Letters, 5/4: Cast your ballot on May 13

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On May 13, Nebraska will hold its primary election. Most realize that the Democrats in the state held a caucus on Feb. 9 that was utilized to choose the delegates for the Democratic nominee for the presidential race. Barack Obama won the caucus with a margin of 16 delegates to Hillary Clinton’s eight. This was based on the participation of about 38,670 Nebraska Democrats.

Recently, a person posted at the Nebraska Democrat’s Web site that Obama was supported by the majority of Nebraska Democrats. Because there are more than 396,000 registered Democrats in Nebraska, I find this statement a bit of a stretch.

In recent days, our final two superdelegates — Audra Ostergard and Steve Achelpohl — have cast their super votes for Obama. Again, I assume, as a reflection of the support shown to Obama by the Democrats during the caucuses along with their personal preference for the candidate.

I would like to know more about the views of the Democrats in Nebraska concerning the two remaining Democratic presidential candidates. The primary on May 13 will allow all primary voters to show their preference for a Democratic presidential nominee.

Please don’t skip the question. Vote for who you believe would be the best leader for our country.

Even though the vote won’t change the number of delegates Nebraska sends to the national convention for that person, it is still good and important to know what the real majority of Nebraska Democrats think. It’s good for the party leaders to know.

And remember, there are many other reasons to go to the polls on May 13. Several local and state elections depend on Democratic voters’ input.

Marian Borgmann Ingwersen, Ceresco

One hour to say her peace

A year ago, in April of 2007, I learned that my son, Ryan, was going to be deployed to Iraq. It was this mother’s worst nightmare, and it has been a very long and difficult year.

If I am not expecting anyone and my doorbell rings, I have a moment of panic. Each time I come around the corner of my block, I have anxiety and dread. What if there is a military car sitting in front of my house with the news that the families of every soldier dread? When I read the paper about U.S. soldiers who have died, I rush through the article to see where they were and compare it with my map of Iraq and where I think Ryan is currently stationed.

About six months into Ryan’s deployment I learned that Nebraskans for Peace sponsors a peace vigil each Wednesday evening at 16th and O streets.

I had come to the conclusion that my government did not care about my opinion or the opinions of more than 65 percent of the citizens of our country in regard to the war in Iraq.

We had gone into this war for reasons that many of us didn’t understand. Weapons of mass destruction? Not true. To overthrow a dictator?  Who knows? Revenge? Probably. Oil? Absolutely. But whatever the real reasons may be, the majority of Americans do not support this war. And Washington is not listening.

So I found one hour each week when I wasn’t pleading with God. One hour on Wednesday evenings when I could stand in front of the Federal Building with a picture of my son, Ryan, and a “Support Our Troops, Bring Them Home” sign and could just let other mothers, other citizens, other voters see one of the many reasons we should end this war.

In some respects the surge may have helped with the violence in Iraq. But what has the cost been to the United States in lives lost (52 U.S. soldiers died just in April), family stress and pain and money spent, taking us deeper and deeper into debt?

If I can’t do anything else to bring this war to an end, at least I can spend one hour each week letting those driving down O Street know how I feel. Maybe if we keep at it, someone in Washington will listen.

Carol Finn, Lincoln

NRD needs to step up

In response to Ron Case, chairman of the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District (letter, April 27), I have to ask why the NRD doesn’t take the lead in regulating and enforcing groundwater pumping when urban lakes are created.

I spoke with an NRD representative about the filling of the Waterford Estates’ 60-plus-acre lake and was told that land use is up to the landowners. The redesigned lake is six times larger than the NRD’s original flood control structure, and pumping to fill it could greatly affect the two wells that provide drinking water for the Sky Ranch Acres homes.

Case’s comment, “we are hopeful that pumping will be managed properly by all well owners, including those at Waterford Estates,” indicates to me a toothless enforcement policy of a public agency that should be concerned with how an operation such as this one will affect everyone in the area.

Our association’s less than two-acre pond fluctuates drastically with the amount of rainfall in the area, and I cannot see how this “urban lake” pool will be able to be sustained by runoff from the surrounding lawns. 

This lake does nothing but fill the pockets of the developers and is not available for use by the public. The lake should have remained a flood control structure and been open for public use or else not been built since the other nine dams have been completed and are doing their job of waiting for that “100-year rain.”

Mark Bigham, Lincoln

It’s time to drill

The USA’s dependence on foreign oil and gas should be a major part of the upcoming presidential and congressional elections.

It is time to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in the Gulf of Mexico. It is time to reopen our refineries so we can process our own fuels. It is time to actively pursue other sources of energy that make sense economically.

This should be a Democratic and Republican project, because it will help America become independent, stop any blame for being in a war for oil, help our economy to recover from skyrocketing gas prices and the trickle-down effect of them. The new drilling and refineries will provide more jobs, thereby lowering unemployment rates.

Even environmentalists should take the time to educate themselves on the new eco-friendly ways to drill. This is a wise change.

Cindy Hochstetler, Lincoln

Stop it with the phone books

When I arrived home yesterday I was greeted by another unwelcome guest. Yes, another phone book.

How many phone books does one household need?

Is this one of the plagues of the predicted apocalypse? I have gotten three of these doorstops in the past two months. Including yesterday’s block of paper, I now have 10. Ten!

I have an overwhelming urge to chase down the van of the phone book delivery person and throw the red/yellow/green book onto his porch. But I would probably be ticketed for littering.

Maybe we could initiate an opt-out policy. Lets try donotbookme.com or juststopit!.org. If that fails, I could just build a barricade to my front door with all of my phone books.

Susan Eisenach, Lincoln