Posted: Thursday, July 17, 2008 7:00 pm
It’s almost universally agreed now that Bush’s war in Iraq was a terrible mistake. What is less agreed upon is what to do about it.
Some people, including many with whom I agree on other issues, say we should leave Iraq practically immediately. They say our leaving will induce the Iraqi government to get serious about its job, and then there will be peace and order.
It seems to me that this is the same kind of wishful thinking the Bush people had when they started the war. At that time they expected the country to become a thriving democracy right after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, and they were horribly wrong.
I know of no evidence that the Iraqi politicians are any less irresponsible than our own. All indications are that their leaders, like many of ours, will not cooperate with political rivals and just continue to look out for themselves and their narrow constituencies.
So removing our forces anytime soon will only result in more disorder and violence.
Edgar Pearlstein, Lincoln
Flood plain will be considered
Over the past five years, the city of Lincoln, in conjunction with the business community and other interested parties, has been working through a process to present an arena plan to Lincoln voters.
Gene Rauscher’s letter to the editor (LJS, July 6) intimates that the various committees that have studied the need for a new arena have not been truthful about the flood plain status of the proposed West Haymarket site.
From as far back as the Convention, Sports & Leisure study completed in 2004, public documents related to the West Haymarket area acknowledge that much of the property for an arena and other development opportunities in the West Haymarket is within the mapped flood plains.
This has led to a community goal to implement quality site preparation and other proper flood management techniques to provide water storage capacity lost because of any proposed development in the area. With the use of modern stormwater techniques, the potential flooding threat within the 100-year designated flood plain can be safely mitigated.
The mayor’s West Haymarket Action Team is committed to providing many opportunities for public engagement over the next five to six months to hear the input, ideas and concerns of Lincoln residents and provide additional stormwater information, a proposed financing plan and the future timeline for the project.
This input and information will be key in preparing the final design, including how stormwater issues will be properly addressed, before any specific proposal is presented to the City Council and ultimately, the voters.
Kent Seacrest, Lincoln
Messy venue disheartening
Teach your children well … unless you were one of the attendees that went to Stir Cove to see Crosby, Stills & Nash on Sunday night. It was so disheartening to see such a cohesive group of people enjoying music and messages of peace and hope, only to have to navigate the piles of trash left behind by concert attendees.
Despite ample garbage cans placed all over the venue, the amount of trash was overwhelming, and I was incredibly disappointed to see the complete lack of respect for the venue, other concertgoers and the environment. So I guess today’s generation of earth-conscious kids can set the example and teach their parents well.
Laurie Fraser, Lincoln