Don't use religion as a weapon

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

Friday, August 26, 2011

Don't use religion as a weapon

I think Cal Thomas' column misses the point, as usual. He says we center-to-left folks are "intolerant of ideas rooted in conservative politics or evangelical faith." A more correct statement would be we are "intolerant of ideas rooted in conservative politics and evangelical faith." Mr. Thomas and the right side of this page believe the two have to be joined at the hip while we see them as separate entities, like oil and water; or oxymorons, as is "compassionate conservative."

Maybe it should be said that our problem is not with Christian evangelicals who live what they preach. It's the opportunistic politicians and others who use religion as a wedge or weapon for personal gain, whether it be wealth or politics or whatever. Wolves in sheep's' clothing, so to speak. We do not believe you have to vote Republican in order to be a Christian.

Many of us on the left consider ourselves to be simply sinners, saved by grace. Can you conservatives claim to have a better deal than that?

ALLAN BAGGETT

Trion, Ga.

Veterans deserve better care

President Theodore Roosevelt said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." We see all the violence all over the world and our great country involved in hopeless bloody wars that seem to kill and wound our brave troops.

Speaking of "fear," when our troops return home expecting to receive care, they must fear all the problems at the Veterans Administration recently closing the Walter Reed VA Hospital after unsanitary conditions were reported.

Asking our brave men and women to serve in these dangerous war zones, and then the ones lucky enough to come home expecting to receive proper treatment for their wounds must be a real disappointment to them. Besides, when it comes to them being thrust into a very slow claims processing system that takes months and sometimes years, it is not right. They deserve much better! After fighting in wars, it's not the American way to ask them to wait for health care and their well-earned benefits.

The president signed a bill last October that was supposed to have improved the systems within the Veterans Administration. There is still some discrepancy within the system.

RICHARD D. BLOOD

Ringgold, Ga.

Leave Social Security alone

It always amazes me to hear the Republicans rant about "entitlements."

Yes, we are "entitled" to these programs because we paid into them all our working lives!

I have worked since I was 13 and like all of us paid Social Security, which money was mandated to be invested and grow, not be lent out and never repaid.

I worked for 60 years and need my Social Security as my mutual funds tanked.

Medicare receives $94 or more from every working person of a certain age and simply cannot be touched.

Clean up the fraud. It isn't an impossible task but leave us who are not millionaires alone!

LOUISE HUGHES

Blairsville, Ga.