Is U.S. really any better than ISIS?
The biggest executioners in the world are China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Are we any better than ISIS? The radical crazies of the Islamic State of Iran and Syria recently beheaded two journalists? The Tennessee legislature recently voted to allow the state to electrocute death-row inmates if lethal injection drugs cannot be obtained. You see, Europeans will no longer sell us the drugs we need to kill people. (How dare they think their morals are superior to ours?) Even Mexico won't extradite a criminal to the United States if he faces a death penalty because that country believes such a penalty is immoral. What do they know that our legislators do not? The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state. Capital punishment does not work. Clear evidence proves this fact (AmnestyUSA.org). It is expensive, discriminatory and used disproportionately against the poor, minorities and members of racial, ethnic and religious communities. How different are we from ISIS, after all?
MATTHEW HINE, M.D.
Boosting minimum wage is right to do
About the debate on minimum wage, there are so many people working at minimum wage who are unable to take care of themselves or their families because their income is not enough to pay for things such as a home, food, medicine and clothing. I raised three children on a very low income. It was very stressful and hard, so I understand what a hardship it is to provide for yourself and family on a low income. Put yourselves in the place of someone with a low income. I do believe you will find it in your heart to vote to raise the minimum wage to $10.10. That's not really much. You certainly won't have anything left over.
BETTY MIDDLEBROOKS
Citizens Should Welcome Firepower
I read with great interest the article titled "From the Military to the Police" in the Sept. 10 TFP. Why is this made to sound like any law-abiding citizen should fear our law enforcement officers receiving these weapons and equipment to use to safeguard the public? Would you want the criminals to have better weapons than our policemen? I think the average citizen would welcome our officers to be armed with enough firepower to counter any attack on the public. After all, handguns and shotguns are no match for the bad guys' AK-47s and AR15s with 30-round clips.
ROBERT WESTMORELAND, Ellijay, Ga.