'Gun free zones' wrong for military
Apparently it's not enough for our government that the heroes in America's armed forces risk their lives overseas defending our freedom. These days, our soldiers aren't even safe here at home stationed on secure military bases. On Nov. 5, a lone gunman murdered 13 fully-trained, ready to deploy soldiers and wounded 29 more, in the most shocking terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11. How was Nidal Hasan able to take down so many trained soldiers? Because the government thinks it's better to keep armed service members unarmed!
That's right. Our military men and woman are banned from carrying the weapons they are trained and trusted to use in the heat of combat. President Clinton authored this asinine policy back in 1993 when he declared all military bases "gun free zones." Gun free zones do nothing but assure criminals, and now terrorists, that they will find unarmed victims defenseless against a homicidal rampage. Because of Clinton's policy of an unarmed armed forces, this psychopath methodically executed soldier after soldier before a local traffic cop could arrive on the scene. If we didn't have gun free zones and our armed forces were armed Hasan would have met bullets instead of bodies.
BEN BURKE
Deal quickly with tax freeze
In the Times Free Press article on Nov. 9, Commissioner Curtis Adams stated that there was no great concern shown by other commissioners about the tax freeze issue. He stated that he had not heard from the citizens of Hamilton Count about the proposed tax freeze.
Since there was 85 percent of voters who voted for the tax freeze, I would think that any politician would carry out the wishes of his constituents. Sometimes our local leaders begin to think like our national leaders that they know what is best for us and that ordinary citizens can't make good decisions.
As a concerned senior citizen and property taxpayer, I am asking you, Mr. Adams, and fellow commissioners to do what is right in this matter. It is my contention that any leader who is not up to the task of making "complicated decisions" should bow out and let someone else do the people's bidding. It is my hope that you and the other elected officials will "thaw this property tax issue out" and deal with it quickly.
JAMES G. GRAHAM
Execute evil-doers into eternity
We are turning into a nation led by political wimps! And President Obama is the No. 1 Wimp. To try the alleged co-conspirators of 9/11 in a civilian trial is an affront to the memory of the victims and their families. The scales of U.S. justice have become unbalanced for the whole world to view. These evil men should face military justice. Period.
So should the U.S. Army major who killed and wounded his own fellow soldiers at Fort Hood. He should be charged with much more than 13 murders. It doesn't take a psychiatrist to know that this evil-doer is a traitor to the U.S. and is guilty of treason against the U.S. What he did was a viciously premeditated act of war. Give him the justice he deserves.
Upon conviction these evil males and all those like them should be executed into eternity.
Fellow Americans: as an old Korean War vet (that war is not over) let me warn that if we do not win this current war, we shall never have peace.
RAY STASZEWSKI
Paper should listen to the citizens
The voters of Lookout Mountain, Ga., handed a resounding defeat this month to two city officials most closely associated with Chapelbrow, a dense 96-acre development proposed on a steep mountainside adjacent to Covenant College. The election was a clear repudiation of the development. The Times Free Press not only did not cover the significance of the election -- and the voice of voters -- but buried the numbers in an article on retirement communities that actually featured Chapelbrow and its promoter Frank Brock (past Covenant president).
There was no mention of the steep slopes and thin soil that are unsuitable for concentrated development. No mention of instances in which stormwater runoff resulting from far less density has created serious damage to property owners. No mention of the dangerous September rock slide that occurred directly above the proposed Chapelbrow site. No mention of the 31 percent increase in traffic the development would funnel past the elementary school. No mention of $55,000 the city has spent to hire a professional planner who recommended against Chapelbrow at the proposed site.
It makes a reader wonder why the paper appears to be listening to Frank Brock -- who does not live in Lookout Mountain, Ga. -- instead of to citizens who do.
GAIL BRYAN
Lookout Mountain, Ga.
Early presidents not born in 'US'
Since there was no U.S. then, it was impossible for our first six elected presidents to be born in the U.S. The Declaration of Independence was written in Philadelphia in 1776. Eleven years later, in 1787, after American patriots had won our independence, the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution of the United States of America. After it was ratified in 1789, the new government was established.
