Middle East policy needs some clarity
Never before have I seen so much chaos and instability affecting the entire Middle East. ISIS is expanding, and Iran is infiltrating. And there is confusion here as we try to figure out where our president stands in all of this. His words tell us one thing, but so often his actions tell us something different. Just what is America’s foreign policy in this? There is no clarity. Where does our president stand? Mostly, we have to guess, but here are some possibilities: (1) He is fine with all this chaos; (2) Based on recent events, he is clearly not on the side of Israel. That is obvious; (3) In the privacy of his heart, is he on the side of Iran? No one wants to breathe this thought, but can we rule it out? To some degree, he is siding with Iran, isn’t he? And remember early in his presidency when there was a popular uprising in Iran to overthrow the repressive regime, our president did nothing to support the movement. That is telling, isn’t it? One certainty– the dangers are growing with each passing day in this region, but also for America as well!
Jerry Johns, Ringgold, Ga.
Give us a break on morning news
So, WDEF’s morning news consists of a smirking blonde wearing hideous necklaces, a mannequin in a suit and a winking weatherman torturing the same forecast for an hour, interrupted only by a string of Charles Pitman commercials. Are Captain Kangaroo or Miss Marcia reruns available?
Mark H. Holden, Apison
Palin’s ‘death panels’ now a reality
It turns out that Sarah Palin was right when she warned that health care reform would lead to “death panels.” One such panel occurred this week in the state Capitol when lawmakers voted down the governor’s Insure Tennessee proposal. In doing so, they effectively sentenced Tennessee’s poor, who cannot afford or are not eligible for health insurance, to death from diseases that the rest of us would receive treatment for. I was particularly moved by your paper’s story of Tracy Foster, a lady who is battling bladder cancer and who would have received treatment if Insure Tennessee had passed. Now her only alternative is to rely on the kindness of strangers and hope that she can raise the $10,000 to save her life. I have written to our local senator who voted ‘no’ to the bill that would have got her treatment and asked him to donate to the cost of the operation Tracy so desperately needs (www.gofundme.com/dvq5cs). To date I have not received a reply. Surely we must demand more of our politicians than to simply say “no” to helping those in need? It is their duty to come up with solutions to help those who cannot help themselves.
Neil Grant, Lookout Mountain