Next president will have to work hard to restore what has been lost

Dwight Poole's letter published Monday was like many which extol the virtues of the right while ridiculing Barack Obama supporters' zeal as somehow "indifferent." For him, "a revival of Christian morals and values" will occur if we only "look to the right."

It is troubling that some who call themselves conservatives remain in denial despite years replete with deceit and incompetence. How can intelligent people ignore the extraordinary failures of a Republican administration rubber- stamped by a Republican Congress and urge us to vote for four more years?

It would be morally responsible to reflect on a Christian president's long reliance on a scoundrel like Karl Rove and how we were deceived about the reasons for the Iraq war, the firing of federal prosecutors disloyal to Bush, the revenge-motivated outing of a CIA operative, warrantless wiretapping, no-bid contracts and more. It would just be plain good sense to review how cronyism has led to shameful incompetence in the top-level management of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (the real one) and our nation's embarrassing response to Katrina.

Without a of sense of shame, some eagerly sweep aside the tragic blunders of this administration and shout tired slogans such as "tax-and-spend Democrats." It has hardly been prudent or conservative to raise our national debt to nearly $10 trillion. What does one call such reckless spending? Who will pay the debt owed to the Chinese?

Some may wish to ignore the way such poor leadership has led to cynicism across our great nation and utter disbelief throughout the world. This foolish waste of our resources, this degradation of our moral character and standing in the world is why we cannot speak with any force to the Russians.

Our having veered so far from the principles which make America great is the very reason people insist on change. It is the reason our next president will have to work so hard to restore what has been lost.

Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008

Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008

He told it like it is

I would like to thank Roby Kerr for an outstanding letter in Wednesday's Opinion section.

Being neither a conservative or a liberal, but a concerned American, I am ashamed the course my country has taken under a president whose administration in the last eight years has destroyed our economy, our national image and the lives of those who have lost loved ones in a war waged for profit.

He put into words the thoughts many of us have yearned to shout. Remember that this failed president inherited a manageable budget that was reducing our national debt, but our children and their children will have to pay a $10 trillion debt his presidency borrowed to support his immoral policies.

Yes, immoral. Tell it as it is. How else can you describe a war for profit, the torture of prisoners he has allowed and the constant loss of civil rights he has pursued? One wonders why the World Court has not indicted him as a war criminal.

John O'Shaughnessy
Bibb County

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008

May be 'ignorant,' but ...

One of the frequent contributors to Viewpoints seems to delight in calling those who disagree with his ideas "ignorant." Certainly, this is impolite if not subtle bigotry. His last letter referred to those who do not support the political right.

We have just experienced five and a half years of one of his favorite right-wingers - President George W. Bush. I did not vote for this man, who even if he talks to his God every day, has violated almost all the principles of the creed I hold so dear. The right to life is not exclusive to the unborn, and this writer's champion initiated an immoral war that caused the deaths of more than 4,000 of America's finest citizens along with ,by most estimates worldwide, more than 100,000 innocent Iraqi men, women and children.

Where are the right-to-lifers condemning this war crime? I might be one of the "ignorant" 63 percent of American citizens, who, in a July countrywide poll, support Roe vs. Wade. I may be one of the "ignorants" who finds Mr. Bush's infliction of torture on prisoners who have been denied one of the most basic human rights, that of legal representation by counsel, to be reprehensible.

Oh, and by the way, morality did not start with Christianity, as espoused by this writer. I refer to the Code of Hammurabi, written 1,760 years before the Christian Era which held that some laws are so fundamental as to be beyond the ability of even a king to change, hence to be morally prime.

Bill P. Northenor
Warner Robins

A shameful charade/fiasco called the Iraq War

I could not agree more with Steve Hull's letter, "Faces of the fallen." His opinions of our national and state politicians regarding the shameful charade/fiasco called the Iraq War are sorely accurate and deserve our strongest protest.

