Letters to the Editor 04-03-2003
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Supporting Troops - Addicted To Oil - Time Out - No Perfect World - Great Photographs - Memorial
Supporting Troops
Editor, Times-Union:Do you really support our troops?
Stop for a moment and think ... how many times in the past week to 10 days have you heard a protester say, or perhaps said yourself, "I support our troops, but not our president!" This statement bothered me from the very first time I heard it, simply because you cannot do one and not the other.
The first reason that you can't do both is rather elementary. If you do not support our president, then we must assume that you will be voting Democrat in the next election, providing that you are registered to vote. Records show that military spending is cut when a Democratic government has the majority vote. When we cut military spending, our troops do not have the training, supplies and support needed to protect not only the nation as a whole, but also their own lives on the battlefield ... how is this supporting our troops?
Secondly, when a man or woman decides to join the military, as I did, we voluntarily take an oath. In that oath, we swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic. And that we "will obey the orders of the president of the United States and all officers appointed over me." Every new soldier does this voluntarily and it is more than just a job to him/her. If you don't support the man that they answer to, how can they really be sure that you support them?
Thirdly, and most importantly, what do you think all these protests do for the Iraqi regime? Let me create a little scenario here. Let's pretend that you are one of the Iraqi military leaders sitting snug as a bug in your little bunker somewhere beneath Baghdad. You're watching a U.S. news report showing the many protests around the states. You see this as a great propaganda tool to rally your own troops, telling them that the United States does not have the support of its own people.
Now my mind begins to wonder and I begin to question the validity of your arguments against this war. I'm trying to understand what could cause such a sharp divide in our country. Are you genuinely concerned about the Iraqi people and civilian casualties? I thought that must be it, but them I remembered that I saw little to no protesting over the last 20-plus years as Saddam and his regime murdered, tortured and gassed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi men, women and children. (Note to hardcore protesters: if you think this didn't happen, you haven't been reading newspapers from around the world for the last 20 years). Perhaps you're concerned about the aftermath, starving children and adults. The Iraqi people have been starving for decades ... when did you help with this? Maybe you're concerned about the emotional scars left on our soldiers. Did you once, in the last several decades, step out in protest for the emotional scars left on children as they watched their parents murdered by Saddam and his regime?
Then there are those who say that the president is after the land and the oil it contains. I thought long and hard about this one and could only come up with one response. This response is not my own, but says it better than I ever could. Recently, during a fairly large conference in England, the Archbishop of Canterbury asked Colin Powell if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush. He simply and truthfully answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return."
God bless or troops, God bless our president, and God bless America.
Lisa L. (Reynolds) Coots
Trumansburg, N.Y.
Formerly of Warsaw
Addicted To Oil
Editor, Times-Union:Millions of war protesters are marching around these days protesting a coming war in Iraq. Many of these protesters are carrying signs that say, "No blood for oil." (I have yet to see anyone walking around with a sign that reads "No blood for breaking treaties" or "No blood for chemical weapons," but I digress.)
I have one statement to make to all those that truly believe that this war is just about wanting access to more oil and think that our government is set to go to battle with an already devastated country just to get our hands on more oil: Stop driving!
If you don't want to see our nation go to war and you feel it is motivated by the need for oil, then stop using oil. Stop driving 20 miles one way to work. Stop taking your car three blocks to the grocery store. Stop buying Escalades and Excursions that only get 12 to 13 miles per gallon. If you really feel that this war is motivated by oil, the only thing you can do is stop using fuels and energy that comes from oil-based production.
If you are not prepared to take the bus (sorry, can't take the bus either, most of those use gasoline) or train everywhere and you aren't going to walk or ride your bike to all the places you need to go, then stop protesting your own habits. This war is for you. It is for your trips to Wal-Mart. It is for your heated drive to work. It is for homeland security. We all drive. We all use fuel. Your argument of "No blood for oil" is weak.
Personally I can only feel sorry for this absurd view, if you are using the argument of "No blood for oil" at protest marches, marches which all probability you drove to, either change your life or stop complaining. If you take a second to think about it you are protesting against the things you do in your own life.
America is a country that loves cars and loves to drive. We like big trucks, roomy SUVs and powerful engines. Driving the open road is a freedom, a right and a yearning that we all deserve to indulge in if we feel the need. What does not coincide with these rights and freedoms is having to go to war to protect our consumption habits and hobbies. The time to alter the way we power this country is long overdue. If we haven't learned our lessons from past OPEC scares, our hatred in oil-rich countries and Sept. 11, then maybe it will be the demands and potential outcomes from this war in Iraq that will lead us to see that change is crucial if we are to thrive in the world.
