None 'matters' less than another
Black Lives Matter -- This is a problematic slogan, like many pithy sayings are. It is problematic because it can be easily misinterpreted.
It is not saying that only black lives matter, nor that Latino, Euro, or Asian lives don't matter. It is much like the 1960s affirmation that "Black is Beautiful." As Dick Gregory used to state in his monologues, "We aren't saying 'Black is Beautiful' at the expense of White being ugly, no. We are saying black is beautiful because the 'system' had warped our minds so much that even many Negroes (Afros) actually were convinced that Black was ugly." Now we should all be saying "black lives matter," because the recent multiple cases of police killings seem to be saying that their lives don't concern the rest of us, i.e., the system, the power structure, the dominant ethnic group. Several Afro commentators have tried to make it clear that "Black lives matter, too." In the current historical context, this is something that all citizens would do well to repeat to themselves -- and out loud.
John Studstill
Columbus
Troubling changes
I have lived nine and one half decades in this great country and lived through many changes, but never any so dramatic and troublesome as this decade.
Members of Congress worked together in the American spirit of "agree to disagree." Civility and respect created the atmosphere that resulted in reaching agreement on controversial legislation. This is not to say that there were not any ugly moments, humans being what they are, but the nation achieved greatness and became the leader of the free world. No other nation has been so generous and helpful to other nations as the United States of America. Every nation that we have been at war with, we helped to rebuild.
Sadly, due to the apathy and indifference of later generations, we have allowed un-American factions to gain control of our government. Racism has reared its ugly head due to radical groups who are determined to keep racism alive. We have a president who is selective in which groups of Americans he favors, mostly non-whites, and he openly hates the military. He has embraced Al Sharpton, a rabble rouser, to keep racial tension at its peak.
Members of Congress no longer agree to disagree. The liberals don't condone any disagreement with their ideology and use pejoratives and mendacity as their main weapons against those who don't agree with them.
I gain no pleasure from writing negatively about what is happening to our great nation, but this is the way I feel and think about the present conditions and it saddens me. Until we return to the principles upon which this nation achieved it's greatness, we, and future generations, will live in a nation controlled by the government instead of a nation "of, by and for the people." God help us.
Charles Maupin
Columbus
'Welfare state' indeed
It is patently obvious that Republicans hate so-called "entitlements," even though Social Security and Medicare recipients have been paying into those programs their entire working lives. They also hate that working citizens who live in poverty, due to starvation wages, receive nutrition assistance. Despite the fiendishness of their views regarding the elderly and the poor, Republicans fight tooth and nail to maintain taxpayer-funded corporate welfare, particularly to the outrageously-profitable oil industry.
The world's governments provide $5.3 trillion in benefits every year to the industry that is responsible for the earth's climate debacle. That's $10 million per minute, every day of the year! Meanwhile, back at the oil wells, Republicans either deny that Earth's climate is warming or argue that it is not caused by man's relentless pumping of carbon into the atmosphere.
According to the World Health Organization, "One in eight global deaths are (sic) attributable just to air pollution." This does not include tens of thousands of associated deaths due to drought-related famine, lack of drinking water, and extreme weather disasters.
The tragic denial of damage to our environment is exacerbated by the recent moronic yielding of our Koch-American government to Shell, to allow drilling in our Arctic. We can expect even more dire consequences than we experienced in the Gulf at the hands of BP, because of the impossibility of cleaning under ice. The Gulf is still suffering from the impact of tons of oil which coat the sandy floor of the sea.
World governments, particularly our United States, refuse to invest even a miniscule fraction of what the oil industry receives, to protect our health and the environment. They will comprehend, too late, that man cannot exist without food and water. Instead of Marie Antoinette's, "Let them eat cake," they'll say, "Let them drink oil."
Judy F. Brouillette
Columbus
Official nonsense
Mark Twain observed that "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session." After reading Thursday's paper (August 17), I would like to modify that quote to include our mayor, the school superintendent and the school board.
To our esteemed mayor: How many times do the voters of Muscogee County have to tell you to leave the property tax freeze alone? You should be spending your time dealing with such issues as our crime rate and police officer retention. Message from one potentially irate voter -- put this issue to bed and find another crusade.
Now the school board is considering paying parents $30 dollars for each student for school supplies? Has anyone figured out how much money this would be? Are you going to require validated receipts for this spending? Or are you just going to take this as an act of good faith? If approved, this idea would be right up there with such debacles as last year's ILT.
Teachers already spend much more on supplies for their classrooms than the pittance that they receive from the board. If affirmed, this plan would be a figurative slap in the face for educators, and another example of the disrespect that they too often receive.
Ken Paulk
Columbus
This story was originally published August 20, 2015 at 4:06 PM with the headline "None 'matters' less than another ."