More than 4,000 of our sons and daughters are dead in a war that was not necessary, poorly planned and executed, and motivated only by the ego of the worst president in our nation's history and the profit potential seen by Dick Cheney and the military/industrial and oil corporations. While these men and women are giving their lives, the rest of the country goes to the malls, gripes about the rising prices and gives only passing, if any notice to the daily KIA announcements.

Why? Because they think it doesn't involve them. Wrong. This fiasco has cost so much and increased the national debt so greatly that the U.S. dollar is a hollow shell of what it should be. There is no draft because if there were, the streets would be filled with protesters. There is no rationing because it would beg questions of these politicians.

How can George Bush, Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, etc., sleep knowing they caused these deaths with their lies? This fiasco has lasted almost eight years with no end in sight. Its my opinion that they deserve an Exxon/Mobil " Employee of the Month" medal.

They earned it. How can those who supported their lies not come forward and denounce them? We have politicians not leaders. We are sorely in need of leaders today.

John O'Shaughnessy
Bibb County
http://www.macon.com/209/story/374938.html

Posted on Wed, Jun. 11, 2008

Send them Warmongers to prison

The outrages perpetrated by President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney on our Constitution and the balance of power structured therein are legion. The war in Iraq breaks international law because it was unprovoked, though some Americans are still uneducated enough to believe that if any Muslim people are guilty of attacking us, that is an excuse to attack any and all Muslim countries.

Torture has now become fashionable for so-called "enlightened" countries. Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney have blatantly disregarded Congress and the many subpoenas they and their subordinates have received on various issues ranging from the outing of Valerie Plame to the firing of U.S. attorneys for purely political motives.

They have shown over and over again that they don't believe in the "democracy" they claim to want to export to other countries, and indeed, it is becoming more and more apparent that their motives in beginning the war in Iraq were nefarious. People say there is no point in impeaching them because their eight years of gross mismanagement and corruption are nearly over. I say we should not let them get away with their high crimes and misdemeanors. Impeach them now and let them leave the White House for the prison they belong in.

Janet Davis
Milledgeville
http://www.macon.com/209/story/377579.html

Posted on Fri, Jun. 13, 2008

When General John Logan issued an order in May 1868 to place flowers on the graves of Civil War soldiers buried in Arlington National Cemetery - the first official step toward the holiday we know as Memorial Day - he was following a practice that had originated with women of the Confederacy.

By 1890 every northern state recognized the date of May 30 as a holiday. Following World War I, southern states finally joined them as the holiday began honoring not just Civil War dead, but Americans killed in any war.

As a Navy corpsman, I tended the physical and mental wounds of hundreds of soldiers returning from Vietnam. It eventually became clear to me that war is not the answer. Coming to that realization is as much a spiritual journey as a political one. That is why I joined Veterans For Peace, because as a veteran, I know the true cost of war, both human and financial.

Of the many veterans' organizations that mark Memorial Day in the U.S., Veterans For Peace explicitly works to stop producing any more war dead, any more tombstones in Arlington Cemetery, any more garlands for their graves.

Our president, Elliott Adams, a former Army paratrooper and Vietnam combat vet, is heartfelt when he says, "Our statement of purpose is clear and direct. It says we intend to 'abolish war as an instrument of national policy.' We want this generation of veterans to be the last."

VFP members choose different ways to walk the road of peace. In 2004, VFP Chapter 31 in Philadelphia started talking with a handful of young Iraq war veterans who came back questioning what the government had sent them to do. Eventually, Iraq Veterans Against the War became a VFP-sponsored project, grew to more than 1,000 members, and today is off on its own.

The "Arlington West" project in California, originated by the Santa Barbara chapter, has inspired several similar memorials around the nation, each emotionally powerful with their precise rows of crosses or headstones for each soldier killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Truth in Recruiting campaigns that give high school students the facts military recruiters leave out, are conducted by several units including chapters in Santa Fe and Philadelphia.