Rather than waiting for a president to be born and attain the age of 35 years in the United States of America, the new government did what was possible. They elected Gen. George Washington as the first president of the United States of America. He served as president of the United States in New York City until our government was moved to Foggy Bottom, aka D.C.
Additionally, I have visited the birthplace of George Washington many times. It is located on the Northern Neck of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States of America. As for the other five first presidents, someone else can dig that out.
BILL FRAKER
Did God let hurricane happen?
Anne Graham Lotz (daughter of Billy Graham) claims that God allowed hurricane Katrina to destroy New Orleans because "... for years we've been telling God to get out of our lives." Nell Mohney wonders if it began with Madalyn Murray O'Hair's lawsuit.
A hurricane hit Galveston, Texas, in 1900. It destroyed almost the entire city and killed at least 6,000 people. This was 63 years before Madalyn Murray O'Hair won her case at the Supreme Court, so why did God let it happen?
JAMES WALLACE THOMTE
Ringgold, Ga.
Withdraw forces from Afghanistan
"Daunting" is the adjective the Free Press chose to describe the situation in Afghanistan Nov. 10. That same date, Bob Herbert observed the "stress beyond belief" that was being placed upon our armed forces and their families. He further discussed that the "fallout for the mental health challenges facing the fighting men and women is vast."
I believe Sen. Bob Corker, after traveling there, would say there is no good choice we face, only undesirable consequences.
To stay in such physically challenging conditions carries the above and other financial costs beyond description. This does not mention that virtual impossibility of molding a national unity out of tribal loyalties that have existed for centuries. Also recall, no foreign power has been able to successfully stay in Afghanistan. What arrogance makes us think we can be the first?
All things considered, we must withdraw our armed forces and address the new consequences.
SAM JONES
Mr Burke: Perhaps you should consult a dictionary.
ter⋅ror⋅ism –noun 1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes. 2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization. 3. a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government.
The act of that one lone gunman in TX was not an act of Terrorism. It was an act of violence. There was no political purpose to it, it was a man who snapped under the pressure of facing going to a War he either did not wish or want to participate in. Nidal Hasan was not a terrorist, and to call him such gives him more credit than he is worth.
Now the question you should be Asking yourself is this. How did Hasan get a not one but TWO guns onto this base. There are base security checkpoints where you are supposed to be checked for weapons, so the sad reality of it is Security at this base slipped.
NO I'm not saying it was Security's fault. Don't think I'd say that. But they have a touch of responsibility.
the reason our men and women are "banned" from carrying weapons is to prevent issues like this. If a fight breaks out between two officers, there is a higher chance for fatality IF those two officers have a pistol with witch to use. Since they are trained to kill, their instinct would be to do so (and if you think that in such an enclosed community fights don't break out your deluding yourself.)
There are ARMED Guards on these bases, called MP's it is the duty of these men and women to defend the base in question.
It's easy to point the blame at Clinton, when in truth the blame lies solely on Hasan. He brought the weapons on base, he loaded them, he fired them, he killed 13 people. bt he is not a terrorist
Exusiai- Military base entry points do not search every vehicle entering the base. They simply check to make sure that the person/s entering the base have the proper I.D. required to be on the installation. Where I was stationed we had roughly 16,000 people working on the base and to check every vehicle, every day would be impossible. Lets also not forget that some members LIVE on the installation and keep firearms in their homes. I know this is not the case here but it's still something to keep in mind. I believe if you live on base you are required to register the weapon with the armory, however, it is a hard rule to enforce.
To Mr. Burke, the reason members don't carry sidearms or rifles around the base is due to the fact that they aren't needed. So far this is an isolated case. What sense would it make to have 8000 AF members walking around a secure installation with rifles? Military members are armed where they need to be armed, in hostile situations. Again, this was an isolated incident and hardly requires gearing the military up on our home turf.
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