Thanks to police for new gun unit
As a volunteer with the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the largest grassroots gun violence prevention group in the country, I would like to commend the Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) for its commitment to ending gun violence in our community.
I'd like to specifically thank the CPD for developing a new gun unit. This unit is an important investment in the safety of our city.
Ensuring law enforcement has the personnel, technology and community support it needs to efficiently and effectively address shootings will benefit everyone.
Gun violence is an issue that touches all facets of our community, and we all have a role in helping keep one another safe.
While the police do their work of tracking and investigating firearm-related crimes, the rest of us can be doing our part by ensuring that all firearms are stored securely (locked and unloaded) and always modeling responsible behavior around guns.
Erin Goddard, Signal Mountain
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Relatively few in U.S owned slaves
A recent letter writer presented an intelligent approach to a complicated issue. He said we are Americans first, then have regional identities.
But I disagree with his perception of what the Confederate battle flag represents. The flag was not the official flag of the Confederacy; the "Stars and Bars" was. The battle flag was the flag of the common soldier, few of whom owned slaves.
According to the 1860 U.S. Census, 6 percent of U.S. homes owned slaves. Of this 6 percent, 3 percent owned most slaves. Many fighting men thought slavery was an abomination. They were fighting to hold up a perception of honor and duty, not for political gain or perverted ideology.
Do all military personnel today completely agree with U.S. policy? I think not.
They perform their duties for those alongside them and to fulfill their obligation to their country. Outside our armed forces, we lack any kind of honor code or moral compass.
My suggestion to the writer is to stay involved in healthy discussion but to be better informed. Don't let the ultra-liberal left influence you too much with its media-backed, one-sided, hate-driven propaganda.
William Carson, Manchester, Tenn.
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Don't Republicans still hate debt?
In a recent edition of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, an article started out with this sentence: "Senate Republicans are zeroing in on a tax outline that would add about $1.5 trillion to the government's $20 trillion debt over 10 years ... ."
Are these the same people who complained relentlessly about the deficits during the Obama administration? I guess deficits will ruin the country when a Democrat is in the White House but not when we have a Republican president.
The Republicans justify these tax cuts by saying that economic growth will produce new revenues. Kansas tried this, and it did not work well at all.
I am not surprised that Republicans want to cut taxes for the richest 1 percent of the population (watch and see if most of their tax cuts go to the people with the most wealth).
What does surprise me is that Sen. Bob Corker has signed off on this ridiculous proposal. He knows better, and he is supposed to be one of the few adults in the Senate.
Jim Olson
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A better use for Southside land
David Cook's opinion (Sept. 24) makes a lot of sense as a more beneficial use of the Southside foundry site than a ball stadium long-term.
A technical school might be just such a use. Bring back Kirkman.
Harvey Hereford
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White southerner berates Trump
This letter is from a white southerner.
While in Alabama, out-of-control New Yorker Donald Trump attempted to shift our country's focus from his collusion with Russia during his presidential campaign and his subsequent path to impeachment.
In his attempt to distract attention from his constant missteps as president, instead of focusing on condemning the ungodly behavior of white supremacists, he attacked black professional football players and their teams' owners.
How long, oh how long, do we have to endure this bizarre behavior and its damage to America?
Tom O'Neal, Signal Mountain, Tenn.
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Trump demeaning free expression
Donald Trump took an oath not to restrain free speech, nor to deny it. Saying that athletes have no freedom of expression violates that oath.
That is a high crime and cause to impeach. Sports figures are not there to provide us an escape into the fantasy that nothing is wrong, and they have every right to speak out.
Remove "that guy who disrespects our flag," Trump.
Henry Smallwood
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Religion hater filled with hate
On Sept. 17, the TFP printed a letter in which the writer stated all the problems of the world can be attributed in one way or another to some form of religion or religious hate.
It seems the writer is filled with his own form of hatred. I have never read a more hate-filled letter. He already has his wish that anything related to religion is no longer in our schools. Schools do, however, have a full-time resource officer to help maintain order. I sometimes wonder if there's a connection.
Has the writer ever considered, for example, sitting down with a Christian and actually discussing where the two are coming from as far as belief systems? I'm not talking about shouting and yelling and trying to prove each other right or wrong. I'm talking about a real discussion about why they believe the way they do.
Know this. As the writer admonished others, he too may believe what he wishes. Understand two things: I have prayed for him and will do so again. Also, "choose you this day whom you will serve: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Marvin Newman, Cleveland, Tenn.
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Leave and go find a flag you can love
Our flag - what does it mean to you?
To me, I served under it more than 22 years with two tours in South Vietnam. I remember those who lost their lives, their limbs, etc. I came away 100 percent disabled - to be insulted five times since I've been here in Tennessee the last 20 years.
I have difficulty holding my words when insulted about my military service under that flag. But if you don't honor that flag, keep your thoughts to yourself - or I may lose control of myself, and you may know what I think of you and your thoughts.
If you don't love this flag, go to where you can find one you do love, if you can.
Bennie S. McFather, Ooltewah