A chapter in upstate New York marked Veterans Day last year by taking out a full page ad in the Watertown Daily Times to run an "Open Letter to the Soldiers of Fort Drum," who are among the most frequently deployed to Iraq. The letter ended with a question certain to stir soldiers' thinking. "How much longer must we support a mistake (and) send more and more members of our military to their early gravesÉto justify the mistakes of the politicians in Washington?"

"It is certainly fitting to place flowers on the graves of young men and women killed in our nation's wars," Adams said, "but better still to place our hand over our heart and pledge there will be no more."

Indeed, many VFP members will acknowledge that making peace in one's own heart can seem as daunting as making peace in the world, but that is where it must begin.

Mike Ferner is a national board member of Veterans For Peace and author of "Inside the Red Zone: A Veteran For Peace Reports from Iraq."

http://www.macon.com/203/story/359648.html

Posted on Sat, May. 24, 2008

Remember our soldiers

It does not matter whether or not one agrees with the war in Iraq, just remember the sacrifices that our young men and women are making daily. A popular quote from a T-shirt that I saw recently: "All Gave Some, Some Gave All."

Where would we be if not for our gallant armed forces, during World War II they were part of what has been called "The Greatest Generation," and certainly this is a fitting description. Memorial Day is approaching, so please take time to remember the service and sacrifices made and being made for all of us. If you have a loved one in harm's way, I know that you are praying for them, if you do not, pray for someone else's loved one. May God bless America.

Harold Lemley
Macon

Posted on Fri, May. 09, 2008

America stands at the precipice of disaster

What do George Bush, John McCain and Hillary Clinton have in common? As I woke up the morning after staying up to see the end of the Indiana vote, I was reflecting on the faces and demeanor of Hillary, Chelsea and Bill Clinton during her victory speech and thought to myself that surely the madness of continuing the campaign must have finally sunk in.

So I was surprised to hear later that day that Clinton's campaign, after borrowing $5 million just a few weeks ago and an additional $6.4 million to get through North Carolina and Indiana, would be borrowing more millions to go into West Virginia and Kentucky.

What part of " all over" don't they seem to understand?

So to answer the introductory question. Bush wants to continue to borrow billions of dollars to keep a losing war going in Iraq, while the economy, national debt, infrastructure, gas prices and individual income spiral out of control. McCain wants to follow Bush's idiotic lead by allowing that we may have to stay in Iraq for 50 years or more, borrowing more billions, I presume.

Clinton wants to continue a totally lost campaign, borrowing more money and driven by some psychotic delusion that she can still win. At least Bush will be gone in January; now the question for all Americans must be, "Do I want either one of these other people in charge of the American economy for four years?"

The destruction of the Soviet empire came about as a result of the brilliance of the Reagan administration and the disastrous war in Afghanistan. America stands at the precipice of a similar destruction unless the Bush madness is stopped, McCain's desire to continue it is thwarted, and Clinton is stopped now and forever.

Bill P. Northenor is a resident of Warner Robins.

God doesn't order jihad

I have some concerns about the recent letter to the editor asserting that the Iraq war is actually a "mandate from God."

First, since God is omnipotent (all-knowing), shouldn't he have clued President Bush in to the fact that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction?

Next, I really don't believe that God is in the business of ordering Christian jihad (holy war).

Finally, if I am guilty of "blasphemous comments" by criticizing Bush's handling of the Iraq war, I will gladly stand in judgment for those beliefs before my maker.

Daryl J. Morton
Macon
http://www.macon.com/209/story/307215.html

Posted on Fri, Mar. 28, 2008

God is not an American

If ever there were a near-blasphemous statement about the Bush administration's attack on Iraq, it is Dwain Penn's saying it was "a mandate from God." Last time I checked - I have a graduate degree in Bible and theology - the Holy Trinity does not consist of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld.

Like you and me, they are sinful human beings; we need to pray not only for daily bread, but for daily forgiveness and a closer walk with God (Jesus for Christians) in order to grow in love and service of others.

