Wednesday, April 2, 2014
I've seen the greatness of our nation in defeating the evil Axis, eliminating polio, developing television, putting a man on the moon, creating smart phones and political parties working together.
We are now sadly in decline.
We have leaders who do not lead, a Congress more preoccupied with getting elected than doing business, many denying climate change, the Supreme Court saying "money is speech" and "corporations are people."
And only one Republican candidate for president in 2012 repudiated these ridiculous claims, and he was the first rejected by his party. Money and greed consume our nation; the rich get richer and the poor get poorer; Karl Rove and the Koch brothers spend millions subverting our democracy.
The population of the planet is 7 billion, and shortly it will be 9 billion. National Geographic tells us the Pacific Ocean will be "dead" in 50 years due to overfishing and pollution. Jacques Cousteau predicted this 50 years ago.
In 100 years, only half of all species now living on Earth will exist. Get the picture? Nevertheless, the Republicans' No. 1 objective is to destroy President Obama! That's dangerously shortsighted!
WILBOURNE C. MARKHAM SR., Walden, Tenn.
The people have awoken. Driven by the injustices committed by those who were supposed to protect and provide for them, they can have no more of the oppression, no more of the lies.
First in the Arab world, now in Latin America and Eastern Europe as well. They did not realize the action of protesting could terminate not in change but in its unpredictable consequence, violence.
The leaders of outside nations like Russia claim to have attempted to help these nations. This help, however, seems based in vested interests rather than in the interests of the people who started the unrest in the first place. Funny that Russia chose to militarily enter Ukraine, considering that in the case of a similar conflict in Syria, it called for the country to remain calm.
Let us not forget times when American invasions, too, ended in augmentations in violence overseas.
Yes, the people have awoken; now, however, they lie perpetually awake, as they hope and pray that their efforts were not in vain.
NAJIA HUMAYUN, Tunnel Hill, Ga.