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Letters, 8/19: What do we do?

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Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008 - 12:13:40 am CDT

I’m just a retired accountant, living in Nebraska, with no military background. But did I hear right?

Russia says to the USA: Either you are with us, or you are against us. Russia won’t talk to North Korea or Iran if we don’t side with them. But how do we know WHAT they are talking to Iran about? Maybe they are telling them “hold tight for a couple of months. Something is going to happen that will take the USA’s attention away from you!”

In fact, the news media are telling the world that the U.S. military is stretched too thin. Al-Qaida is fighting us in Afghanistan, we are fighting in Iraq, we have troops in Germany and Korea and many other places. We have no troops to assist Georgia, or to fight Russia either.

Ask any senior at our military academies, and they will tell you to spread your enemies thin then attack on a new front. That is what Russia is doing now. What can we do?

We cannot get the United Nations to approve helping because Russia will veto anything we try to do. But we can get a coalition of four or five other nations to back us, to pledge we will support Georgia’s boundaries and its president. We can use our satellites to keep track of their military.

But it looks like another situation is developing: ethnic cleansing.

Moscow denied the accusations, but it appeared to be on a technicality: a BBC reporter in Gori reported that Russians tanks were in the streets as their South Ossetian separatist allies seized Georgian cars, looted Georgian homes and then set some homes ablaze.

To stop this, we need troops on the ground or aircraft to strafe any military on the ground. If the Russians are indeed “out of the area,” then they cannot complain if our jets kill the troops we find there.

Herman Weaver, Lincoln

This is not love

Regarding the interview between former Sen. John Edwards and Bob Woodruff on “Nightline” on Aug. 8 and the question “Did you have an affair with Ms. Hunter?”:

It’s OK to tell the truth if you’re guilty of an extramarital affair, but not to the whole world.

It was painful to listen to someone else’s affairs, let alone for his wife, who happens to be suffering from cancer.

This is not love by any stretch.

Doris R. Westcott, Denton

Bikes should obey rules too

In regard to the letter Aug. 11, “Share the road”:

It is always nice to share the road with pedal-pumping people, but they need to abide by the rules, too:

1. If I run a red light, I get a ticket.

2. If I run a stop sign, I get a ticket.

3. If I go faster than the speed limit, I get a ticket.

If we as drivers have to turn on our lights at dusk, so should people on bicycles.

If the two-wheel riders want to share the road, let’s get with the program. I see too many people riding bikes on the streets and running red lights and stop signs. Or they stop for a red light, then go if there’s no traffic.

A lot of this happens in the bike lanes all around the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, so if you break the law, you should get a ticket and go to court and pay the fine. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Martin E. Rasch Jr., Lincoln


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Mindless Robot wrote on August 19, 2008 4:00 am:
" Mr. Weaver, what on Earth are you talking about? "

 I agree Doris wrote on August 19, 2008 5:47 am:
" It must be extremely painful for his wife and children. I just don't know how or why that story continues to be publicized so much. Yes his infidelity is despicable and I know there is the questions of character, but Edwards is a FORMER Senator, recently ran for President but as far as I know he has no public role and is now a private citizen, leave him and his family alone to heal. As much attention as this has gotten, you would think there would be more on McCain's infidelity, he has a public role and the question of his character is relevant to us. "

 Please Mr Weaver wrote on August 19, 2008 6:30 am:
" It is obvious that for some, the cold war is not dead. I understand it is hard to shake off all that programing. The same formula works today as well as it did then (the "missile gap" vs. Iraqi "WMDs") Unfortunately, if Mr Weavers alarmist comments possess any bit of reality, we are in trouble. SInce we have sent troops to Iraq to shore up the oil companies interests (or try to provide them something they have coveted) we are spread thin with our military. The reason it is reported by the media is because it is true (an one of the things that made us different from the USSR was our free speech and open information). Of course it would not take a spy much time to figure out our situation as every community has felt the effects of the situation with reserves serving multiple tours in Iraq. Our president and the congress (Democrats and Republicans alike) have put us in a very bad position. And Mr Weaver seems to want to kill Russians on top of that. Maybe what he is suggesting is an ideologic cleansing? Never the less, we do not have the resources in our current state to make a meaningful response. And telling Russia not to invade Georgia while we attempt to justify our own invasion of Iraq is a hard argument to sell to anyone. "

 wow... wrote on August 19, 2008 6:32 am:
" Mr. Weaver... Russia's actions certainly are not defensible, but your thinking seems to simply be what got us into a situation where out troops are stretched too thin. "