We have to break our addiction to oil in order to remain a world power, politically and economically. There is no strength in having to rely on other countries to power our labor force and lifestyle. Beside curbing our fuel consumption and trying to limit the usage of gas guzzling monstrosities, the immediate future leaves us with few options in avoiding our reliance on oil. But there is the technology being developed that could break the grip oil has on us, power our businesses and homes at a third of the cost of fuel, have minimal adverse effects on the environment and possibly lead the United States back into global respectability and economic efficiency beyond are already lofty heights.
A whole book would be required to lay out the advantages of hydrogen based power (or fuel cells) and how the technology operates, but the concept is a reality. A reality that can be achieved within five to seven years if the government, public and private research institutions and automobile manufacturers work together to make hydrogen (the worlds most abundant element) the force behind what fuels America.
Even President Bush, who was born and bred in a rich oil family, knows we have to remove oil as a means of doing business and living our lives in this country. We must push hard to make this change soon. As consumers and citizens we must inform ourselves about this technology. The Web site www.fuelcells.org is a great Web site to learn about hydrogen based power. We must support companies and officials that are working hard to make this technology a workable part of everyday American life.
Fuel cells may be the answer to a host of problems in this country from cleaning up our air quality, to becoming independent from oil, to being able to power our buildings more efficiently, replacing dangerous nuclear power with a more effective method and all of this at a lower cost than oil-based products. The sooner we incorporate hydrogen power into the American economic and lifestyle system, the sooner we can stop being so apprehensive about what might happen and just go for nice Sunday afternoon drive.
Brent Kado
North Webster
via e-mail
Time Out
Editor, Times-Union:Now I've heard everything!
How in the name of sanity do you call "time out" in the middle of a war?
Do you just say, "Hey, you people, engage yourselves in your favorite pastimes next week because I'll be busily engaged in R&R (rejuvenation and restoration) but don't worry, I'll be back to kill you week after next!"
Cora Lee Phillippe
North Webster
No Perfect World
Editor, Times-Union:David Fribley didn't have to die, but because our world isn't perfect and we have evil in it, we need special people like David to fight the battle against it. He didn't have to join the Marines and fight for our freedom but he chose to. I've known David since he was in the seventh grade. He was strong, sweet, polite and I've never heard a bad word or seen a bad attitude from him. He was always upbeat and positive. David never stopped trying to be the best, not better than anyone else but the best he could be.
I will never forget the hot chocolate and snickerdoodle cookies and the friendship I have shared with the Fribley family at the football games and other sporting events that David and my sons participated in. I see why David turned out to be the man he was. His parents are great examples of what you saw in David. Although we will miss David, we know he died doing what he wanted to do. I don't know why God took him home. His memories will forever be an impact on my life. David didn't want to be known as a hero, so I look on him as a gift that God let us have for a short time. I pray for all other young men and women that are in the service and for their safety.
Cassie Bradley
Mother of Senior Airman Nathan Cosgrove,
of the U.S. Air Force, and Joe Cosgrove
Great Photographs
¼Editor, Times-Union:Congratulations on your choice of photographer Gary Nieter. I have enjoyed his work immensely. We are so fortunate to have his calibre of photography.
I especially enjoyed his Sunbathing Buddies on March 10, the large dog and small cat. Also his wonderful nature scenes.
His excellent coverage of sports is also very outstanding.
He is a true artist behind the camera.
If, in the near future, he chooses to have a show, please advertise it well, as I wouldn't want to miss it.
Again, congrats and thanks.
Nedra Beebe
Pierceton
Memorial
Editor, Times-Union:Several years ago, my family traveled to Washington, D.C., and one of the places we visited was the Vietnam War Memorial. I remember my dad locating the name of an individual that had been killed in the war that he knew. Little did I know then or a few weeks ago, that I would have a friend killed in a war while defending our freedom.
Last week I was saddened to come home from school and to hear a message from my sister telling me that a classmate of mine had been killed in the war. When she told me that it was David Fribley, I was flooded with memories that began with when I met him in sixth grade at the city track meet and watched in awe as he threw the shot put with a perfect form. I continued to remember attending Tiger Football camp in middle school and recognizing then that he was going to be an impact player in a few years. I also was reminded of the many days of when the basketball team would be lifting weights during the off-season and he would be in the weight room lifting weights. He inspired all of us to work harder and to get stronger as we saw how much he could lift. These and many others are all memories that I will forever remember while going to school with David, but the greatest memory that I will treasure is knowing that he went over to Iraq to defend my freedom, to defend our nation's freedom and gave his life defending our freedom. On behalf of the WCHS class of 1996, I would like to extend our sympathy and prayers to his family. May we all live our lives in such a way that is worthy of the freedom that David fought and died for.
