Pray for and help ISIS terror targets and other letters to the editors

Pray for and help the targets of ISIS terror

Please pray for the great persecution now going on in Iraq as the terrorist group ISIS is brutally killing anyone that doesn't agree with them, including Shia Muslims, Yazidis and Christians.

Tens of thousands have been given an ultimatum to convert, pay an unbeliever tax, flee or die. Almost unspeakable atrocities fill reports from news and human rights agencies. In Iraq's largest Christian town of Qaraqosh alone, 50,000 Assyrian Christians have fled.

Congressman Frank Wolf stated "in the region around Mosul -- what we know as Nineveh in the Bible -- there is not a single Christian left. Think about that. There is not one Christian left in the ancient heart of Iraqi Christianity. A 2,000-year presence wiped away before our eyes in just a matter of weeks."

There are several organizations helping the refugees, most of whom have fled to Kurdistan, such as Voice of the Martyrs, Samaritan's Purse, Open Doors, Catholic Relief and UNICEF. You can help by giving, calling your congressional representative and praying to help the victims of this current-day genocide.

LEN CRAWFORD, Blue Ridge, Ga.


Police don't need military weapons

Regarding the front page article, "Jasper Police get more firepower." I fail to see why the Department of Defense finds it reasonable to dispose of surplus military gear by (practically) giving it away to small town police departments. Are there very many enemy insurgents in Jasper, Tenn.? Putting military grade weapons in the hands of police is simply asking for trouble. How often exactly do police find it necessary to discharge 30-round clips in three second? I can't imagine it is often enough to merit putting them in the hands of community protectors who are more accustomed to pulling over the rogue speedster than fighting off an enemy army. Police Chief Tim Graham even expresses his "hopes that his officers never have to use the weapons." With the stories of Trayvon Martin and the Ferguson, Mo., episode becoming more prominent, surely police ought not be investing in, much less be proud of, military-grade weapons that are more of a danger to the community than a source of safety. Yes, police ought to carry guns, but surely the boys in blue of Jasper can do their jobs perfectly well with their pistols, without putting fully automatic weapons in the hands of trigger-happy novices.

GEORGIA STANDISH, Collegedale, Tenn.


Say thanks, give truckers a break

As you are reading your paper this morning, please look around at all of the things in your home and realize they are all possible for you to purchase because of professional tractor-trailer drivers. That is correct -- these men and women are professional drivers. They are fathers, mothers, brothers, daughters and friends out on the road making a living for their families. When you pull in front of a truck or cut one off in traffic, you are putting yourself and them at a huge risk. A fully loaded tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds and can take 525 feet to come to a stop traveling at 65 mph. If they need to change lanes and you can hang back a minute rather than rushing to pass them, please do so. It only slows traffic more for them to get back up to speed. I ride with my husband and am shocked at the ignorance shown to truckers. Most truckers are hard-working, serious drivers trying to do their jobs. Finally, I beg you all to please put your phone in the back seat. No message or phone call is worth your life.

RACHEL SHAFFER, Rossville


Fundamental truths are missed

When Christians claim that we atheists are arrogant and disrespectful in assailing their beliefs, it is not their beliefs, as such, that we rail against. Indeed, if they kept their beliefs to themselves, we would have no reason to remonstrate. But the problem is their dogged persistence in crossing the line between church and state. The tea party, teeming as it is with Christian fundamentalists, has had entirely too much sway in the GOP, having succeeded in passing insanely restrictive abortion laws, labeling homosexuals as "sinners" and thus not worthy of equal rights, trying to force the teaching of the myth of creationism as history in our schools, and insisting that our Founding Fathers, who were predominantly deists, intended for America to be a Christian nation when in fact they had no such intentions. Even our economic system is perversely aligned with the religious beliefs of the fundamentalists, wherein capitalism is supposedly sanctioned by God and socialism in all forms is considered inherently evil. What a beacon of light this nation could be if it weren't for the dark toxic cloud of oppressive and regressive Christian fundamentalist thinking that hangs over this land.

RICK ARMSTRONG, Monteagle, Tenn.