 Chill Out wrote on August 19, 2008 7:51 am:
" We don't have to fight Russia. Leave them alone and concentrate on getting our troops home. Herman sounds like they favor the bush/mccain formula for warlike peoples. We don't need to always be in a war with other nations. Does it effect OUR citizens?? if no, then keep our noses out of it. "

 Totally knee-jerk Wrong wrote on August 19, 2008 8:23 am:
" Wrong Herman. We need to stay completely out of their regional conflicts. This in no way undermines the security of the US. With all due respect, Man am I glad you're not President. "

 SB wrote on August 19, 2008 8:31 am:
" Weaver should stick to potato chips and accounting. Until Edwards is going to be a man and say he and his wife have an open marriage he should be publicly ridiculed to the furthest extent possible. On my daily bike commute I see four wheelers not yield to cars, not yield to pedestrians in cross walks, make illegal lane changes, not stop a full three seconds at a stop sign, litter from a moving vehicle, drive with broken headlights, drive with no lights on at dawn or dusk, run yellow lights, etc. That doesn’t mean I feel cars should be banned from the streets. "

 Big Chief wrote on August 19, 2008 8:48 am:
" The biggest threat from Russia in the Georgian incident is to Europe. We need to let NATO take the lead in this. If Europe feels they are threatened we can assist but not play a major part. The EU has the financial resources let them spend their assets to protect their interests. "

 MarkyMark wrote on August 19, 2008 8:48 am:
" Doris, Senator Edwards is out of the picture. Maybe he should be interviewing John McCain,, or the former Mrs. John McCain. Back around 1976, McCain had several extramarital affairs, for three years, with a number of women, then in 1979, a 42 year old married John McCain was also doing a beautiful, blonde, 25 year old heiress, named Cindy. Ask Mrs. McCain, who lost her 42 year old husband after sticking with him through all of his war years, if "she could feel the love". "

 Hank wrote on August 19, 2008 9:05 am:
" Mr. Weaver, please read up on the situation in Georgia and the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The matter is much more complex than you make out. In fact, it appears as though it was our support of Georgia's irresponsible president (because Georgia provides the only non-Russian and non-Arab route for an oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea region) that led Georgia to attack South Ossetia and trigger this conflict. So let's not rush into yet another oil-related foreign conflict on the basis of an orchestrated misinformation campaign by the Bush administraton (and John McCain) and our corporate press corps. Relax Mr. Weaver, and think before you leap to yet another wrong conclusion. "

 Sean wrote on August 19, 2008 9:06 am:
" Ah yes...The lessons of history. Let the League of Nations handle the agression of Japan and Germany.It's not affecting us in America! Look how much better things got after Britain let an "appeased" Hitler rampage through Europe! What was that thing that came out of all of that? Oh yeah! World War II and the deaths of millions by genocide or combat. Hope you folks don't find it too uncomfortable with all that sand around your heads. "

 Not surprised wrote on August 19, 2008 9:21 am:
" I figured the hear no evil and see no evil liberals would be quick to jump on that letter. "

 Hey MarkyMark wrote on August 19, 2008 9:47 am:
" Instead of asking McCain, I'll ask the Clintons. "

 dish wrote on August 19, 2008 10:25 am:
" What do the Clintons have to do with anything? "

 OK SB wrote on August 19, 2008 10:28 am:
" Are you going to ridicule John McCain for his infidelity also like you are with Edwards?

