Seasonal culture war childish
With all this "controversy" on how to greet people on this holiday season, I have the following suggestion. To me it would be more appropriate to greet people: I wish you a meaningful Christmas, a meaningful Hanukkah, a meaningful Kwanzaa, etc. It encourages people to reflect on what this holiday means to them, instead of to others.
These are actually sacred moments for religionists and should be treated as such. Yes, we want people to be especially happy and merry, but it's more important to be reflective of what we are celebrating, and each has his own perspective.
To imply that if you don't have my perspective then "you should leave the country" is not only intolerable but also unAmerican and, frankly, despicable. As has been said so many times before, we are not a theocracy and our country is open to all constructive religions.
So let's stop this adolescent and childish argument about what to greet each other on this holiday season. To each his own.
A.J. Kravtin
Columbus
Distorting Trump
Harsh critics of Trump need to listen to what he actually says instead of what they think he says. He's being accused of disparaging Mexicans and the Chinese, having a "war on women," and hating Muslims. All false.
What I heard him say was that he loved the Mexican people, respected them and has hired over 10,000 Mexicans. I did hear him say that it was Mexico (not Mexicans) that was sending rapists, bad guys and hordes of people it did not want to support, to our country, knowing we'd pick up their cost.
I did hear him say he respected the Chinese for being superb negotiators and has good relationships with them. I also heard him say the Chinese were eating our lunch.(True.)
War on women? I heard him say he loved women, and has hired many in top positions He even married a few and has a daughter who is a woman. I did hear him remark negatively on two women..Rosie O'Donnell and Carly Fiorina ( after they drew first blood). Has anyone ever been accused of having a "war on women' after negative remarks about Sarah Pailn, Nancy Pelosi or Pinocchio Clinton?
Muslims were never on his screen until 20,000 Syrians were let in, unscreened for terrorist ties or contagious diseases. His concern here, as he said plainly, was about security. You saw what two Jihadists did in gun-controlled California..What would 100 ISIS Jihadists do to us? That they all happen to be Muslim is undeniable, but he wasn't attacking the religion per se.
Trump's platform is about bringing jobs back to America, protecting the American people and regaining the respect we have lost. To pay attention to the "he said, she said" chatter is nothing more than media fodder.
R.A. Valentine
Pnenix City
You're worried about ISIS?
The most recent Iowa caucus poll shows Ted Cruz leading Donald Trump, with the other wackos lagging far behind.
And what do these Corn Belt idiot savants profess? They are evangelical fundamentalists who believe the King James version of the "word" annuls the U.S. Constitution thereby violating the First Amendment prohibiting the "establishment of religion." They demand a no-exceptions abortion ban including cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
They demand stopping all U.S. resettlement of Syrian war refugees that our unlawful destruction of Iraq and Libya fostered, while demanding that 20,000 troops be dispatched to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. I think that trail is well-trodden and has produced nothing but perpetual stupidity as a remedy. While we are destroying their homeland, Iowans demand deporting 11 million undocumented residents in the U.S., a clear rejection of every adopted amnesty agreement.
Not enough, you say. We need universal tax reform that cuts taxes on all Americans, including the wealthiest evaders whose citizenship can only be condemned as they relocate to tax havens to avoid true citizenship. While we're at it, let's abolish IRS and repeal the financial reform laws enacted after the 2008 crisis. Oh, global warming is a "hoax," God's will?
What the hell is within the corn husks those morons harvest and ingest? ISIS doesn't scare me, but these damned fools do and by God, Allah, Yahweh or Trump/Cruz, we had better condemn and defeat this despicable and unpatriotic mindset before the entirety of our integrity and entitlement as a nation is lost. Selah.
Robert John White
Georgetown
Hammer control
I share the President's concern over the rising tide of violence in our country. However, I respectfully suggest that our focus is a little off.
Sadly, claw hammers are involved in more violent incidents than firearms.
We the people should rise up, in our righteous indignation to demand the registration of claw hammers. Indeed, we should immediately take steps to deny felons the right to own a claw hammer.
We should establish Claw Hammer-Free zones at all schools, churches, and government buildings.
Why are dangerous people allowed to walk about town with claw hammers without a carry permit?
Surely, our politicians will not find a reason to waffle on this issue. The use of claw hammers is not traditionally associated with any religion, race, or political persuasion.
Sam Nelson
Columbus
This story was originally published December 14, 2015 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Seasonal culture war childish ."