Letters to the editor: Who are your connections, L-E?
Last Wednesday the Columbus L-E did "mention" the additional delay for completion of the Whittlesey Road widening but that's all it did. Where is the indignation the L-E should be showing as "watchdog" for the citizens of Columbus?
It's a less than 3/4-mile stretch, and what was bid out as two and a half year project is now going to take 2-plus years more that seems ridiculous. Is the Columbus L-E tap dancing around this because of the Columbus connections of the Georgia DOT and contractor? Why does anyone still advertise in the L-E? Surely the L-E is not reaching the customers that advertisers want to reach, because if the L-E were concerned about its readers, the L-E would not be covering up or "spinning" the failures of local government entities like the mayor, or school district/board or the state connected road projects, and more Columbus citizens would want to read the L-E to get the real story behind so many failures.
Hal Kirven
Columbus
Excessively inclusive
Earlier this year, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal implemented a Vietnam veteran recognition program called the Vietnam War Certificate of Honor. The program not only includes the true Vietnam veteran in the war zone between November 15, 1961 and April 30, 1975 (the Vietnam Era), but also the Vietnam era veteran who served at some time during that period, but never entered the war zone, took any combat risks, faced Agent Orange or PTSD, or experienced the terror and horrors of that war.
To rub salt into the wound, the governor expanded the certificate base by including thousands of veterans who served between 1954 and November 14, 1961 (Second Group) and called them Vietnam veterans as well.
By including the Era Veterans as eligible to receive the Certificate and expanding the actual Vietnam Era eight years by including the Second Group, the governor increased his overall recognition group by thousands to an estimated total of 234,000 and increased his potential Vietnam veteran voting base by 350 percent.
Of the 58,148 killed, 1,582 came from Georgia. How does the governor explain his actions to those families?
No veteran disagrees with having all veterans who served during the Vietnam era recognized. It is just the incompetent way it was handled. All that needed to be done was to recognize the Vietnam veterans as one entity and the era veterans as another and everyone would be happy.
The governor's idea is a politically correct concept that is ruining this country. Americans are not all the same. If someone like me doesn't stand up and support the Vietnam veterans, who will? I will let the readers judge my comments.
George Nelson
Woodstock, Ga.
Health resolution
Once again, it's time for New Year's resolutions, particularly those to improve our diet and exercise routine.
Although gun violence and traffic accidents remain the leading causes of death among young people, the most dangerous weapon for the rest of us is still our fork. Well over a million of us are killed each year by high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other chronic diseases linked to our meat-based diet.
But times are changing. According to Gallup, 22 percent of American consumers are avoiding meat and 12 percent are avoiding dairy products. Supermarket chains, along with Target and Walmart, offer a growing selection of delicious and healthy plant-based meats and dairy products. Animal meat consumption has dropped by 8 percent in the past decade.
Hundreds of school, college, hospital, and corporate cafeterias have embraced Meatless Monday and vegan meals. Fast-food chains like Chipotle, Panera, Subway, Taco Bell, and White Castle are rolling out vegan options.
Let's make this New Year's resolution about exploring the rich variety of plant-based entrees, lunch meats, cheeses, ice creams and milks, as well as the more traditional green and yellow veggies. The Internet offers tons of recipes and transition tips.
Jeffery Bauman
Columbus
Popular or not
Sheriff Mike Jolley's office is of great significance to all citizens and the many visitors to beautiful Harris County.
Recently the Sheriff's religiously nativist and patriotically inspired sign posting on county property generated a huge, mostly positive, reception from many in our country, especially after he was interviewed on Fox.
Police officers should never use their very powerful public office to promote one religious philosophy over another, or even over non-religion; but rather, should always act publicly as neutral with regard to religion, whether at the courthouse or jailhouse. A sheriff should never use his or her government power to intimidate anyone over a religious or personal cultural belief. A sheriff should not use a government website to promote his religious beliefs by promoting his "politically incorrect" T-shirts and political yard signs.
Many countries are in perpetual war over competing religious factions.
Today's civil war in Syria, while very complex, could be defined as who is going to rule between preeminent Sunni and Shi'ite families of Islam. Saudi Arabia is an Islamic theocracy where the Sunni faction rules with police powers enforcing the government's one true religious philosophy. In a similar distasteful fashion, the Iranian theocracy police state enforces Shiite doctrine and behavior on its citizens.
Important public officials such as Sheriff Jolley should protect citizens from government-sanctioned religious dogma from any faith. He is required to put the U.S. Constitution front and center when on the job. He is the highest police official in Harris County, and he should protect all its citizens from any government religious coercion and welcome any citizen or potential citizen, irrespective of religion, race or political philosophy.
Walter Thorne
New York, N.Y.
This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor: Who are your connections, L-E? ."