Can’t escape source of your belief system
Your Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin recently invited new House Speaker Mike Johnson to resign if he can’t keep the Bible out of his politics, arguing that the Constitution “contradicts the Bible in many significant respects.” Referring to Johnson’s alleged “anti-gay bigotry” and his presumed association with “white Christian nationalism,” she never specifies in what ways the Bible and the Constitution are at odds with each other, inasmuch as the Constitution actually says nothing about marriage, abortion or gay rights (beyond those rights shared by all humans).
But Rubin’s objections to Johnson’s core beliefs raise the perennial issue: Whose values will prevail in any situation, political or otherwise? If those beliefs are not rooted in the Bible, then what is their source or justification? They are rooted somewhere, religiously and/or philosophically. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may have professed Catholicism, yet at many crucial points her beliefs contradicted her church’s teachings. So what was their source? They were rooted somewhere, though she never bothered to reveal that source, nor to explain the contradiction between her personal beliefs and those of her church.
Everyone has beliefs, and they are always in play.
Gary Lindley, Lookout Mountain, Ga.
Cornered animal is bound to bite
In all the reports I’ve seen recently about the Israeli/Hamas “war,” the comparatively small number of Israeli deaths has been over-reported, and Israelis frequently are reported as “slaughtered” while Palestinians are merely “killed” or just died.
In addition, there has been so much destruction in Gaza that it is almost impossible to live there. Food and water are very limited, and health care is almost impossible to find. No doubt the death rate will rise even higher. Gaza has been termed an “open-air prison,” and it is perhaps the most densely populated place on earth. Israel is pushing Gazans even closer together, without the resources to live.
You might say that Hamas started this, but this is true only to a certain extent. There was a lot of provocation for Hamas to finally take a stand against their “imprisonment.” “The attacks cannot be justified, but sometimes cornered rats will bite.” (not to equate the Gazans as rats, but only to make a point)
Doris Rausch, Tullahoma, Tenn.
‘Too many things’ divide our attention
In Mark Gongloff’s (Nov. 28) commentary, “Human Brains Are Not Wired To Fight Climate Change,” he claims that it is not in our nature to change the future of our planet, and that we are deliberate in our continuation of the destruction that is happening.
I agree that something is holding the people who inhabit this earth back from making a change but initially disagreed with this perspective that “willful ignorance” is the cause. As I wrote out my arguments, I found myself only proving his point, but I knew it could not be that simple. I believe it is not because the fear of an ending earth isn’t scary enough but because there are simply too many things that are looming above us.
Off the top of my head, there are two major wars going on, America is still facing a mental health crisis, poverty runs rampant and that barely scratches the surface of the daily struggles occupying the minds of people everywhere. While climate change is that scary shadow hanging over us, many people are barely surviving today. There is only so much a person can give their attention to. This leads me to believe that the cause of people’s apparent apathy is that there are far too many things that require people’s attention. This seems a much more likely cause than that people just don’t care what happens to our planet.
Lillian Lelko
Be responsible, without ‘Big Brother’
A previous letter writer needs to get over thinking Big Brother needs to wet-nurse us from cradle to grave.
A pedestrian can stop or change directions much easier and faster than a car even doing only 20 mph. They only have to pay attention to their surroundings.
Vehicular homicide is illegal, but hitting a person who steps from between parked cars is jaywalking and also should be illegal. I have seen people jaywalking on Highway 153 because they are too lazy to go to the crosswalk. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
Our streets are designed for cars and not pedestrians walking around in a daze. We have reduced traffic lanes for bike lanes that have very few riders a day, but they sure compound vehicular traffic problems. Also, how many of us have been driving 40 mph in a 40-mph zone and have a biker in our lane doing 10 mph who expects all traffic to yield to them?
Maybe the reader thinks we should return to riding horse-drawn buggies. I doubt even that would prevent people from stepping blindly in front of them. If we put bollards every two feet, there still would be people stepping between them in the middle of the block. All the safety measures imaginable can’t stop foolish human behavior. Every death is terrible, but all the restrictive laws can’t prevent foolish human behavior. We must stop expecting the government to protect our every moment and start being responsible for ourselves.
Mary Black
Fix, don’t increase problems on Frazier
Like everyone in Chattanooga, I was horrified by the terrible accident on Frazier Avenue on Nov. 25 and have for years been concerned with the traffic problems associated with the area. Changes need to be made to slow the vehicle speed from Veterans Bridge through Cherokee Boulevard.
I do hope there will not be a knee-jerk reaction by simply reducing the street to bike lanes, two traffic lanes and a turn lane.
My reasoning is this: Reducing traffic lanes on Frazier Avenue will simply divert traffic to River Street through Coolidge Park, creating even more pedestrian risk.
Living at the Riviera Villas on River Street, I see this every day, especially with afternoon GPS traffic trying to access Manufacturers Road to get on Highway 27. It’s a simple route that avoids all five traffic lights. It was especially bad the last time there were lane closures on Frazier.
Again, since the reopening of the Walnut Street Bridge, I’ve been concerned with and promoted traffic speed control and safety on Frazier. But, by simply reducing the number of traffic lanes another huge, unintended problem will be created.
Bill Hall