Don't forget that McCain cheated on a wife who stood by and raised his kids while he was a POW. Oh, and BTW, she was severely injured in an auto accident. McCain left her for for a beauty queen 25 years his junior that happened to be a multi-millionare. "

 michelle wrote on August 19, 2008 10:34 am:
" first off, we dont need another war. stay out of it.

Who cares if Edwards had an affair. The only person who should have an opinion about it is his family.

I often wonder as I walk downtown to and from my parking garage to work and almost get ran over by both cars and bike riders (who ride on the sidewalks) if bike riders have insurance. I know that if i get hit by a car at least I know (hope) they will be able to pay my medical bills if I survive. But what if a bike rider plows me down on the sidewalk? Since the bike riders are hollering about so many rights to the road, maybe they should be required to carry insurance as well. "

 T wrote on August 19, 2008 10:37 am:
" Are you defending the notion of running lights, etc? Since you see some(emphasis on some) people violate the law, then it is ok for you to do the same? What logic is this? I'm guessing a modus tollens argument. ie. "If there is a law, then everyone will follow the law. The law is not always followed. Therefore, there is no law." This is the argument your comment seems to support. Of course if you accept this argument then it would seem no laws exist. So if you need me I will be busy trying to set a land-speed record on Normal Blvd. Obviously kidding, but seriously what is your reasoning for your comment? "

 CS wrote on August 19, 2008 10:49 am:
" City ordinance provides for all three of those offenses for those of us on bikes. If the enforcement is lax you are complaining to the wrong people.Honestly, when was the last time you got a ticket for running a stop or a red? RE speed limit-good luck-Rarely can someone on a bike exceed the speed limit in the manner you are suggesting. Lincolnites already get a 5-10 mph bye on things as it is.The reason that some stop for a red light and then go if there is no traffic is because the lights dont recognize that there is someone there. If we dismount in traffic we are suddenly a pedestrian in the middle of the street-breaking the law. If we sit there and the light never changes we are an obstruction, if we enter the crosswalk and go to the pole to change the light we become pedestrians instead of vehicles. "

 SB wrote on August 19, 2008 11:00 am:
" We’re now rating and justifying different types and scenarios of adultery based on age, wealth, and tenure? I’ll publicly ridicule anyone who is not man enough to respect his wife… (I’d make a list of public officials who want to trample the constitution and instill their moral values on this country yet have none in their own life, but the list would be too long). Public ridiculing knows no party affiliation. "

 JB wrote on August 19, 2008 11:58 am:
" I run red lights on my bike just to spice up my daily commute. The danger involved gives me a rush. "

 retired too wrote on August 19, 2008 12:42 pm:
" but from military. I see by the content of your letter mr. weaver that you really don't have any military time. If you had, you would have never written that letter. War is not fun like the movies and games portray it to be. People die and bleed real blood. People burn and the smell is horrible. Before you write something like killing people, go do the deal and see how you sleep at night. "

 CS wrote on August 19, 2008 12:44 pm:
" I'm merely pointing out that his issue is something that is already covered and there are laws already provided for it. He is complaining about cyclists not getting tickets, yet I would suspect that the number of tickets for the same offenses for automobiles is just as low, so apparently what is good for the goose IS good for the gander. All the laws should be enforced, yet they are not. I will go volunteer myself to the police dept if I happen to run a red as soon as a vehicle does. As it is, my only concern is being rear ended by impatient drivers because I can't trip the light sensor from the ROAD where I am LEGALLY supposed to be, so I either sit there and obstruct traffic, or I go. "

 CS wrote on August 19, 2008 12:47 pm:
" Cyclists are covered by the liability portion of their homeowners insurance. Others purchase umbrella policies. For every 'hobo' cyclist you think you see is probably a doctor, lawyer, or other professional that is quite easily capable of owning property and paying taxes and insurance. We already do, anyway-why should we pay more? "

 Tough Cowboy wrote on August 19, 2008 3:45 pm:
" "You're either with us or you're against us"? Those wierd wacky Russians are starting to talk just like Bush Jr. Lookout world. "

 beerorkid wrote on August 19, 2008 3:50 pm:
" Martin, your words are wise and true. No snark, snide remarks, or complaining about taxes. You made me look at my biking habits with a bit of shame.

