Let’s reclaim our nation’s virtues
In late October, I walked around Orchard Knob after I had early voted. I needed to return to my Yankee roots and pray for the Union. As a summertime Southerner, I had whitewashed Civil War history. Thankfully, I began to see through a new lens the incredible sacrifice and statement of service made by the Army of the Cumberland.
I returned last week to pray for the preservation of the Union. Dew drops lined the grass blades. Or did teardrops remain to tell a different story?
We need places of pilgrimage like Orchard Knob. The National Cemetery provides a plaque of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. His words, like the Union, continue to endure.
What I learned at Orchard Knob is from the 75th Pennsylvania Brigade: “Virtue, Liberty, and Independence.” Has our nation lost the ancient bulwark of natural law and ethics? Have I lost my sense of virtue because my ears are clogged with noise and my eyes blind to the virtual internet? We need to claim the virtue of liberty, then listen to one another and read the founding documents of our republic.
Kemmer Anderson
Term limits are what we need
Columnist Jay Greeson’s Jan. 9 commentary mentioned the need for term limits on congressional members. Over the past 30 years, I have come to believe term limits are the only way we can achieve some kind of sanity in Congress.
Since the ’90s, term-limits amendments have been introduced in Congress, the last in January 2019 by Sen. Cruz and Rep. Rooney. Currently, we have about 13 Congress members who have been serving 40-plus years. Party politics, greed and love of power have transplanted the will of the people. Congress will not impose limits on themselves.
Article V of the Constitution allows 2/3 (34) of the state legislatures to request a constitutional convention be convened to amend the Constitution. This would be a way to introduce a term-limits amendment. If it passed, it would have to be ratified by 3/4 (38) of the states. It would take all of us pressuring our state legislatures to support this effort.
I would limit House members to two three-year terms and senators to two six-year terms. I would also support an amendment to limit Supreme Court justices to no more than 20 years.
Margaret Callahan
Cleveland, Tennessee
Resident praises vaccination efforts
I am extremely thankful to the Hamilton County Health Department for recently giving me a COVID-19 vaccination.
There was an inconvenience by waiting in line, but I am very willing to accept that to get immunity to this disease.
It also appears that if Hamilton County had a greater supply of the vaccine, staff are prepared to inoculate more people and ramp up the shots per hour. The folks I saw working at the Riverpark were very professional and diligent. They are doing a wonderful job.
Thank you again.
Mike Ryan
Signal Mountain
One-dose vaccine is not recommended
A letter published last week is misleading because the writer stated with certainty that 75% of people under the age of 70 are protected by a single dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The writer’s position is a popular theme with Biden advisers, academics and the media.
However, data presented in the FDA Briefing Documents for Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines (https://www.fda.gov/media/144245/download) do not support 75% protection. The FDA briefings report protection from one dose is greater than 20% for Pfizer and 55% for Moderna, while protection from two doses is greater than 90% for Pfizer and 89% for Moderna.
Both Pfizer and Moderna say one dose protection is indeterminate. Without more data, which is months away, one-dose protection has to be considered unlikely and a poor choice.
Today, the data only supports the FDA emergency-use authorization of two doses.
Oversimplifications by authorities create a false sense of security and can lead to risky activities, risky behavior and sometimes death. Furthermore, current data show vaccinating large numbers with one dose most likely protects fewer people than vaccinating half as many with two doses.
Stick with the FDA and two doses.
Robert Phillips
Signal Mountain
How can people hate U.S. so much?
Everyone who knows me knows I am very patriotic. Everyone knows how much I love America and wish the best for our country. But right now I am struggling. I am hurting.
I was born in Russia; I have been to foreign countries. When I came to America, my life changed. I thought, “What a great country this is, and I’m so glad to be in it!” But right now I am very nervous. I am so worried. I’ve watched over these past few years as our country has slowly become divided. I’ve always thought America would prevail. I’m not so sure now. I am witnessing something, if I’m honest, that I never thought I’d witness – this country possibly spiraling downward. I just want to cry.
I’ve seen firsthand Third World countries, and it opened my eyes how lucky I am to live in America. I just don’t see why people could hate America so much. If only they could see the America I see.
I pray God moves into our next leaders’ hearts and changes their lives. In the end, God is the ultimate authority, and it is his will. Not ours.
Kirill Massey
Lookout Mountain, Georgia
Perspective on Capitol violence
I’ve been thinking about the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. After moving past the outrage about the insurrection, I had a realization. Our congressional members had to duck, hide and shelter in place while the terrorists roamed through the building. They were trying to use their phones without being heard. Does this sound familiar?
Our children go through training for this scenario at least one time every school year. Many children have lived through this very scenario. They’ve experienced the trauma of hiding and staying quiet as if their lives depended on it. Perhaps now our legislators will gain perspective and understand why so many have been concerned about violence in our communities.
Joy Jackson
Gov. Lee should be last in virus line
From the beginning, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has neither ordered a statewide mask mandate nor any other substantial effort to combat the spread of COVID-19. Instead, he only encouraged people to do the “right thing,” which has not worked out very well for Tennesseans. Recently, the Volunteer State made it to the top position on the New York Times’ list as the state with the most infections per capita. In addition, we were also the state with almost half of the top 20 counties in the entire country showing the fastest increases.
So here is my question, Gov. Lee: Since your inaction has wreaked havoc on this state and its citizens, will you at least be honorable enough to pledge you will not get the vaccine until all the citizens of the state who want it get it first?
Nancy Hatch Woodward
Hixson