Matt Taylor
Florida
via e-mail
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- Supporting Troops - Addicted To Oil - Time Out - No Perfect World - Great Photographs - Memorial
Supporting Troops
Editor, Times-Union:Do you really support our troops?
Stop for a moment and think ... how many times in the past week to 10 days have you heard a protester say, or perhaps said yourself, "I support our troops, but not our president!" This statement bothered me from the very first time I heard it, simply because you cannot do one and not the other.
The first reason that you can't do both is rather elementary. If you do not support our president, then we must assume that you will be voting Democrat in the next election, providing that you are registered to vote. Records show that military spending is cut when a Democratic government has the majority vote. When we cut military spending, our troops do not have the training, supplies and support needed to protect not only the nation as a whole, but also their own lives on the battlefield ... how is this supporting our troops?
Secondly, when a man or woman decides to join the military, as I did, we voluntarily take an oath. In that oath, we swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic. And that we "will obey the orders of the president of the United States and all officers appointed over me." Every new soldier does this voluntarily and it is more than just a job to him/her. If you don't support the man that they answer to, how can they really be sure that you support them?
Thirdly, and most importantly, what do you think all these protests do for the Iraqi regime? Let me create a little scenario here. Let's pretend that you are one of the Iraqi military leaders sitting snug as a bug in your little bunker somewhere beneath Baghdad. You're watching a U.S. news report showing the many protests around the states. You see this as a great propaganda tool to rally your own troops, telling them that the United States does not have the support of its own people.
Now my mind begins to wonder and I begin to question the validity of your arguments against this war. I'm trying to understand what could cause such a sharp divide in our country. Are you genuinely concerned about the Iraqi people and civilian casualties? I thought that must be it, but them I remembered that I saw little to no protesting over the last 20-plus years as Saddam and his regime murdered, tortured and gassed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi men, women and children. (Note to hardcore protesters: if you think this didn't happen, you haven't been reading newspapers from around the world for the last 20 years). Perhaps you're concerned about the aftermath, starving children and adults. The Iraqi people have been starving for decades ... when did you help with this? Maybe you're concerned about the emotional scars left on our soldiers. Did you once, in the last several decades, step out in protest for the emotional scars left on children as they watched their parents murdered by Saddam and his regime?
Then there are those who say that the president is after the land and the oil it contains. I thought long and hard about this one and could only come up with one response. This response is not my own, but says it better than I ever could. Recently, during a fairly large conference in England, the Archbishop of Canterbury asked Colin Powell if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush. He simply and truthfully answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return."
God bless or troops, God bless our president, and God bless America.
Lisa L. (Reynolds) Coots
Trumansburg, N.Y.
Formerly of Warsaw
Addicted To Oil
Editor, Times-Union:Millions of war protesters are marching around these days protesting a coming war in Iraq. Many of these protesters are carrying signs that say, "No blood for oil." (I have yet to see anyone walking around with a sign that reads "No blood for breaking treaties" or "No blood for chemical weapons," but I digress.)
I have one statement to make to all those that truly believe that this war is just about wanting access to more oil and think that our government is set to go to battle with an already devastated country just to get our hands on more oil: Stop driving!
If you don't want to see our nation go to war and you feel it is motivated by the need for oil, then stop using oil. Stop driving 20 miles one way to work. Stop taking your car three blocks to the grocery store. Stop buying Escalades and Excursions that only get 12 to 13 miles per gallon. If you really feel that this war is motivated by oil, the only thing you can do is stop using fuels and energy that comes from oil-based production.
If you are not prepared to take the bus (sorry, can't take the bus either, most of those use gasoline) or train everywhere and you aren't going to walk or ride your bike to all the places you need to go, then stop protesting your own habits. This war is for you. It is for your trips to Wal-Mart. It is for your heated drive to work. It is for homeland security. We all drive. We all use fuel. Your argument of "No blood for oil" is weak.
Personally I can only feel sorry for this absurd view, if you are using the argument of "No blood for oil" at protest marches, marches which all probability you drove to, either change your life or stop complaining. If you take a second to think about it you are protesting against the things you do in your own life.
America is a country that loves cars and loves to drive. We like big trucks, roomy SUVs and powerful engines. Driving the open road is a freedom, a right and a yearning that we all deserve to indulge in if we feel the need. What does not coincide with these rights and freedoms is having to go to war to protect our consumption habits and hobbies. The time to alter the way we power this country is long overdue. If we haven't learned our lessons from past OPEC scares, our hatred in oil-rich countries and Sept. 11, then maybe it will be the demands and potential outcomes from this war in Iraq that will lead us to see that change is crucial if we are to thrive in the world.
