Foundation, Metmin do it right
Another manmade disaster in our community is being cleaned up by two steadfast organizations - Metropolitan Ministries and the Chattanooga Community Foundation. Both made fast strides to help our neighbors in East Ridge when Superior Creek Lodge was suddenly condemned. The Community Foundation immediately granted MetMin $25,000 to stabilize these families. Within a week of this mass eviction, MetMin spent $31,000 to find people safe housing. Regular donations to MetMin mean that people in financial emergencies in our community have a place to turn. Gifts are put to use to do the most good possible and prevent homelessness.
Pete Cooper, Community Foundation president, knows what works, and he knows that MetMin makes it happen. Thank you, Pete. Thank you, MetMin.
Jenny K. Hill
Don't get sucked in
There is a long standing American adage, agreed to by all: "Don't get sucked in!" Both your editorial writers have gotten "sucked in" by their damnation of County Sheriff Jim Hammond, who has probably forgotten more about the obvious danger inherent in Islamic activity than they will ever know.
See editorial headlines and content of Sept. 2 opinion pages. No opposing positions.
As our country teeters on the brink of destruction, there are those ignorantly or purposefully putting America in harm's way, engaging in "civilization jihad," subverting every foundational institution of our culture including military, governments (local, federal, schools) and media. Muslim Brotherhood teaches its work in America "is a kind of grand jihad eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within so it is eliminated and Allah's religion is victorious over all other religions." Don't get sucked in.
John J. Spittler, Signal Mountain
Main Street needs comeback
It is time for Main Street to replace Wall Street as the dominant force in the American economy. Wall Street has promoted the creation of a global economy that makes money for the one percenters and excludes the middle class.
China is in freefall from a major correction; their investors are bailing. Europe is now absorbing several million refugees. The exodus is similar to the flight from Europe in the 17th century to our East Coast. The difference is that the modern immigrants are possibly dangerous.
So, what to do? How about this? We are now energy independent. We do not need China, the EU or the Middle East. We should encourage trading partners who have our values, exclusively. We should cut off military aid to all Middle East countries until they reject Isis and accept refugees, including Israel. We are in the driver's seat. We have the strongest overall economy.
We do not need a global economy that only drags us down. Buy local, grow local and let the world know that our friends from now on need to be responsible, solid global citizens, not just good for Wall Street leeches.
Tom Hirsch, Hixson
Davis takes correct stance
The Constitution's very first words following the Preamble are these: "All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives."
The Supreme Court can declare a law as unconstitutional, but only Congress can create law. Yet, the Court's unconstitutional practice has become accepted as the "law of the land."
The most recent example is the ruling on what constitutes marriage. This ruling overturned the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that gave the responsibility for defining marriage to the states. In the case of Kentucky, 75 percent of voters in 2004 amended their constitution to read: "Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Kentucky. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized."
Congress is the only legitimate authority with the power to amend or overturn DOMA. Hopefully, the principled stance taken by Kentucky Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis will provide a civics lesson for all and create an impetus to, once again, follow the Constitution.
Mike Budnick, Winchester, Tenn.
Folks, broaden your minds
A recurring flaw in letter-to-the-editor submissions is out-and-out xenophobia. Get with the times, grandmas and grandpas. Learn to use Google. There are thousands of Christian atrocities that have happened, but you would rather target the Islamic faith because its practitioners may not look and think exactly like you. As a result, many of you are reacting violently to the mere idea that America may offer aid or asylum to the outpouring of Syrian refugees. Perhaps you should not fear groups of starving, displaced human beings, but rather any government cold enough to deny them help.
Islam, like your much-beloved Christian faith, is based on the teachings and scriptures of Judaism, a religion many of you would claim is the faith of "God's chosen people." If this is the case, why would you fund Israel's imperialism, while in the same breath, turn your back on scores of Muslim refugees?
Did God really choose any one group of people for us to protect, or did you? And, more importantly, will you allow your prejudices to doom another?
Daley Ferguson, Chickamauga, Ga.
Hammond is fear mongering
The McCarthy Era was a time of fear mongering about communism in America. Ignorant people believed Sen. Joseph McCarthy because of fear.
No responsible American official engages in it. It's dangerous and irresponsible! I am extremely irritated with Sheriff Jim Hammond's remarks about Islam and American Muslims in general. His remarks make him a disciple of "fear mongering."
Communism was never a threat to America; neither are our American Muslim brothers. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas rightly said, "Communism on the world stage is a danger, but communism in America is a boogie man."
Fear caused our nation to deport 2 million Mexican Americans during the Depression. Fear caused our nation to imprison more than 100,000 Japanese Americans during WWII. Further, a shipload of Jews seeking asylum was turned away and many ended up in Hitler's gas chambers because of fear.
All shameful!
I highly commend Police Chief Fred Fletcher. He understands the real world we live in.
Wilbourne C. Markham Sr., Walden, Tenn.
Did Cal Thomas change his mind?
In his Sept. 12 commentary, Cal Thomas wrote, "America has never been a Christian nation."
Not true!
John Jay, America's first chief justice said, "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers. I believe the fact to be that, except the Bible, there is not a true history in the world."
Mr. Thomas used to write more godly commentary. In November 1997, he wrote, "God designed norms for behavior that are in our best interests. When we act outside those norms - such as for premarital sex, adultery, or homosexual sex - we cause physical, emotional and spiritual damage to ourselves and to our wider culture.
"The unpleasant consequences of divorce and sexually transmitted diseases are not the result of intolerant bigots seeking to denigrate others. They are the result of violating God's standards, which were made for our benefit."
Because we have failed to follow the advice of John Jay, Kim Davis and other Christians must now follow the advice of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote, "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty."
Ben Burke