Letters to the editor for Sept. 13

Obama should have known better

The misperception spread by the mainstream media is that the Trump Administration is solely responsible for the instability for “dreamers” caused by the elimination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). It’s not parents that illegally brought these children to the U.S.? It’s not former President Barack Obama who ignored the rule of law and did through executive order what he either couldn’t or wouldn’t get Congress to do? It’s not Congress who tends to sit on their hands when faced with any contentious issue to resolve?

Obama cautioned on DACA in 2012, “This is not amnesty. This is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It’s not a permanent fix.”

A “dreamer” recently interviewed on National Public Radio said he’d put his faith and trust in the federal government. He’d actually bet the farm on Obama who in turn wagered that his successor – Hillary Clinton – would not upset the dreamers’ apple cart.

Obama’s shortsighted, benevolent order just exasperated the problem. In the absence of congressional action, Obama took it upon himself, possibly inspired by Frank Sinatra, “I faced it all and I stood tall ... and did it my way.”

President Obama should have known better. He’d formerly taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.

Trump’s action to end DACA with a six-month phase out gives Congress an excellent opportunity to make it better in a bipartisan manner.

Eight hundred thousand dreamers cannot and should not be ignored.

I’d bet Noah would disagree

As Richie Nixon once said: “Let me make one thing perfectly clear.” I never said that I didn’t believe in climate change. The climate has been changing since the birth of this planet. If the climate never changed, the majority of North America and Europe would still be covered by glaciers, and we would not be having this conversation.

What I don’t buy is the concept that the earth is on a death spiral and we are the cause of it. There have always been catastrophic droughts, hurricanes and floods and there will always be catastrophic droughts, hurricanes and floods. But this constant drumbeat that this planet is on a runaway train to disaster is ridiculous. Global warmongers seem to think that the weather at this point in time is the way that it should be and any change in that weather is unnatural and preventable. Nonsense! We can no more control the weather than a parent can control their teenage daughter’s mood swings. This planet is billions of years old. We have only been keeping records of the weather since the Civil War. Now Al Gore want us to believe that the weather for the past 6 billion years had always been constant and that in the last 30 years we have turned the weather into the hand of doom. It is only with arrogance that someone declares, “this is the most powerful hurricane ever,” or, “there has never been flooding like this.” I’d bet Noah would disagree.

There should never be a lock on any Christian church

A battering ram should be leveled at the doors of all churches that claim to be Christian and have locked doors. There should never be a lock on any Christian church.

Homeless people should be able to find refuge and rest in Christian churches. It should be a common occurrence on Sunday mornings to see church aisles teeming with homeless people.

But opening church doors would mean Christians would have to connect with the homeless, that is, to recognize their humanity. Unlocked church doors would force Christians to bear witness to the urgent needs of their fellow human beings.

It seems Christian churches prefer a sanitized version of Christianity, which essentially ignores the pressing needs of the poor.

If homeless people would be a regular sight in Christian churches you can bet church leaders would quickly find the means to build a shelter, because that would allow themselves to be free of the burden of caring for the poor.

It’s an abomination to God to have locks on church doors. I have the vision to make a homeless shelter possible, but it requires help from and meeting with Bishop Edward Braxton, Congressman Jerry Costello, Monsignor John Myler, St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern and Sheriff Rick Watson. I’m available to share my vision anytime, so let’s get together so we can make this vision into reality.

Nice to know about attitude toward veterans

Nice to know how Jim Walters feels about us military veterans, giving us his one-finger salute. I presume that applies to his fellow liberals such as Col. Lee Pitzer.

We cannot and should not continue this expensive waste

Our military’s facing the reality of funding reductions in the years ahead. No matter what Donald Trump proposes I don’t believe Congress will authorize any substantial increase in military funding. Therefore, military funding reductions will be coming at a time when we very much need to replace aging equipment that’s been severely degraded by overuse during our Mideast operations.

When I was first assigned to Headquarters Mats in 1965 we had twice as many stations, bases, aircraft, and personnel in the command as we have today and had very few military personnel involved in “studies and analysis.” To my knowledge, no outside contractors were doing “studies and analysis.” Today we have a much reduced command but spend millions of dollars locally, and billions nationally, on “studies and analysis” by civilian contractors, who are for the most part retired military. This is particularly true in Washington.

As a retired colonel I resent limited funds being spent for the most part on worthless “studies and analysis.” This expenditure is the result of some “general” saying, “well, let’s get a contract to have that problem studied.”

By the time the contract is let, the “problem” is studied, a solution is recommended, or a proposal is put forward, the “general” has often retired or moved on and the “new general” isn’t interested in that particular subject. Or events have overtaken the problem and no one even bothers to read the study results. We cannot and should not continue this expensive waste. Do away with contracting out such “studies.”

There’s more than enough petty, ugly and stupid to go around

Would someone explain shaming to me?

I see that a mother is shamed for giving chocolate milk to her child. Really? To those who find fault with, literally, everything and/or everybody ... there’s an adage that, those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones (or parties, whichever applies).

Look, with all that’s going on today, should we not agree that there’s more than enough petty, ugly and stupid to go around? Keep it to yourself. Please?

This story was originally published September 13, 2017 at 11:27 AM with the headline "Letters to the editor for Sept. 13."