Letters to the Editor 08-05-2004
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Fahrenheit Veracity - Hypothetical - Conservative Christians - Trash Removal
Fahrenheit Veracity
Editor, Times-Union:I enjoy reading the letters to the editor. I think the public debate of issues is useful. I specifically have found the letters regarding Michael Moore's movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" interesting.
I am trying to figure out whom to vote for in the next election. I want to vote for candidates who have high integrity, common sense, are fiscally responsible and who will vote or lead in the best interests of their constituents, their community and their nation regardless of special interests or political party interests. I encourage others to join me in trying to be conscientious, truth-seeking voters.
There have been several viewpoints expressed in a Times-Union editorial and subsequent letters to the editor implying or stating that Moore's movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" is full of lies. I wonder. If it does have lies, I would like to see the specifics. Which of Moore's assertions are lies and what is the evidence? To date, the viewpoints expressed are so general that I wonder whether the authors have even seen the movie. I saw it. After reading a number of letters, I went back and saw it for the second time. What I found was that Moore actually made very few assertions. He presents clips of speeches, interviews, etc., along with things that are part of the public record and lets the moviegoers reach their own conclusions.
For example, Moore shows clips of President Bush, early in his term, stating unequivocally that IRAQ did not have WMD capabilities. He shows key administration figures stating the same. Then he shows clips of Bush, Powell, etc., using specific knowledge of Iraq's WMDs and their locations as rationale for declaring war on Iraq. Then he shows the failure to find the WMDs and shows President Bush using other reasons to justify the war. Moore makes no assertions. He just presents Bush speaking at various times and lets the viewer draw his/her own conclusion.
Another example. Moore shows Vice President Cheney talking about his role as CEO of Halliburton. He shows Halliburton and other industry executives at a defense industry symposium talking about the vast sums of money to be made as a result of the Iraq war and its aftermath. Then he shows that Halliburton was awarded massive contracts without any competitive bidding. (Halliburton is charging the government over half a billion a month for Iraq activities, according to its latest quarterly report.) And finally, he shows (if my memory is correct), a newspaper clipping talking about the large profits Halliburton is making off the Iraq activities. Moore makes no assertion about Cheney and Halliburton. He presents the train of facts and lets the viewer draw the conclusion.
So if Michael Moore's film has lies, help us understand by letting us know specifically what they are and what the evidence is supporting such. I personally find it hard to discern what is truth and what is emotion. I do know that Michael Moore's movie, if it is accurate, creates a cloud of doubt over the Bush administration for those who are open-minded and truth-seeking enough to make the effort to see it.
Howard Woodward Jr.
Warsaw
via e-mail
Editor's note: A fairly comprehensive disection of the film apears at this Web address:
http://slate.msn.com/id/2102723#ContinueArticle
An even more in-depth analysis called "59 Deceits in Fahrenheit 9/11" appears here:
www.davekopel.com/Terror/Fiftysix-Deceits-in-Fahrenheit-911.htm
Hypothetical
Editor, Times-Union:This story first appeared in the Federalist Brief. It's a hypothetical situation of the two Americas - the Liberals have recently been talking about theirs and ours.
You've parked your car and are walking down a street in a dilapidated neighborhood toward a baseball stadium with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, a dangerous looking man with a huge knife comes around the corner and is running at you while screaming obscenities. Being of sound mind and exercising your Second Amendment rights, you have a 9mm pistol and you are a competent shooter. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?
The Liberal Answer:
Well, first of all, I would never own a gun! Second, there is not enough information to answer the question! Does the man look poor or oppressed - am I his oppressor? Have I ever done anything to him that is reason for him to attack - does he think that I am a Republican because of my ethnic origin? Could I possibly knock the knife out of his hand or run away? What does the law say about this situation? Does he just want to kill me or is he going to kill my significant other? Is it really fair to assume that I have children? If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my partner get away and call the police? This is all so confusing! Surely this question would be better answered by a focus group.
The Right Answer:
Warn the offender then shoot the offender! Then take your family to the baseball game, sing the National Anthem, eat some hot dogs and apple pie, and thank the Lord for one more day of freedom!
"The Constitution does not say that government shall decree the right to keep and bear arms. The Constitution says the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Former President Ronald Reagan.
Let's keep it that way and vote this November for the Right candidate.