I bike year round to work and all other places I can simply because it is fun, less of a hassle, and helps me stay in the same hole on the belt. I have a red blinky on the back and white blinky on the front of all my bikes for evening riding. I come to stops at stop signs and signals and use hand signals if there is anyone around to see.

When there is nobody else around traffic wise I tend to disobey the rules. I know that is not the right thing to do, but for me to get momentum it is a bit more physically intensive than pushing a pedal with my foot (I mean a gas pedal, although that was kinda funny. snicker snicker)

Common courtesy goes a long way for all of us in any situation. Critical mass demonstrations do nothing to inform drivers and do not help relations. Taking up a whole lane on a busy 4 lane street when there is a lightly traveled side street a block down does not earn cyclists respect. The silly fights that go on here in the comments do not help us share the road, but a logic filled letter like yours does.

I get a real kick out of drivers thinking I am waving to them when I signal a right turn ;) "

 Cars and Bikes wrote on August 19, 2008 4:16 pm:
" neither group has a commanding lead in the race for competent and considerate use of Lincoln's streets. Glad I had defensive driving class when I was younger. I have sure gotten a lot of use out of it in Lincoln. I feel good knowing how much I have saved careless and thoughtless drivers and bike riders in premium increases over the years. "

 daily bike commuter wrote on August 19, 2008 4:37 pm:
" The bike letters are getting REALLY old. As CS said, the issue of cyclists following traffic laws is beside the point of safety and sharing the road. Many cyclists roll red lights and stop signs. Many motor vehicle drivers speed and don't use turn signals. Both still have to share the road. Everyone: grow up, quit arguing about the same tired points, set a good example, and stay safe.

And it cuts both ways: I'm on my bike every day. I have lights, I signal my turns and lane changes, and I stop at stop lights. But just this afternoon, a car went past me and decided to turn right without signaling. I missed running into the side of the vehicle by about two inches as it turned. It doesn't matter what "most cyclists do" or what "most drivers do" in general. Complaining about what the other kind of traffic might be doing doesn't make anyone safer. Deciding to do the right thing and following the traffic laws will make everyone safer. Pay attention to your surroundings and you can make a big difference at the individual level. "

 Laurie wrote on August 19, 2008 4:56 pm:
" It's always the retired guys with no military experience that say "WE" should fight, strafe and kill the enemy, isn't it? "

 Thinking wrote on August 19, 2008 6:09 pm:
" What many fail to understand in Mr. Weaver,s letter is what the average American feels or understands about issues after the news media gets done manipulating or distorting issues and events. The quote: "Those who do not learn the lessons of history, are destined to repeat them" is ignored by the well entrenched individuals in our government and in our media. Joe average American can see the simple issues, this is a threat, even through the fog we are kept in. In the 30's America also failed to see the warnings through the fog of government promises and media misrepresentation of events in Europe and China. America was in the middle of an economic depression, American forces in China were repeatedly fired upon by the Japanese, ie USS Panay sunk and several other smaller skirmishes, small proxy wars waged, The Spanish Civil War, Italy in east Africa, and during all this two beasts were allowed to grow almost ignored by the West. We (GB/US/FR) allowed the expansion of Germany into Austria, Czechoslovakia, Alsaise-Lorrain, all in an effort to avoid a confrontation, "Peace in our Time" was Chamberlain's 1938 claim upon his appeasement of Herr Hitler. And the rest is history. The simularities are there for the less than blind to see. Putin as well as many in Russia want to see a USSR styled Russian giant world power again. The Russians are using distraction, our involvment in the Mid-East, economic problems, even the olympics to distract from thier goal of regaining a provence or two of the old USSR. The Russians even make a threat of "military action" against Poland for daring to allow American anti-missile technology on Polish soil. Yes, the Bear is awakening again after a short hibernation, the Soviet Union and the Cold War are over, it is now the 1930's again as the Russian Bear learned from it's previous mistakes and is waking up an angry and power hungry beast. Many historians call WW2 just a reumption of hostilities coming from the less than true ending of WW1, and this Russian problem now could be the rumblings of Cold War 2. Mr Weaver can see it, but many more will refuse to see it, till the beasts of war are again upon thier doorstep. It was a bright and sunny sunday morning wasn't it? "

