Put 'reasonable' back on the table
Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty,
I am a retired newspaper editor in Chattanooga, a conservative Republican and a supporter of the Second Amendment. I voted against President Biden. I voted for you as my Senate representatives.
Uvalde prompts this letter.
What President Biden promoted on national TV from the White House Thursday night is reasonable. It's reasonable.
Why should an 18-year-old need an assault weapon? ABC News said that raising the purchase age to 21 was "off the table.'' That's not reasonable. Put it back on the table.
From 1994 to 2004, there were weapon bans in force and shootings dropped dramatically. When that ban expired, shootings rose exponentially. Republicans should not have let that happen.
How can we ignore the statistic that more children have been slaughtered than soldiers and on-duty police killed in action. That's unreasonable.
I agree that "guns don't kill people, people kill people.'' Virtually all mass shooters have come from dysfunctional homes. Mental health efforts need strengthening. That was another reasonable point in Biden's speech.
Senators, stand up for what's reasonable. Be a hero for America and its children. I hate to say this: Vote for reasonable gun measures.
David Cooper
Save Flatiron's cornice feature
Would someone please stop the removal of the cornice from from the Flatiron Building?
This is historic property. The cornice is an integral part of the historic building. It keeps the rainwater from streaming down the face of the brick. It is the reason the brick is still in such good shape. Removing the cornice will permanently destroy the historic character of the building.
Look at the Hogshead Building and Patten Towers if you need examples of the tragic removal of such cornices. The Pickle Barrel building, recently renovated, did not remove its cornice. The Flatiron Building cornice should be saved.
Thomas Johnson
All creatures deserve compassion
Why does the turtle cross the road? I pondered that question as I stood gazing at the cracked shell of a river cooter. The aquatic reptile, still alive, was writhing in agony, its eggs beside it. I surmised that someone had driven over it while slowing down to make a right turn into my neighborhood. The driver surely had time to stop or swerve to avoid the turtle.
Where is the compassion for creatures that have roamed the planet far longer than we humans? This mother turtle had journeyed about 1/5th of a mile uphill from the lake on a deeply instinctual, ancient journey to find a safe place to lay her eggs and give her young the best chance for survival.
Turtles are under constant threat globally from illegal harvesting, habitat destruction and road kills. Turtles will venture far to lay their eggs; most struck by vehicles are female. Turtle gestation is a slow process.
A world without turtles is nearer than we think. Please consider the dignity and right to life of every creature on this Earth.
Dave Porfiri
'Crime Scene City' moniker is fitting
When friends and family drive down I-24 from the north to visit, I have specific instructions for them when they reach Chattanooga:
Don't stop.
Unless they're in an Abrams tank, are wearing body armor, have a APC military escort with 50-caliber machine guns, and a Black Hawk helicopter flying above with 19-shot Hydra 70 rocket pods, they aren't safe.
Chattanooga has become a wasteland of violent crime, ineffective policing, carp-mouthed politicians, so-called community leaders who blame the violence on everyone except the criminals. More government money hasn't done anything except to embolden the thieves, thugs and murderers as they act without consequences.
To businesses who think this won't affect their bottom line, you're wrong. It already has and will only get worse.
I'm for changing the moniker of Chattanooga from "The Scenic City" to "The Crime Scene City." Tourists can pick up first-aid kits and body bags at the outlying welcome centers before passing through Chattanooga.
Stephen Greenfield
Cleveland, Tenn.
Republican follows cult leader, not faith
Recent events have shown the problems America faces due to conservatives' beliefs and actions. The worst is the inability of our government to act as needed to make our country safer from gun violence. Conservatives are primarily focused on their desire to have weapons for a takeover of our country. This is a widely shared idea among the far right.
Another issue is the acceptance of government attempts to limit the spread of the COVID virus, which they saw as a limitation of their rights. When America's response to the pandemic is compared to Australia's, it is clear that N95 masks, lockdowns, restricted interactions and other government actions had a major impact on Australia's low rate of infections and deaths.
Abortion is another issue conservatives are fanatics about. They say it is a religious issue, but they are not living as Jesus taught. Jesus focused on love for others, while conservatives focus on rules and laws that are based in the beliefs of the pharisees. They follow their leaders, like Trump, not their faith.
Roger A. Meyer
Hypocrisy abounds among conservatives
How about we make a deal to trade Roe v Wade for repealing the Second Amendment? I am so exhausted by gun violence that I am motivated to encourage the forfeit of a women's constitutional right to procreative independence if gun violence can be controlled by repealing this amendment.
How can one be pro-life and not support getting rid of assault rifles? Hypocrisy is rampant while conservatives push to abolish abortion yet permit unconstrained access to guns.
Let's make it harder for individuals to kill other people with guns.
Johnny Jones
Hixson
Knife, hammer, club mass murder recently?
In a recent letter, it was stated that "you" are two to five times more likely to be murdered by someone with a knife, hammer, club or pair of fists than with an AR-15-style weapon.
When was the last time someone with a knife, hammer, or club murdered 21 people, paralyzing a small police force in the process?
Neil Greenwood
Delano, Tenn.
Bennett cartoon crosses the line
Clay Bennett's Sunday editorial picture of a Uvalde school district police officer depicted as Barney Fife was in very poor taste. Disgusting.
This horrible disaster in Uvalde, Texas, was in no way funny. It was a series of grave mistakes made by many people in the midst of a terrible moment. No one can say what they would do if faced with this disaster. I know it was a scene of confusion and mistakes made unintentionally by several people, not just the school resource officer.
You want to throw stones? I sure can't!
Clay should be ashamed, in my humble opinion.
Debbie Pataky
Register, license, insure guns/owners
Can't give up your guns? Then please require license, registration and insurance, just like I cover my car, house, motorcycle, etc.
And I think it is time we politicize this issue. Were you endorsed by and supported by the NRA?
Are you against an assault weapons band?
Proudly let us know who you are, so we can vote for someone else next time.
Laura Grody
We are failing our citywide 'strong' label
Anybody still think we're #Noogastrong? I don't think you do because we have to own these predictable events when our citizenry guns itself down.
It was a superficial gesture then and is more so now.
Jason Kirton