Where's outrage over Palin attacks?
The latest outbreak of "Palin derangement syndrome" (Columnist Krauthammer's terminology) is happening in Alaska as Democrats and their henchmen in the press dig through the governor's emails.
This is outrageous on a couple of fronts.
Never in the history of politics has there been such an orchestrated attack on a political figure for very little reason, both with lies and insults on her, and her family and even her Down syndrome child.
Where's the outrage? This shouldn't be happening in America.
Her offense seems to be getting elected governor and nominated for vice president outside the good old boy political process, with very little money and not being a member of the "ruling class."
It's a blatant attempt to discredit her and drive her off the front page, but why? With all the idiots in Congress and government, by what standard does she not qualify?
I'm not promoting her for a presidential nomination, but amazed she is as tough as she is.
MAURICE SCHMOLL
Signal Mountain
Continue funding for Allied Arts
Some members of the City Council and County Commission have suggested decreasing or eliminating funding for Allied Arts.
While I appreciate the desire to make Chattanooga and Hamilton County fiscally responsible, I am completely opposed to a cutback in arts funding.
We in Chattanooga are fortunate to enjoy a high quality of life; much of that is due to our varied arts opportunities, and many of those are a result of the support of Allied Arts.
I teach German at the Center for Creative Arts and am an active supporter and patron of the arts. I help bring a number of international visitors to the Scenic City through a school exchange, the Sister City Association, and language programs I coordinate.
Chattanooga area residents benefit in so many ways from the arts programs and events available to us. In addition, the arts make our city attractive to tourists and other visitors, a comment visitors often express.
Council members and commissioners, please support the arts in the Scenic City. To those favoring withdrawal of funding, I urge you to change your stance and instead vote to continue arts funding. Allied Arts' work is not a frill; it's vital to the quality of life we have all come to appreciate.
KAREN CLAYPOOL
Look forward, bring on metro
Forward-thinking people should vote for metropolitan government.
Combining services would definitely reduce costs to our taxpayers. Metro would end the endless power struggles between the city and county governing agencies.
Currently we are getting poor results from too many elected officials who are motivated by staying in power, some of whom are reluctant to move forward to serve the people.
Dalton Roberts is a wise politician and deserves to be heard from more often on this subject. He has been in favor of this for many years. Me, too.
RILEY DIAL
Hixson
Newspaper, GOP causing problems
Of all the issues in this world which are troubling, two are bugging me at the moment.
The partial page in the newspaper that causes an immediate wrestling match.
The way the Republicans are taking a tomahawk to the middle-class Americans on down to the poor and are taking a combat knife to the throats of the elderly.
DUN B. MONROE
Signal Mountain
We're reaping what aristocrats sowed
The breach between aristocrats and common people widened immediately after the (American) revolution. Fearful of liberty and equality, aristocrats wanted to protect property at all costs. The Constitutional Convention had no farming-craftsman representation.
Within 72 years, America fought 100-plus military campaigns before slavery dissolved the Union. After the Civil War, Republicans imposed social Darwinism. Democrats introduced socialism. 300-plus more military campaigns!
Governments own 44 percent of America's land. The top 1 percent own 43 percent of its financial wealth. The bottom 80 percent own 7 percent. Economic chaos! Rampant lawlessness! Unending wars! $14-plus trillion debt! We're reaping what aristocrats sowed.
Goals determine structure. Federalism achieved aristocratic goals. "The American Dream" - equity - gave people hope of inheriting law's promises and made America great. Federalism divided America against itself and confiscated the people's wealth. The Constitution's letter killed its spirit, which nullifies the Constitution. Law is no more.
Federalism dates back 5,000 years to the world's first empire builder in ancient Babylonia. The Messianic structure displaced Roman Federalism. America was settled with local self-rule. The Declaration of Independence condemned English Federalism. American aristocrats restored the Babylonian system.
Do governments derive their "just power" from elitist domination or the "consent of the governed?"
RICHARD D. VICKREY
Film documents honeybee crisis
All across America this month, the documentary film "Queen of the Sun - What are the bees telling us" will be playing in theaters to celebrate National Pollinator Week. In honor of the honeybee, Gaining Ground of Chattanooga will be showing this film for one evening at Green Spaces, June 22, 6:30 at 63 E. Main St. Visit www.queenofthesun.com to read more and view a short trailer.
Thank you, honeybees! We love you!
For the last two years, we (the bees and me) have challenged the local farmers and growers to help create a voluntary 100-mile radius free-GMO zone for our pollinators. Please join the challenge and see the documentary on June 22; it's free! This important documentary shows an alternative look into the problems and solutions of the global honeybee crisis.
LOU McKENZIE
Sale Creek
Race coverage not newsworthy?
On Saturday morning (June 11) an event of historical significance began in downtown Chattanooga. The only coverage by your paper was a single picture on Page B7 of the Sunday Metro section. The annual Great Race has been held for a century. This year, the 60 automobiles entered in the race ranged from years 1911 to 1969. Yes, one of the autos driving the over 1,000-mile course to Bennington, Vt,, was of 1911 vintage.
You devoted three pages of the Sunday paper (June 12), including the front page, to the story of a troubled man who has been taking daily walks for 18 years and practically nothing to the start of the race, which drew a large crowd including the mayor, commissioners, etc. Which story do you think would reflect better on Chattanooga?
LEN GULLICKSON
Card applicants pay a high price
Someone explain to me how an illegal alien can live in this country for 15 years and not apply for a green card.
Maybe it's because it would cost him $5,000, as it cost a friend. The cost included a round trip to Memphis from Cleveland for just one fingerprint and a $25 charge for an email of congratulation.
Any idea about who could, or would, put up money for green cards for any illegal?
WILLIAM J. BURTON
Cleveland, Tenn.
Climate change is the real thing
Some say man-made climate change is untrue or exaggerates scientific findings. Some climate change information is exaggerated, but the problem is real. In testimony before Congress, scientist Richard Muller disappointed Chairman Ralph Hall and other "skeptics" on the committee, saying his data shows the problem is real.
In 1896, Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish scientist studying glacial periods in geological history, proposed that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and water vapor increased the earth's temperature. Many scientists, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, have found confirming data since.
Anthony Watts, Steve McIntyre, Chris Horner, Marc Morano and others deny these findings, focusing on a small portion of the evidence and ignoring the rest. All the relevant scientific organizations disavow their thinking.
Record snowfall in the Northwestern mountains, fire in Arizona, tornadoes (due in part to the warmer water in the Gulf of Mexico) and floods in the upper Midwest all are predicted by climate change theories that predict the move of the rain belt to the north.
Fox News and conservative pundits have convinced conservative preachers that climate change is false. Preachers then push this dogma, which people accept without examining it. Isn't it time for you to check it out?
ROGER A. MEYER