 So wrote on August 19, 2008 6:27 pm:
" So CS by your own admission, you run a red light on your bike. Martin is right. I can't walk on the sidewalks in downtown Lincoln without having a bike ride past me on the sidewalk. That's illegal also, but they don't seem to care. I was driving on my lunch hour last week, two bikes passed me on the right, squeezing past me in the lane and parking spaces. I would pass them giving them room, then when the light changed red again, they would repass me on the right and blow through the light. So until more bike riders than not obey rules, they're not high on my list. "

 Is Thinking dreaming wrote on August 19, 2008 6:52 pm:
" There can be interesting points and parallels with history made, but "Thinking" and Mr Weaver are both forgetting that the world is a different place than in previous wars. Total war can no longer happen as it did in WWI and WWII. The idea that we should all be getting excited about killing Russians because they are in Georgia makes about as much sense as Russians killing us for being in Iraq. So if you really believe that the Russians are again, planning for world domination, what are we guilty of? I lived through the cold war and now know of the many fallacies it spawned ( the famous missile gap comes to mind). I am not ready to go there again because an old man and a discouraged cold warrior decide that we are at risk of being over run. The same things that kept the Russians from this in the past remain in place. And lets remember how when the Russians invaded Afghanistan, how we armed that guy, Hmmm? what's his name?? Oh yeah, Osama Bin Laden to fight them. Where did that ultimately get us. You history buffs should take a more objective review of the past and not simply pick and choose the history that fulfills your predictions. "

 Human Nature wrote on August 19, 2008 8:02 pm:
" Simple analogy: Man's aggression. You have a twin brother, you both get along, your both are friends, you both are just getting along great. Your mom/dad buys a 5 drawer dresser and places it in your room removing the smaller equally shared 4 drawer dresser. How soon will it take before the power struggle results over the extra drawer? And who will end up dominant and "win" possetion of the drawer, the aggressive stronger one, or the more passive "lets discuss it" brother? Mom/Dad (the UN) will intervene, throw out some compromises, both sides will "agree", till the gradual aquisition of space in the 5th drawer leads to the stronger sides intimidation which leads to the total drawer victory, just will take longer, thats all. We are predators by nature, and will take from the weak to empower ourselves, from kids argueing over a 5th drawer, to two large countries battling over the smaller country's of the world. The League of Nations,UN, NATO, WARSAW PACT, were/are just further examples of Mom/Dad trying to mediate the inevitable.
Welcome to mankind, yes the world is a differant place, no-one will throw ICBM's at each other, but the war of possetion of hearts and minds of smaller nations will eventually place the world into two camps, and the stronger of the camps will eventually get all the drawers, over the let's appease and discuss it camp, it is just a matter of time. "

 Paranoid thinking wrote on August 19, 2008 9:06 pm:
" Very paranoid thinking, Thinking. The Georgian president is a scumbag who was asking for it. However, the Invasion of Georgia, a sovereign nation, was an overreaction not unlike the invasion of Iraq, a sovereign nation. Our administration is not unlike mouthy 7th graders wanting to pick a fight, in typical knee-jerk fashion. "

 Well said wrote on August 19, 2008 11:32 pm:
" I agree with ya Mr. Rasch.!!!! If bikes want to share the road they must also share the pain of paying for a ticket should they run a red light, or get a ticket if they run over a pedestrian!!! I've seen some pedestrians nearly get creamated ( myself included) "

 beerorkid wrote on August 20, 2008 2:10 pm:
" Bicyclists do get tickets. My friend got one for riding on the sidewalk downtown. He actually was riding on the street and stopped at a red light and hoped up on the corner to allow cars behind him to turn right on red. His courtesy towards drivers ended up costing him, but it in his eyes it was the proper thing to do. "

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