We won’t even know how to plant a flower or a rose because we can’t take the time to watch it grow, or see a bird fly or hear its song. Or to even hear a creek go bubbling by. To even hear the laughter of a child as he or she watches a butterfly or a puppy or a kitten at play.

Please, America, please wake up before it’s too late. I love you.

Jean Marx

Longview

Superficial history

Bill Kasch (July 2 letter) is again the great author of intertextuality with his superficial account of history by attempting to form a modern account of textual history into a new meaning thereby implying a new text of history. Perhaps Kasch is not as patriotic as he claims.

You see, I suspect his use of words is equivalent to the skill and usage used in the Garden to deceive Adam and Eve. Do not allow his foolishness to buffoon you.

America is in difficult times at present but this is nothing new for America. We survive by our patriotism. It is always the everyday life citizen of America that supports their country back to prosperity through their faith in God, hardworking ethics, and love of family and country. We’ll get through it again.

Vincent O’Rourke

Kelso

Take a train, instead

The Cowlitz County landfill is almost at full capacity and they will have to move the trash elsewhere. We get it. It is the mode of transportation that leaves us all scratching our heads.

You know, there is a train that runs right in front of the landfill. Why can’t the train be used to haul the trash to another location? With all due respect, what are they thinking, moving the trash to Third Avenue? The landfill is a perfect location; simply convert it to a transfer station and utilize what is so painfully obvious to everyone else, the train!

Make a deal with Weyerhaeuser to use their trains. It would keep the costs low, it will remove the would be congestion on Third that you are about to create as well as the trash that will be littered all along the road. The citizens of Longview are in for a real shock at what the new dump fees are going to be by this dumb idea, try $65 a ton as opposed to the $11 you are currently paying.

John Wilson

Longview