The tiny democracy of Georgia has been seized by a Russian military invasion. It has been reported that local villages of this fledgling country have been brutalized at the hands of Russian soldiers, as well as reports o
Posted: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 7:00 pm
The tiny democracy of Georgia has been seized by a Russian military invasion. It has been reported that local villages of this fledgling country have been brutalized at the hands of Russian soldiers, as well as reports of ethnic cleansing, mocking the nations that gathered to celebrate the Olympic Games.
By all credible accounts, Georgia has done little to invite this violence. One of the revolving reasons given for disregarding international pressure and invading Iraq was to sow the seeds of democracy. But as an existing democratic nation is fighting for its life against impossible odds, all the last superpower can do is offer harsh words and request permission to send food.
When Zimbabwe’s brutal ruling party forced out any opposition in the general election, these thugs actually killed their own citizens who did not vote; still America did not intervene. What possible reason could be given for continuing the occupation of Iraq when democracies suffer atrocities at every turn, tanks march on the helpless, and we do not defend the oppressed?
The foreign policy of this administration has paralyzed our country and bled us of the will and resources to lead the free world. All the things we said we would not do regarding North Korea and Iran this administration has now reversed or surrendered. North Korea got the supplies we had withheld, Iran is conducting missile tests, and Russia states the installation of U.S. missiles in Poland will provoke another response. We cannot act alone; neither can we afford another president with a seven-year learning curve and counting. We will continue to reap the harvest sown by this incompetent administration for years to come. Our democracy is still alive; let’s vote for a real change.
Steven D. Burbach, Lincoln
Let drivers decide
State Sen. John Harms is pushing for the seat belt law to be a primary violation (LJS, Aug. 18). He says it’s a good idea because it saves lives. I agree, that it does save lives, but don’t you think that should be your choice? Everyone knows there’s a risk for not wearing your seat belt: You could die or be thrown from the vehicle. My thought is that it’s my choice. It’s not a choice that affects anyone else’s safety but my own. Plus, if it’s my time to go home, there’s no seat belt in the world that can save me.
Now, to make sure I’m not misunderstood, I’m not talking about children and car seats. I’m talking about adults, who are capable of making choices for themselves.
By passing this law. Nebraska could get $7.4 million in federal highway funding, but it has to be passed by Sept. 30, 2009, or the money goes away. It makes me wonder if the law is really being pushed for cash and not totally for safety reasons.
Passing laws that let the government make decisions on how we should live our lives is a scary thing.
Sara Graham, Kearney
Political censorship
The coverage of the Senate candidates’ debate at the State Fair (LJS, Aug. 24) was a disservice to Nebraskans. After stating that three candidates participated (Mike Johanns, Scott Kleeb and Steve Larrick), none of Larrick’s responses to the various issues debated were presented to readers. This is political censorship.
Does the Journal Star assume that because there is little likelihood the Green Party candidate will win that it is not worth wasting prime newspaper space in presenting his views? I could not disagree more with this viewpoint.
Americans generally are very dissatisfied with the performance of both major political parties on the economic, social and foreign policy issues facing our nation. Third-party candidates can serve a role by putting forth alternative policies for the electorate to consider and for the major party candidates to comment on. Such airing of alternatives may result in improving the policies of the major parties. Unfortunately, the Journal Star’s coverage has failed to allow this to happen.
Anthony F. Starace, Lincoln