Michael A. Helton
Warsaw
via e-mail
Conservative Christians
Editor, Times-Union:I am truly concerned that we cannot put people to death as quickly as some conservative Christians would prefer, i.e., homosexual behavior.
Some writers to you have mentioned Leviticus 20:13, which in their belief calls for the death penalty. Having read Leviticus, I offer the following groups of people who also should be put to death:
- anyone who strikes their parent(s)
- anyone who curses their parent(s)
Oops! I forgot to mention that all Levitical strictures do not call for the death penalty. Some proscribed practices include the eating of "unclean" animals such as pork, rabbits and seafood, other than fish (Leviticus 11).
I sure hope that some conservative compassionate Christian would put a stop to the pork industry, 4-H kids raising rabbits and anyone who serves shrimp or lobster.
I almost forgot to include adultery, which at levels of 30 to 50 percent of current American couples surely deserves death. Dang! The compassionate conservatives got their work cut out for them, so many people deserve death!
This is tongue-in-cheek satire, meant only to poke fun at holier-than-thou "Christians." I mean no harm or offense; my aim is to show the hypocrisy of hatred towards those whom God chose to make gay, lesbian or trans-gendered, also to show how selective reading of the Bible can mislead one.
I am an ordained minister who is not gay.
Jon E. Treesh, Milford
Trash Removal
Editor, Times-Union:For 15 years we have lived next to an apartment house across the alley. For the same 15 years, people have moved in & out of these apartments quite often. For 15 years we have seen the trash pile up then get removed every week by the city. Good job! Until this week. There was an extraordinary amount of trash put out for pickup. Which the city somehow missed! When I checked the city's Web site, it states that, "We cannot pick up large amounts left when someone moves."
They are my neighbors and I don't even know if someone moved or just "cleaned out." If the city is not responsible for taking large amounts of trash after someone moves out, then who the heck is? The landlord? How does "the city" know when someone moves out?
Who makes that decision? What about the neighbors of these people that somehow "the city" decided can just live with a large amount of trash outside their window? Don't they have the right to have this trash removed so they don't have to live with it? Until some slumlord, who lives who knows where, will get around to it.
Trash day is trash day! Not "we can leave it there till whenever day!" I really would like this mess next to me picked up!
Tim Connors
Warsaw, via e-mail
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- Fahrenheit Veracity - Hypothetical - Conservative Christians - Trash Removal
Fahrenheit Veracity
Editor, Times-Union:I enjoy reading the letters to the editor. I think the public debate of issues is useful. I specifically have found the letters regarding Michael Moore's movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" interesting.
I am trying to figure out whom to vote for in the next election. I want to vote for candidates who have high integrity, common sense, are fiscally responsible and who will vote or lead in the best interests of their constituents, their community and their nation regardless of special interests or political party interests. I encourage others to join me in trying to be conscientious, truth-seeking voters.
There have been several viewpoints expressed in a Times-Union editorial and subsequent letters to the editor implying or stating that Moore's movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" is full of lies. I wonder. If it does have lies, I would like to see the specifics. Which of Moore's assertions are lies and what is the evidence? To date, the viewpoints expressed are so general that I wonder whether the authors have even seen the movie. I saw it. After reading a number of letters, I went back and saw it for the second time. What I found was that Moore actually made very few assertions. He presents clips of speeches, interviews, etc., along with things that are part of the public record and lets the moviegoers reach their own conclusions.
For example, Moore shows clips of President Bush, early in his term, stating unequivocally that IRAQ did not have WMD capabilities. He shows key administration figures stating the same. Then he shows clips of Bush, Powell, etc., using specific knowledge of Iraq's WMDs and their locations as rationale for declaring war on Iraq. Then he shows the failure to find the WMDs and shows President Bush using other reasons to justify the war. Moore makes no assertions. He just presents Bush speaking at various times and lets the viewer draw his/her own conclusion.
Another example. Moore shows Vice President Cheney talking about his role as CEO of Halliburton. He shows Halliburton and other industry executives at a defense industry symposium talking about the vast sums of money to be made as a result of the Iraq war and its aftermath. Then he shows that Halliburton was awarded massive contracts without any competitive bidding. (Halliburton is charging the government over half a billion a month for Iraq activities, according to its latest quarterly report.) And finally, he shows (if my memory is correct), a newspaper clipping talking about the large profits Halliburton is making off the Iraq activities. Moore makes no assertion about Cheney and Halliburton. He presents the train of facts and lets the viewer draw the conclusion.
