Forget terrorists; remember victims
The name we should remember from the Oregon mass shooting is Chris Mintz. He is the U.S. Army veteran who was struck by seven bullets fired by a gunman at Umpqua Commuity College.
Mintz stopped the gunman, tried to talk him down, delayed him, and was finally shot multiple times while using his body to block the gunman from coming into his classroom.
Terrorists like the Oregon shooter should be forgotten. Every shooter feeds on the publicity and fame of those who have gone before. Deny it to them. Give them no glory, no fame, only an anonymous burial.
The shooter possessed the guns illegally on the Umpqua campus. People wishing to kill others don’t obey gun laws. If Mintz had been allowed to have a gun on his person in that school, there is no doubt he would have been able to stop the shooter more effectively than using his body to absorb seven of the shooters bullets.
Meanwhile there’s Barack Obama (and Hillary Clinton) on the national stage, chattering about gun control. Some people exploit the sacrifices of others.
We should do as Chris Mintz suggested: Pray for our country and the other victims.
Jim Folkner
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Boycotting Georgia over execution
This is without a doubt the most disturbing and difficult letter that I have submitted in 50 years. I am so appalled and traumatized I can hardly hold my pen.
Our Pope Francis declared a “Year of Mercy,” which was ignored by the state of Georgia in executing its first woman prisoner in 70 years. She had been on death row for 14 years.
Why the governor of the state decided to take her life rather then hold off another year out of respect for the pope’s request – why she had to be put to death at all – is a travesty.
The governor’s record shows heartless laws toward the poor while he lays away for himself a megamillion-dollar driveway. The inconceivable law to drug-test recipients of much-needed help also spits in the face of the most godly man on earth. What more needs to be said?
I don’t have long to live, but in what little time I have left I vow to never again support the state of Georgia. How anyone could vote these sociopaths into office is the greatest mystery. Is it arrogance or just redneck ignorance?
Robert Lee Brown
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All should have access to Internet
At the end of last Thursday’s Business story, “Cleveland lawmakers to push law to extend EPB boundaries,” the head of a group that opposes allowing communities to build their own networks suggests that satellite Internet access is sufficient for some people.
We know who those people turn out to be: the people living outside of cities. Tennessee has a rich history of ensuring everyone has access to essential infrastructure, not just those living in the right area.
Comparing satellite to the Chattanooga EPB fiber network is akin to comparing a bicycle to a 747; it’s a nonstarter. Satellite has up to 20 times slower latency and can be affected by weather.
How ironic, coming from someone who is worried government doesn’t understand technology.
Government ensured we all had access to electricity after the private sector failed some of our communities. Internet access is not so different today.
Communities should be able to decide for themselves how to make sure everyone has access.
Daniel Ryan