Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

Other heroes worthy of note

I just returned from the World War II Ranger reunion in Columbus and have been reading and viewing media reports of the event, all of which primarily focus on Normandy D-Day, Pointe du Hoc and the brave Rangers of the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions.

Though virtually unmentioned in the current accounts I have read, also attending the reunion were members of Darby’s Rangers (1st, 3rd and 4th Battalions). Men of those battalions invaded North Africa in 1942, helped to defeat Rommel’s Afrika Korps, were first on the beaches in the hard-fought Sicily and Salerno invasions, battled every step of the way through Italy’s freezing, muddy mountains and spearheaded the Anzio invasion

All 1st and 3rd Battalion Rangers who attended the reunion were POWs captured at Cisterna after being encircled by an overwhelming number of Nazi troops … with one notable exception: An unassuming Ranger in attendance was one of only eight men of two entire battalions who escaped being killed or captured at Cisterna.

Many men of the 4th Ranger Battalion, who fought furiously to reach and rescue their surrounded comrades, joined the First Special Service Force and continued their fight against the Nazis after Darby’s Rangers were disbanded.

Darby’s Rangers were leading the way long before the phrase was uttered at Omaha Beach. I know. I am the proud daughter of the late Lt. L. Lew Henry, a 4th Battalion Ranger.

Marsha Henry Goff

Lawrence, KS

Waste of money

I was very happy to read that Columbus Councilors Mike Baker, Glenn Davis, Skip Henderson, and Evelyn Turner Pugh had the good sense and courage to vote against Mayor Jim Wetherington’s creation of an Office of Crime Prevention. This administration’s motto of “tax and spend” did not get the approval of these four councilors.

Unfortunately, Councilors Wayne Anthony, Jerry Barnes, Julius Hunter, C. E. McDaniel, and Evelyn Woodson fell into line with the mayor’s program and followed along like obedient sheep. I was very disappointed that one member of this group of five, who is well-known for fiscal responsibility, voted to approve the creation of this costly and redundant department. I hope that when Councilor Gary Allen is present for the next vote, he will have the fortitude and wisdom to vote with Councilors Baker, Davis, Henderson, and Pugh.

Much verbiage has been wasted on the idea that the Office of Crime Prevention will deal with PREVENTION. This is an insult to the Columbus Police Department. Our policemen have worked hard to prevent crime. The formation of neighborhood watches and the willingness of the police department to assist in the creation of these watches confirm the police department’s ongoing commitment to crime prevention. The department’s outreach to the whole city has yielded great benefits in crime prevention, and their emphasis on working with our youth has brought about considerable progress.

The creation of this office is a waste of taxpayer monies, and the ambiguity surrounding precisely what and how this department will function should ensure that the mayor’s proposal will be defeated.

Thomas D. Orr

Columbus

Heartfelt thanks

On behalf of the Adams and Mixon family, I wish to express our gratitude to the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in the funeral of Mr. Hoyt Adams. “Mr. A,” having reached 100 years of age in September, died last week. He was honored by three former U.S. presidents, the governor of Georgia, the Georgia Legislature and Columbus Council. Our compliments to Sheriff John Darr for having such a professional group of officers representing the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office as his escort. Special thanks to Sgt. John Elias, Dep. Carlus McCaulley, Dep. James Abbott, Dep. Lataga (Kiko) Sene, and Dep. Donavan Mitchell.

Billy Mixon

Phenix City

Self-defeating

Regarding Dusty Nix’s thoughtful Oct. 25th editorial, the drug war is a cure worse than the disease. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity. The drug war doesn’t fight crime; it fuels crime.

With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each other down in drive-by shootings, nor do consumers go blind drinking unregulated bathtub gin. While U.S. politicians ignore the drug war’s historical precedent, European countries are embracing harm reduction, based on the principle that both drug abuse and prohibition cause harm.

Examples include needle exchange programs to stop the spread of HIV, marijuana regulation aimed at separating the hard and soft drug markets, and treatment alternatives that do not require incarceration as a prerequisite.

Unfortunately, fear of appearing “soft on crime” compels many U.S. politicians to support a failed drug war that ultimately subsidizes organized crime.

Robert Sharpe

Common Sense for Drug Policy (www.csdp.org), Washington