Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Salute photo-op was staged for the public
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Salute photo-op was staged for the public
The author of "President Obama's fallen hero salute speaks volumes" (Nov. 5 letter) bit hook, line and sinker on a political photo-op as old as Methuselah. He does not realize that our brilliant, handsome, charismatic and quintessential political leader was in Dover having previously alerted his press staff of his wee-hours visit.
Does the author believe that the presence of cameras, lights and reporters was mere coincidence? The only thing lacking was kissing an infant in his arms.
The White House is occupied by a man who is waiting months to decide to send more troops requested by his chiefs of staff and the troops themselves while shamefully honoring our dead. He's over his head.
Our president was elected by voters without prejudice. After we stop patting ourselves on the back and come to our senses, buyer's remorse will fully set in. It's already begun.
In the meantime, he has a great fall-back line: "It's not my fault. I didn't cause this mess."
Mason ran well for House seat
Re: the election results in the 17th House District:
Gwen Mason was a first-rate candidate who ran a first-rate campaign. The extent of the margin of defeat was largely due to circumstances beyond her control.
Real victory is found in the journey, not the destination. No meaningful endeavor comes without great resistance and sacrifice. While Bill Cleaveland may have won the election, I suspect that Mason may have come away with something far more valuable.
The Times struck out on endorsements
Congratulations on your great batting average for the political endorsements The Roanoke Times achieved on the elections. You endorsed the three Democratic candidates and all three lost. In baseball, that is 0 for 3, or a batting average of .000.
In the House of Delegates races, you endorsed six Democrats, one independent and one Republican. The independent, three Democrats and four Republicans won. The other six races were won by Republicans, none of whom The Times endorsed. Combining the state results and the House of Delegates races, The Times was four for 18. That is a batting average of .222, which would send a baseball player to the minor leagues.
The Times is so out of touch with its readers and advertisers it is unbelievable. It is liberal, pro-Obama, pro-Democrat, anti-business, anti-gun ownership, anti-hunting, anti-Republican and pro-abortion. Having been a subscriber for more than 50 years, the only reason I continue to take the paper is to read the sports page, mainly the outdoor features, and to read "Pickles" in the comics.
It amazes me, and I am sure thousands of others, why you continue to ram liberal views down the throats of readers in a conservative market.
Don't tell readers how to vote
In last week's electoral races, The Roanoke Times endorsed only four of the victors in the 11 major races, including its House of Delegates picks. We can only hope that The Times will follow other leading newspapers, such as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in rethinking its future position in regard to such endorsements.
In a letter to its readers, the AJC Editorial Board said, "Going forward, our board will use its unique position to work for readers in pursuing with candidates the issues that are critical to the future of our community. The board will provide readers with clear, concise information about candidates' positions and records. The AJC will no longer endorse political candidates."
To which I can only say, amen! I do not need my local newspaper to tell me how to vote. Nor do I appreciate the solicitation to support a particular agenda or ideology. I look forward to the day that The Times focuses on helping us make decisions -- not trying to make them for us.
Newspapers have the freedom to endorse
Re: "Endorsements aren't the newspaper's job," Oct. 28 letter:
Apparently Diana M. Camper is just another person who lacks knowledge of American history or our Constitution. American newspapers have been publishing political recommendations and endorsements since colonial times. In fact, it was newspaper publishers like Benjamin Franklin who incited the American people to throw off British oppression and create a whole new country.
The very first amendment in the Bill of Rights gives newspapers complete freedom of the press. Sadly, the radical right in their anti-government rantings depends upon the fact that most Americans today know very little about our history or our Constitution. If you wish to keep freedom alive, know what it is and where it came from.
My advice to Camper is to go to the library, check out a book on the history of the U.S. and actually read it. What's wrong in America is not newspapers endorsing candidates. It's narrow-minded people making ridiculous statements on subjects they know nothing about.
Health industry is a two-way street
Re: "For-profit health care will fail," Oct. 14 commentary:
Dr. William Clarkson writes a brilliant piece, but he holds out a carrot of optimism I do not share. I was born with congenital issues that not one of my doctors ever recognized. My immune system is not functioning correctly. It is more than a thyroid malfunction but a result of Mom smoking Virginia and North Carolina tobacco products while pregnant with me.
Yet I could have had a much more productive life had my doctors provided proper weight-loss surgery, not bariatric, their pet money-maker surgery. Doctors and insurance companies refuse waistline reduction as elective and cosmetic, but for a thyroid-deficient person they are a needed hand up to get back on the field.
My answer exceeds Clarkson's "burn your Medicare card and try getting private insurance": I quit giving doctors my Medicare and Humana cards almost four years ago. They make nothing off me because I've got nothing from them. It is a two-way street out here, fellas. I don't get help to return to work; you don't have my insurance payments.
McDonnell victory bad news for Perriello
Congratulations to Bob McDonnell for his huge victory over Creigh Deeds on Nov. 3 and for leading a decisive Republican sweep of the races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Unfortunately, 5th District Rep. Tom Perriello doesn't get it. He wants to ignore the enormous implications of this historic vote. When asked what McDonnell's victory means for his 2010 bid for re-election in his conservative district, he told Fox News, "It doesn't mean anything."
On the contrary, this vote does mean something. It is a warning shot across Perriello's bow. While McDonnell won the state by an impressive 18 percent margin, he took the 5th District by an even greater 23 percent. To put it another way, only 38.5 percent of voters in Perriello's district agreed with him that Deeds was the better choice for governor.
Through this vote, the people are telling Perriello that we do not want any more government takeovers. We are sick and tired of the out-of-control spending that Democrats like him have brought us. We want lower taxes, smaller government and less regulation.