Obama approach is appropriate

I agree with some of the points put forward in David Ignatius's Aug. 28 editorial. Much has been said about President Barack Obama's vacation while the world seemed to be unraveling. Even during a much-deserved break with his family and close friends, he is challenged on all fronts. Obama has had an uphill battle with a Republican Congress that meant to stonewall and impede any initiatives he put forth. Some may call it democracy at work. I call it an act of treason. It appears that the goal of Obama's detractors is to make him appear to be disengaged and incompetent. I beg to differ. I can appreciate Obama's ability to look at very difficult, complex issues and welcome input; after which he takes prudent and deliberative actions. This is not a passive strategy; it's a progressive one -- so unlike the past administration. Obama is advised to continue to be cautious, continue to engage the United Nations for assistance and not act unilaterally.

BRITTANY CANTRELL, Collegedale, Tenn.


Use of force need not be deadly

The big issue for me in regard to the Michael Brown shooting incident and (too many) other similar incidents is why are our police using deadly force instead of the mega-billion dollar tazers, net-guns, glue-guns, billy clubs, pepper spray and rubber bullets we taxpayers provide them? Are they trained to use only their guns? Must they shoot to kill? I say, "No," and I'm not alone. One reason our culture is so gun crazy is because every time we turn on our TVs, there's a gun sticking in our face.

ROBERT L. BROWN, Missionary Ridge


Bicycles not same as cars on roads

Vehicular cycling taking the streets? What the heck: This is America, not some Third World country that has to use roads and bicycles to make a living. The roads in America are for motor vehicles. Bicycle lanes: great. Side-by-side riding: bad. Common respect: good. Oh, by the way, bright motorcycle lights: bad -- they hurt and blind drivers.

DENNIS BROWN, Lookout Mountain


Vote for a change in Red Bank

On Aug. 27, Emily Crisman wrote a wonderful article, "Change is brewing in Red Bank," in the Wednesday Community News section of the paper (www.community.times freepress.com/news/2014/Aug/17 change-brewing-red-bank). This is a very enlightening article that most Red Bank folks would welcome, but we do have the usual opposition from those who do not like change. Two of the opposition are present commissioners who, under the guise of being "undecided," would vote against this new zoning ordinance. The ordinance is years overdue and can bring Red Bank out of the 1900s into the 21st century. Red Bank has so much potential if given the right direction. The article explains many things in the ordinance that will benefit home owners and businesses. Unfortunately, the two commissioners who have not consented to pass it do not represent the people of Red Bank and don't want "change" to come. The November election will probably be the most important Red Bank has ever had. Who you vote for and elect will take it to the next level -- or keep it a sleeping community. The next generation will not buy into an old community.

MARY ANN RENNICK


Griffin: Keep our state charming

The paper reported that a real Tennessean, Leonard Embody of Nashville, carried his weapons openly on the street. Now in ordinary times, this would be no big deal and shouldn't be. But just a word to Mr. Embody. You must realize that the weak-kneed churches and universities have raised up a generation of babies who are afraid of everything. In the words of the curses in Deuteronomy 28, they tremble at the shaking of a leaf. Just try to smile and let the little things know that you are merely exercising a God-given right. When the statue of John Sevier in Washington was dedicated, the chaplain stated: "May the charm of living dangerously never leave the heart of the Tennessean." It is too bad that doing ordinary things is now dangerous, but some of us have not lost our charm. We are from Tennessee.

JUNE GRIFFIN, Dayton, Tenn.


Library director deserves support

Auditors' reports are a key to the effective management of any business enterprise. The Chattanooga Public Library is critical to the health of our city as it partners with the entire community. When Hamilton County decided to stop its funding of the library, some serious issues were created. Some were fiscally oriented and others management related. Corinne Hill was brought in to deal with all of the issues created by the defunding. The financial issues raised by the audit report do not seem to me to be as significant as the TFP "headline" implies. Having spent 40-plus years in industry, I can attest to the fact that change brings aches and pains. I am impressed with the direction the library is going and strongly support the new direction. Corrections in the control systems, as pointed out by the auditors, are no doubt necessary. Let us not lose sight of the fact that we have a first-class operation in the making. I strongly urge all those involved to back the director and get on with creating the best library Chattanooga has ever seen.

IRWIN GINSBURG

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