Let us pray for our elected leaders in this light. By the way, God is not a Republican, not even an American. God loves every person, whether in America (North and South), Africa, Asia, etc. Do we? Something else to pray for if we want to be more like our Father.

David B. Conner, M. Divinity
Macon

Mandate from God?

So, who took that phone call? Unfortunately, by using this logic the writer has just endorsed every Islamic extremist out there. Their God told them to do it, too. May I suggest that we all need to drag our Bibles/Korans out and do some reading before we drag God into the conversation.

First, pick a testament - if you are going to quote the Old Testament, then live the Old Testament. If you want guidance, seek out some Jewish people because the Old Testament is how they live their lives.

If you reference the New Testament, I think you will find it difficult to say that anyone mandated anything like war. WWJD? Bomb someone? Really? Yes, we have a social conscience to protect our people, our country, etc., but we should be looking at things from a higher perspective instead of the basest of human experience.

It is interesting that we are reacting more like Cain and Abel and less like Jesus thousands of years after his death.

James Rumage
Warner Robins
http://www.macon.com/209/story/305224.html

Posted on Thu, Mar. 27, 2008

A mandate from God

Earlier this year at a local church breakfast, I overheard someone say, "the Iraq war is a farce." As a Republican, the assessment offended me, and as a Christian, I was surprised this person did not fully understand why President Bush went to war in Iraq - a mandate from God.

Actually, Mr. Bush was cleaning up a mess left by President Clinton. Saddam Hussein was a thorn in the paw of the world. Even the most liberal media dubbed Saddam as the madman of the Middle East, the bad man of Baghdad. His saber rattling about his military power concerned world leaders.

When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001, in response to 9/11, we had no conflict with the government of Afghanistan except perhaps their opium production. We were after al-Qaida and Taliban strongholds there.

With military resources already in the area, it was only a prudent and wise decision to invade Iraq. In bowling, they call it a one-ten split. The report, later to be revealed was wrong, that Saddam had purchased radioactive materials from Niger was from a government agency with a half-century legacy of accuracy.

Why is Iraq dubbed "Bush's War?" The press will stop at nothing to put a Democrat back in the White House. Before voicing disparaging remarks about something that has such strong ties with God, one should pause and ask for spiritual insight. Otherwise one may be guilty of blasphemous comments.

Dwain W. Penn
Meansville
http://www.macon.com/209/story/304170.html

Posted on Wed, Mar. 26, 2008

Faulty comparison

In Tuesday's Viewpoints, someone compared Sen. Barack Obama's "change" to Mao and Lenin. For this poor illiterate's information, Mao killed more people than anyone in the history of the world (80 million) and Lenin's change was not an intelligent passive political or economic change; he was a murderer, a liar and a psycho.

Mr. Obama is advising the voters of America that if they vote for him, he will do everything in his power to correct the mistakes and idiocies of the guy I once voted for. Mr. Bush will probably go down as America's most inept president as well as putting young men and women in harm's way in Iraq.

The world is full of dictators: Wouldn't it have made more sense to blame 9/11 on Saudi Arabia where 15 of the culprits were born, educated and trained, than Sadaam's Iraq who had absolutely nothing to do with the attack?

Obama is a terrifically intelligent person who will take the reins of the presidency and do as well as anyone can do, given the mess that Mr. Bush will hand over to him. As to the Rev. Wright's negative remarks concerning America, I think Obama should be judged to be very brave in not turning his back on this person. It would have been much easier for him to say "I reject this person and am appalled at his remarks," but instead he reminded us all that we have sat in a church, synagogue or temple and at times listened to the sermon and not agreed with the preacher, be he a priest, pastor or rabbi.