We have to break our addiction to oil in order to remain a world power, politically and economically. There is no strength in having to rely on other countries to power our labor force and lifestyle. Beside curbing our fuel consumption and trying to limit the usage of gas guzzling monstrosities, the immediate future leaves us with few options in avoiding our reliance on oil. But there is the technology being developed that could break the grip oil has on us, power our businesses and homes at a third of the cost of fuel, have minimal adverse effects on the environment and possibly lead the United States back into global respectability and economic efficiency beyond are already lofty heights.
A whole book would be required to lay out the advantages of hydrogen based power (or fuel cells) and how the technology operates, but the concept is a reality. A reality that can be achieved within five to seven years if the government, public and private research institutions and automobile manufacturers work together to make hydrogen (the worlds most abundant element) the force behind what fuels America.
Even President Bush, who was born and bred in a rich oil family, knows we have to remove oil as a means of doing business and living our lives in this country. We must push hard to make this change soon. As consumers and citizens we must inform ourselves about this technology. The Web site www.fuelcells.org is a great Web site to learn about hydrogen based power. We must support companies and officials that are working hard to make this technology a workable part of everyday American life.
Fuel cells may be the answer to a host of problems in this country from cleaning up our air quality, to becoming independent from oil, to being able to power our buildings more efficiently, replacing dangerous nuclear power with a more effective method and all of this at a lower cost than oil-based products. The sooner we incorporate hydrogen power into the American economic and lifestyle system, the sooner we can stop being so apprehensive about what might happen and just go for nice Sunday afternoon drive.
Brent Kado
North Webster
via e-mail
Time Out
Editor, Times-Union:Now I've heard everything!
How in the name of sanity do you call "time out" in the middle of a war?
Do you just say, "Hey, you people, engage yourselves in your favorite pastimes next week because I'll be busily engaged in R&R (rejuvenation and restoration) but don't worry, I'll be back to kill you week after next!"
Cora Lee Phillippe
North Webster
No Perfect World
Editor, Times-Union:David Fribley didn't have to die, but because our world isn't perfect and we have evil in it, we need special people like David to fight the battle against it. He didn't have to join the Marines and fight for our freedom but he chose to. I've known David since he was in the seventh grade. He was strong, sweet, polite and I've never heard a bad word or seen a bad attitude from him. He was always upbeat and positive. David never stopped trying to be the best, not better than anyone else but the best he could be.
I will never forget the hot chocolate and snickerdoodle cookies and the friendship I have shared with the Fribley family at the football games and other sporting events that David and my sons participated in. I see why David turned out to be the man he was. His parents are great examples of what you saw in David. Although we will miss David, we know he died doing what he wanted to do. I don't know why God took him home. His memories will forever be an impact on my life. David didn't want to be known as a hero, so I look on him as a gift that God let us have for a short time. I pray for all other young men and women that are in the service and for their safety.
Cassie Bradley
Mother of Senior Airman Nathan Cosgrove,
of the U.S. Air Force, and Joe Cosgrove
Great Photographs
¼Editor, Times-Union:Congratulations on your choice of photographer Gary Nieter. I have enjoyed his work immensely. We are so fortunate to have his calibre of photography.
I especially enjoyed his Sunbathing Buddies on March 10, the large dog and small cat. Also his wonderful nature scenes.
His excellent coverage of sports is also very outstanding.
He is a true artist behind the camera.
If, in the near future, he chooses to have a show, please advertise it well, as I wouldn't want to miss it.
Again, congrats and thanks.
Nedra Beebe
Pierceton
Memorial
Editor, Times-Union:Several years ago, my family traveled to Washington, D.C., and one of the places we visited was the Vietnam War Memorial. I remember my dad locating the name of an individual that had been killed in the war that he knew. Little did I know then or a few weeks ago, that I would have a friend killed in a war while defending our freedom.
Last week I was saddened to come home from school and to hear a message from my sister telling me that a classmate of mine had been killed in the war. When she told me that it was David Fribley, I was flooded with memories that began with when I met him in sixth grade at the city track meet and watched in awe as he threw the shot put with a perfect form. I continued to remember attending Tiger Football camp in middle school and recognizing then that he was going to be an impact player in a few years. I also was reminded of the many days of when the basketball team would be lifting weights during the off-season and he would be in the weight room lifting weights. He inspired all of us to work harder and to get stronger as we saw how much he could lift. These and many others are all memories that I will forever remember while going to school with David, but the greatest memory that I will treasure is knowing that he went over to Iraq to defend my freedom, to defend our nation's freedom and gave his life defending our freedom. On behalf of the WCHS class of 1996, I would like to extend our sympathy and prayers to his family. May we all live our lives in such a way that is worthy of the freedom that David fought and died for.
Matt Taylor
Florida
via e-mail
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