So if Michael Moore's film has lies, help us understand by letting us know specifically what they are and what the evidence is supporting such. I personally find it hard to discern what is truth and what is emotion. I do know that Michael Moore's movie, if it is accurate, creates a cloud of doubt over the Bush administration for those who are open-minded and truth-seeking enough to make the effort to see it.
Howard Woodward Jr.
Warsaw
via e-mail
Editor's note: A fairly comprehensive disection of the film apears at this Web address:
http://slate.msn.com/id/2102723#ContinueArticle
An even more in-depth analysis called "59 Deceits in Fahrenheit 9/11" appears here:
www.davekopel.com/Terror/Fiftysix-Deceits-in-Fahrenheit-911.htm
Hypothetical
Editor, Times-Union:This story first appeared in the Federalist Brief. It's a hypothetical situation of the two Americas - the Liberals have recently been talking about theirs and ours.
You've parked your car and are walking down a street in a dilapidated neighborhood toward a baseball stadium with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, a dangerous looking man with a huge knife comes around the corner and is running at you while screaming obscenities. Being of sound mind and exercising your Second Amendment rights, you have a 9mm pistol and you are a competent shooter. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?
The Liberal Answer:
Well, first of all, I would never own a gun! Second, there is not enough information to answer the question! Does the man look poor or oppressed - am I his oppressor? Have I ever done anything to him that is reason for him to attack - does he think that I am a Republican because of my ethnic origin? Could I possibly knock the knife out of his hand or run away? What does the law say about this situation? Does he just want to kill me or is he going to kill my significant other? Is it really fair to assume that I have children? If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my partner get away and call the police? This is all so confusing! Surely this question would be better answered by a focus group.
The Right Answer:
Warn the offender then shoot the offender! Then take your family to the baseball game, sing the National Anthem, eat some hot dogs and apple pie, and thank the Lord for one more day of freedom!
"The Constitution does not say that government shall decree the right to keep and bear arms. The Constitution says the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Former President Ronald Reagan.
Let's keep it that way and vote this November for the Right candidate.
Michael A. Helton
Warsaw
via e-mail
Conservative Christians
Editor, Times-Union:I am truly concerned that we cannot put people to death as quickly as some conservative Christians would prefer, i.e., homosexual behavior.
Some writers to you have mentioned Leviticus 20:13, which in their belief calls for the death penalty. Having read Leviticus, I offer the following groups of people who also should be put to death:
- anyone who strikes their parent(s)
- anyone who curses their parent(s)
Oops! I forgot to mention that all Levitical strictures do not call for the death penalty. Some proscribed practices include the eating of "unclean" animals such as pork, rabbits and seafood, other than fish (Leviticus 11).
I sure hope that some conservative compassionate Christian would put a stop to the pork industry, 4-H kids raising rabbits and anyone who serves shrimp or lobster.
I almost forgot to include adultery, which at levels of 30 to 50 percent of current American couples surely deserves death. Dang! The compassionate conservatives got their work cut out for them, so many people deserve death!
This is tongue-in-cheek satire, meant only to poke fun at holier-than-thou "Christians." I mean no harm or offense; my aim is to show the hypocrisy of hatred towards those whom God chose to make gay, lesbian or trans-gendered, also to show how selective reading of the Bible can mislead one.
I am an ordained minister who is not gay.
Jon E. Treesh, Milford
Trash Removal
Editor, Times-Union:For 15 years we have lived next to an apartment house across the alley. For the same 15 years, people have moved in & out of these apartments quite often. For 15 years we have seen the trash pile up then get removed every week by the city. Good job! Until this week. There was an extraordinary amount of trash put out for pickup. Which the city somehow missed! When I checked the city's Web site, it states that, "We cannot pick up large amounts left when someone moves."
They are my neighbors and I don't even know if someone moved or just "cleaned out." If the city is not responsible for taking large amounts of trash after someone moves out, then who the heck is? The landlord? How does "the city" know when someone moves out?
Who makes that decision? What about the neighbors of these people that somehow "the city" decided can just live with a large amount of trash outside their window? Don't they have the right to have this trash removed so they don't have to live with it? Until some slumlord, who lives who knows where, will get around to it.
Trash day is trash day! Not "we can leave it there till whenever day!" I really would like this mess next to me picked up!
Tim Connors
Warsaw, via e-mail
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