Letters, 5/20: Johanns more of the same
It appears that Mike Johanns intends to run on his party label and his strong association with President Bush.
My suspicion is that this year is different in Nebraska. I think the voters of this state have probably concluded that the Bush administration has been a colossal failure. We are mired in a war with no end and have taken no steps to improve health care, address global climate change or formulate a comprehensive energy policy.
In my view, any politician who strongly supports the failures of George W. Bush has forfeited the moral authority to play a role in our government.
In his long career in elected office, Johanns has proved that he cares more about advancing his political career than finishing the jobs to which he was elected. If elected, I presume he will soon leave office in order to work as a lobbyist in Washington.
Scott Kleeb is a fresh, new leader who can provide unique insight in the Senate. He is equally comfortable on a ranch, a military base and a classroom. As Nebraskans, we should proudly cast our votes for Kleeb.
Daniel H. Friedman, Lincoln
We don’t need new jail
It’s time for the county commissioners to wake up. Last Tuesday, 54 percent of voters joined me in voicing opposition to an unnecessary and expensive jail.
With the current jail population dropping, and the county in a budget crunch, it is time for current members of the board to start listening to residents of Lancaster County when we say this:
We don’t need it. We don’t want it.
Justin Klemsz, Lincoln
Truth eludes Bush
President Bush is staying the course. He continues to try to divide the nation into patriots and appeasers.
He used the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence to launch a divisive political attack against Barack Obama, and by extension, other Americans who believe talking with someone before bombing them could be a good idea. He did this while speaking in Israel. This was a serious breach of the understood protocol that U.S. government officials not criticize Americans while speaking abroad.
“Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along,” Bush said.
The president apparently doesn’t realize that language does matter. People can use words to reach agreements, rather than to simply criticize those they disagree with, or convince them they are “wrong.”
We’ve all heard “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” etc., but are we going to base everything we do as a reaction to the most extreme views of the most extreme people?
Bush doesn’t do nuance, he once said, but he let himself off the hook too easily. He doesn’t do truth well, either.
Obama has never supported striking deals with terrorists. Obama does have the capability to reach beyond the current extreme rhetoric and politicization of foreign policy, however, and that eventually will make a big difference in our standing in the Middle East and elsewhere overseas.
Thomas Hancock, Lincoln
My suspicion is that this year is different in Nebraska. I think the voters of this state have probably concluded that the Bush administration has been a colossal failure. We are mired in a war with no end and have taken no steps to improve health care, address global climate change or formulate a comprehensive energy policy.
In my view, any politician who strongly supports the failures of George W. Bush has forfeited the moral authority to play a role in our government.
In his long career in elected office, Johanns has proved that he cares more about advancing his political career than finishing the jobs to which he was elected. If elected, I presume he will soon leave office in order to work as a lobbyist in Washington.
Scott Kleeb is a fresh, new leader who can provide unique insight in the Senate. He is equally comfortable on a ranch, a military base and a classroom. As Nebraskans, we should proudly cast our votes for Kleeb.
Daniel H. Friedman, Lincoln
We don’t need new jail
It’s time for the county commissioners to wake up. Last Tuesday, 54 percent of voters joined me in voicing opposition to an unnecessary and expensive jail.
With the current jail population dropping, and the county in a budget crunch, it is time for current members of the board to start listening to residents of Lancaster County when we say this:
We don’t need it. We don’t want it.
Justin Klemsz, Lincoln
Truth eludes Bush
President Bush is staying the course. He continues to try to divide the nation into patriots and appeasers.
He used the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence to launch a divisive political attack against Barack Obama, and by extension, other Americans who believe talking with someone before bombing them could be a good idea. He did this while speaking in Israel. This was a serious breach of the understood protocol that U.S. government officials not criticize Americans while speaking abroad.
“Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along,” Bush said.
The president apparently doesn’t realize that language does matter. People can use words to reach agreements, rather than to simply criticize those they disagree with, or convince them they are “wrong.”
We’ve all heard “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” etc., but are we going to base everything we do as a reaction to the most extreme views of the most extreme people?
Bush doesn’t do nuance, he once said, but he let himself off the hook too easily. He doesn’t do truth well, either.
Obama has never supported striking deals with terrorists. Obama does have the capability to reach beyond the current extreme rhetoric and politicization of foreign policy, however, and that eventually will make a big difference in our standing in the Middle East and elsewhere overseas.
Thomas Hancock, Lincoln
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