Robert L. Schwartz
Atlanta
http://www.macon.com/209/story/298268.html

Posted on Wed, Mar. 19, 2008

A Surge of More Lies
by Congressman Robert Wexler

A new troubling myth has taken hold in Washington and it is critical that the record is set straight. According to the mainstream media, Republicans, and unfortunately even some Democrats, the President's surge in Iraq has been a resounding success. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

This assertion is disingenuous, factually incorrect, and negatively impacts America's national security. The Surge had a clear and defined objective - to create stability and security - enabling the Iraqi government to enact lasting political solutions and foster genuine reconciliation and cooperation between Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds.

This has not happened.

There has been negligible political progress in Iraq, and we are no closer to solving the complex problems - including a power sharing government, oil revenue agreement and new constitution - than we were before the Administration upped the ante and sent 30,000 more troops to Iraq.

Too many Democrats in Congress are again surrendering to General Petraeus and have failed to challenge the Bush Administration's claims that the surge has been successful. In fact -- it is just the opposite.

The reduction in violence in Iraq has exposed the continuing failure of Iraqi officials to solve their substantial political rifts. By President Bush's own stated goal of political progress, the Surge has failed.

Of course raising troop levels has increased security - a strategy the Bush administration ignored when presented by General Shinseki before the war in Iraq began - but the fundamental internal Iraqi problems remain and the factors that were accelerating the civil war in 2007 have simply been put on hold.

The military progress is a testament to the patience and dedication of our brave troops - even in the face of 15 month-long deployments followed by insufficient Veteran's health services when they return home. They have performed brilliantly - despite the insult of having President Bush recently veto a military spending bill that enhanced funding and benefits, and increased care.

Despite the efforts of American soldiers, the surge alone cannot bring about the political solutions needed to end centuries of sectarian divide.

As it stands, little on the ground supports the assertion that Iraqis are ready to stand up and govern themselves. Too few Iraqi troops are trained, equipped and combat ready, and they cannot yet provide adequate security. Loyalty is also an issue in the Iraqi army as Al Queda and Sunni insurgents infliltrate their defense forces. The consequences turned deadly just recently when an Iraqi soldier purposely killed two U.S. troops.

On the streets of Baghdad and Mosul, the Sunni and Shia factions have paused their fighting, awaiting guarantees and protections that have not yet been delivered. As Iraqi refugees return, there is no mechanism to help them rebuild their lives, nor recover their now-occupied homes. Neighborhoods once mixed are now segregated.

In Northern Iraq, Kurdish terrorists conducting nefarious operations across the border into Turkey have compelled our NATO ally to strike at bases, inflaming tensions between Baghdad and Ankara.

The surge is working? We suffered more U.S. casualties in 2007 than in any other year of the war. We can't afford any more of this type of success.

How can we create the situation that is most likely to deliver political progress in Iraq? Not by continuing the surge and occupation. Our best chance (there is no guarantee) is by putting real pressure on the Iraqi government to force action. Telling the national and local Iraqi leaders that we are withdrawing our troops can help accomplish this goal. Today, the majority Iraqi Shia government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has little incentive to act when American troops remain in the country to provide security and stability.

Based on the Administration's plan, John McCain's proposal of a 100-year US occupation could be a reality!

The Democratic Congress must act aggressively to first cut off funding for the surge and then the entire war. Many of my colleagues avoided a showdown with the administration because they mistakenly believed such a fight would endanger the safety of the troops.

In fact, we must accept that every soldier killed or injured in the coming months should have already been home. Every billion dollars of war-appropriations we spend from here on should have been spent on genuine priorities here at home such as children's heath care.

Enough is enough: While the Administration over-commits American forces in Iraq, we see Al Qaeda-regrouping and Osama Bin Laden still at large. We remain seriously bogged down in Afghanistan, and are witnessing a crisis in Pakistan that has left a nuclear country on the brink of a meltdown. America's resources and attention are desperately needed elsewhere and our soldiers must no longer be needlessly sacrificed as we wait for Iraqis to stand up.

The Surge has failed. If my colleagues gullibly accept the moving rationale for the Surge, just as so many have for the war itself, we will have failed as well.


***To contact me or for more information, go to www.wexlerforcongress.com .