Pitts clueless on NRA value
In the July 23 edition of your paper, you ran a column by Leonard Pitts (page B6) in which he stated: “Apparently, the NRA doesn’t actually defend the right to bear arms – just the white to bear arms.” This is as untrue a statement as I have ever read. The NRA has long stood for everyone’s right to bear arms and has repeatedly written that people who live in areas with high crime rates, particularly low income minorities, are the ones most disadvantaged by gun control laws.
The truly interesting thing about this column, however, is that it appeared the day after I received the latest (August 2017) issue of the monthly NRA magazine. The first paragraph of the president’s column reads: “The Second Amendment belongs to every American. The freedom secured by the Second Amendment cannot be put asunder by any conceivable element of discrimination – not by color, race, age, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political ideology or national origin.”
The column continues in that vein, emphasizing the group’s long-standing position. Learn the truth about the NRA, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, and stop publishing lies about one of the finest, most patriotic organizations in the country.
Larry Zeh
Please don’t cut our Medicaid funds
Honorable Bill Haslam:
I am very concerned by recent news reports regarding the possible dissolution and cuts to Medicaid funding. These reports are frightening news to many elderly and very poor Tennesseans who depend on this support to meet basic living expenses, purchase medication and obtain medical care.
Like many elderly Tennesseans, my desire is to remain in my home as long as possible. I am 91 years of age and am no longer able to work and supplement my income due to poor health and disability. Assistance from the Medicaid program allows me to remain in my home and function independently as much as possible. This is not only the best option for me personally but in my opinion the most cost effective for the state of Tennessee.
As the state struggles to meet the needs of all Tennesseans with the limitations of the current budget, denying funding which provides basic needs and medical care to the most vulnerable Tennesseans will without doubt result in increased cost, not savings. Most importantly, denying this assistance will diminish the quality of life currently experienced by many elderly Tennesseans.
Hazel Blanton
Hixson
Coonrod apologized only when caught
I appreciate that Demetrus Coonrod has apologized for her behavior after her traffic stop. Apologies only occur after you have been caught. Had she gotten away with her power stunt, we would have no apology. Apologies are for mistakes or stupidity. Integrity and intelligence prevent those occasions from arising. Apparently, one or both of those traits are missing. I’m voting both. Very few smart people become criminals. If you have a college degree, your odds of ending up in prison are less than 2 percent.
I was told by a con (meaning convict): once a con, always a con. Her redemption story is nice, and I applaud her success. I would now like to see integrity and honesty. Her heavy handed attempt at intimidation of an officer doing her job appears venal and certainly unethical. We all know we must purchase a tag once a year for our vehicles.
This is an example of a person attempting to abuse her position of power over a city employee. It’s ugly, unwarranted and unethical. But you voted her in.
Jim Howard