Paris attacks no big deal
I tire of the drumbeat to escalate our military presence in the Middle East citing an unresponsive and somnolent president to current events. Are memories so short we've forgotten George Bush's bullhorn moment atop the rubble of the Twin Towers?
A marvelous photo-op yes, but his bellicose attitude ensnared us in two wars, destabilized an entire region, fomented an economic collapse and caused the unnecessary deaths of tens of thousands.
As terrible as the Paris attacks were, individual acts are not a casus belli. We don't go to war because of what eight malcontents did or what other similarly sick-minded individuals may or may not do in the future. Polls show many are ready to go to war but with whom and to do what?
Obama's steady hand and measured response are the essence of leadership and exactly what we need in times like these. Caving to the most recent poll reflecting an urge to lash out and strike back is not leadership, it is pandering.
We've had 10 years of war with thousands of troops deployed and billions of dollars spent. I challenge anyone to find an upside from that effort.
Denny Pistoll, Rising Fawn, Ga.
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Smith 'greater being'? No thanks
From time to time, I like to read Robin Smith's column to see what Ms. Goodie Two Shoes of the right has to say. And her Christmas-week article didn't fail to disappoint and rile me up.
She was doing fine about how wonderful it is to be a Christian, but then she did what she does too often: She became judgmental, arrogant and divisive, basically ruining a nicely thought-out column. She is eternally grateful God sent his son, Jesus, as the ultimate gift to humanity.
Then this: "But the elite who don't want a greater being to impinge upon their excesses or the self-important who are insulted at the notion that their existence is not the pre-eminence in their lives are within their "rights" to reject this gift personally "
As a Buddhist, and therefore atheist, I meditate daily to discipline my excesses. I don't need a "greater being" to scare me into it. I am forever humbled at how tiny planet Earth is within the cosmos. Self-importance is against all universal laws.
I'm no elite, just an evolving primate trying to find meaning and spread love on my extremely short journey of life.
Roger Davis
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Stop predatory lending schemes
I am writing in regards to predatory lending and its effect on America.
Our country needs to end it for all the trouble it causes Americans who have been sucked into its almost never ending spiral.
Predatory lending is a way for companies to take advantage of those in financial need without them even knowing what is happening.
Most predatory lending companies require the loan to be paid back within a two-week period, but most Americans cannot pay it back in this time.
Most people who use predatory lending start using the money as payment for bills or an emergency.
Then they get pulled into this cycle of not being able to turn in the payment and become repeat borrowers; they keep taking out loans but are never able to repay them and eventually move under the poverty line.
There are certain cases where people are able to take out a single loan and then return the money and move on with their lives. The payday lending industry makes its money from repeat loans and interest rates, making it a $46 billion-dollar industry.
Ellie Jenkins