Prosecute all those who bring violence
The woke/liberal/BLM party, aka Democratic Party, is too dangerous to be debated.
* Jan. 6 riot: Not an insurrection; insurrection requires an organized, armed revolt. Bear spray is not a weapon.
* Jan. 6 riot II: Hundreds of people kept in solitary confinement? We are the USA, not Russia. Those who commit violence, whether killing an unarmed female protester or assaulting any Capitol police officers, should be prosecuted. Simply protesting in a restricted-access area should bring a hefty fine.
* School board “moms”: Those are “domestic terrorists?” Attorney General Merrick Garland should resign over this.
* School board between parents and kids: Really? Getting between a mama and her brood in nature is one of the most dangerous places one can be. See recent elections in Virginia.
The debate is over. Those “deep-state wokers” who violated U.S. constitutional law in Russia hoaxes or Jan. 6 must be criminally prosecuted and sentenced to hard time. The survival of our democracy depends on it.
Ronald Williams
Eastgate road plagued with potholes; please fix them!
Whoever is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the road surrounding Eastgate Town Center (formally Eastgate Mall) needs to drive on this road multiple times, especially in the rain and dark.
This road has huge, dangerous potholes. At times, there are yellow cones surrounding the biggest holes, warning the driver. Most times, however, the cones are missing or crushed. A driver has to swerve suddenly, lane to lane, trying to miss the holes, creating additional danger. There are no lane markings on the pavement between each lane.
Please repair and repave this road before someone is seriously hurt.
Cinny Harrison
Not as easy as we’re told to get voter ID
It’s not as easy to get a photo ID for voting as some have suggested, especially if you don’t have transportation or a good Samaritan to drive you. Of Tennessee’s 95 counties, only 37 have full-service drivers’ license locations where you can get a photo ID to vote. Of the remaining 58 counties, 27 have no drivers’ services at all. If anyone in those 58 counties needs a photo ID to vote, they must find a way to another county to get it. Oddly, gun permits were once also available only at full-service drivers’ license locations, but now you don’t need a permit to carry. Clearly, carrying a gun is more important to Tennessee legislators than voting.
Here in Hamilton County, lack of transportation will prevent you from getting a photo ID. We have two full-service drivers’ license locations, one in Red Bank where there is no public transportation service and one on Bonny Oaks where buses run only during hours when the DMV is not open. And according to the secretary of state, who is responsible for voting in Tennessee, a photo ID for voting is free, despite what the DMV folks may tell you.
Sandra McCrea
Signal Mountain
Testimony may shine light on Jan. 6 plot
I was surprised when I read Bradley Gitz’s Free Press commentary: “Concentration on Coup a Democratic Ploy” (1/21/22). However, at this point, Gitz may actually believe what he wrote because vital testimony concerning the complex forces behind the insurrection is just now being released by the Congressional Committee on January 6 – the investigative body Republican lawmakers did not want.
Hopefully, Gitz will be able to look with new eyes at the deep level of planning and intrigue being uncovered. Possibly, he will have the courage to rewrite his commentary when the full truth of Jan. 6 is known.
Franklin McCallie
Learning what not to say is possible
I was born many years ago in West Virginia. Many of the words no longer used – or should not be used – were common, and I learned them when young.
Never thought about them when I heard them every day. But as I aged and grew, I realized what they were and tried not to use them. Hard to not say something you learned as a child. I admit that they still pop in my mind, even as hard as I try.
Many older Southern and rural people have the same problem. Those of us who try can overcome it. But it is a learning situation and requires effort.
Roger Thompson
Coffee Country
Nuclear no better than fossil fuels
We keep hearing from TVA CEO Lyash about the wonders of nuclear energy. According to those in the industry, it’s the solution for climate change because it’s carbon-free. Not true. The mining, milling and uranium enrichment fuel cycle is carbon intensive. Using nuclear uranium in place of coal and gas produces radioactivity, plus radioactive waste with no place to go. Nuclear plants also emit Carbon-14, a radioactive form of carbon that lasts for 5,700 years. Those waste storage casks don’t last as long as the radiation. That’s not a healthy tradeoff even without accident.
Now come plans to build small nuclear reactors so a city can afford to buy one to meet power needs. Let us ponder: Dot these radioactive machines all over the U.S., thereby more evenly exposing citizens to radioactivity, radioactive waste, excessive water use, and increased chances for a devastating accident?
We can build safer windmills, solar farms, transmission lines and battery storage factories before a single government-subsidized nuclear plant is in place. They’re too slow to combat climate change impacts. TVA, move away from your nuclear mindset. By the way, Lyash is vice-chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute. Conflict of interest?
Sandra Kurtz
Mayoral candidate questions to ponder
There are still Democrats in Hamilton County. The three current mayoral candidates might consider this.
If I moderated a debate among you, my first question would be: “Who won the last presidential election?” I think that would tell us important things we need to know.
To Weston Wamp: When you say you are the best candidate because you are the most conservative, what does that mean when it comes to our schools, our roads, our health care?
To all three: What would you do to more fully fund our public hospital, Erlanger? How would you take on the task of funding our great resource? I admire that Sabrena Smedley appears to be doing her homework to find out more about public hospitals and Erlanger, but what happens next?
What would you do if you were the county mayor during a pandemic? Would you advocate measures like masks and vaccines or only speak of personal freedom while our citizens are dying? Do you wear seat belts and advocate them for others in the name of public safety, or is that a personal freedom choice also?
I’m hoping for someone to step away from the political pack and speak common-sense truth. What do you plan for the good of the county?
Cindy Rudolph