The Moving Wall will be remembered by many Chattanoogans
What a moving experience it was to bring The Moving Wall, the only replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to our city. The Moving Wall was visited by more than 30,000 people, which was one of the largest in its 32-year history.
The visit by The Wall enabled so many to bring closure since many Chattanoogans have been unable to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. The listing of 58,307 names served as a visible reminder to all of us that freedom isn't free.
Many thanks to the volunteers, veterans, sponsors, the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County for making the visit by The Moving Wall an event that will be remembered for a lifetime.
Chip Baker and Mickey McCamish, Friends of the Festival
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Bruni's column is on the money
I thoroughly enjoyed and agreed with the commentary by Frank Bruni in this morning's CTFP (Aug. 4).
The Republican leadership's inability to cease indulging the omnivore creature "representing" himself while feigning to represent them is because they have created him, nurtured him and supported him. He has now outgrown his need for them and is poised to consume them, his creators.
There are other insects in our world who are killed by their mates after they have given what is required.
Their hesitancy to denounce this candidate is because he is brazen and callous enough to verbalize what they silently hold in their heart. He is the frontman in the comedy/tragedy called the Republican Party. These would-be "leaders" would sell their most prized values (souls) to gain the White House.
Maybe it would help members of this coterie to read a short story some of us might have read while in high school, namely, "The Devil and Daniel Webster." The gain of collusion with evil pales in comparison to the consequence of such alliances.
Dennis Westmeier
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NRA is reaping what it sowed
NRA, your bleakest predictions are coming true. People are shooting back. In two separate incidents, former military veterans have opened fire on government officials, exercising their Second Amendment rights and fighting back against the same government agencies they believe are killing their fellow black citizens.
You told us to prepare for this, yet you remain silent rather than stand in solidarity with two men who did exactly what you suggested by fighting back against oppressive government efforts.
I don't condone their actions but wonder why, after all your rhetoric about standing fast against tyranny within our own government, you are suddenly silent when it occurs. Aren't armed citizens defending themselves and their communities from government authorities at the core of your constitutional interpretation?
I grieve for every senseless death by firearm, whether a dying young boy with a toy pistol or police officer gunned down by a sniper.
You stoked the fears that sold your brand but didn't see this dangerous ricochet coming. If you truly believe the propaganda you've been spouting, then stand up and defend people who fight back, or admit that what you've been telling people for so long was just a lie.
Ted Beaty, Signal Mountain
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'No' to cold meds by prescription
The illegal actions of a few should not put a burden on law-abiding members of the community, but that is exactly what could happen if lawmakers make over-the-counter cold and allergy medications available by prescription only.
Safe, effective, and trusted medicine for minor health conditions like seasonal colds and allergies should not involve a difficult process. As of right now, many are warning of the coming delays to schedule an appointment with your primary doctor.
The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts between 60,000 and 90,000 additional physicians will be needed in the next 10 years. People seeking prescriptions for basic over-the-counter medication will only add to the problem. T
ennessee has made great strides in controlling the sale of pseudoephedrine (PSE) that can be used to make meth. Law enforcement and pharmacies are working together and succeeding in blocking excessive purchases of PSE products with the help of the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) system.
Let's stick with what works instead of putting a prescription on cold and allergy medication and adding to the physician shortage.
Lamar G. Wilkie, Manchester, Tenn.
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House, Senate need to stay red
Never in my lifetime have there been two candidates running for the highest office in the country with so many negatives. One is a habitual liar and very untrustworthy, the other a loose cannon.
If Hillary is elected, there is a good chance she will have to replace several judges on the Supreme Court, making it a total liberal court. When this happens there will be no balance; the scale will always tilt to the left.
Further, the American people will never be able to believe what she says. Neither will the foreign powers, making it very hard to make a deal with them.
Then there is Donald Trump, the better of the two, but very dangerous. The way he speaks, I truly believe, is what he honestly feels in his heart.
Using this rhetoric, he will put the nation in jeopardy when he tries to deal with foreign leaders. So what do we do?
It seems the only sensible thing to do is make sure we have a majority of conservatives in the House and Senate to keep this liar or loose cannon in check.
Gene O. Wagner Sr., Rossville
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Don't vote for one who runs down U.S.
Another election will be here in three months, and it looks to be a critical one, especially for the post of president.
I love this country and found out through the years there is no limit what you can accomplish if you work hard. I have also served my country in the military.
One of the candidates took a deferment instead of serving our country during war time. He also put lots of hard-working Americans out of business by refusing to pay them. He makes his merchandise in other countries. But what upsets me the most is his running down this country and our military.
For those who have served and are proud of our country, your vote will be foolishly cast for this person who has gained so much from this country yet trashes it.
Jack Pine, Dunlap, Tenn.
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Election officials need to do autopsy
It was disappointing to see the low voting turnout on Aug. 4. What a slap in the face for local democracy!
Personally, I faced challenges first-hand. I knew there was some sort of an election based on road signs and reading articles in the TFP. It was perplexing to me because it was a primary for some positions and a final vote for others such as the Hamilton County school board and tax assessor.
Recently transferred from Illinois, I expected a mailer to show up telling me where to vote. Nothing arrived.
Wanting an opportunity to vote, I drove to a Baptist church on East Brainerd Road, only to be informed my name wasn't on the list. I then drove to the polling station in a Methodist church, two miles farther on East Brainerd, where I voted.
Not combining this primary with the presidential primary earlier was fiscally irresponsible and a lost opportunity given the interest generated in the presidential primary. Holding a hybrid election in the middle of summer is a recipe for poor turnout.
We need our election officials to perform an autopsy on how to reverse the trends of low voter participation.
Terry Iker