U.S.A. 'Me First' trait undermining us all
This American flaw may not be unique to this country or time, but it is certainly more observable in these times of unusually high national stress.
A building's structural flaw stays hidden until the stresses widen "the crack" to the point of being observable. The normal stresses in America have been compounded with high political party antagonisms, the addition of China as a global threat, global warming and the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic revealed the "Me First" trait in America. A significant portion of our citizens will not compromise their beliefs or lifestyle for the good of all. This trait is not significant unless the "Me First" contingent is large, in a free society and the stresses high.
I propose a group the size of the unvaccinated segment in a free America can cause a complete collapse in the buildup of a perfect storm.
Michael Mainz
GOP voices are loud, plentiful, uncensored
Republican politicians and their constituents regularly complain they are being censored by cancel culture. According to them, their right to free speech is threatened because of their "different opinions."
Obviously that's not true. No one is censoring Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Green, Ted Cruz or any Republican Party leader or voters. When they do speak, what they reveal is the hatred, anger, racism and violence that are the pillars of the GOP platform. Then they wonder why most Americans, including many large corporations, reject their hatred. Those "different opinions" were expressed very well on Jan. 6, 2021.
The violent insurrection of Jan. 6 was the result of Republican Party policy, and it will happen again. According to Republicans, those "patriotic tourists" were just expressing their "different opinions."
The Republican Party attempts to oppress voting rights in multiple states after the most secure election in American history proved their intentions. According to them, you're not allowed to vote unless you vote Republican. And if you disagree, they'll beat you with a flag pole.
Jonathan D. Nessle
Newspaper is urged to avoid hysteria
This paper is quick to print and amplify anything activists come up with.
On July 27, you printed a long article about the TVA Kingston ash spill and the years-long, billion-dollar cleanup by the contractor. It stated that of the hundreds of participants, 40 had died over a 10-year period. How different is that from a representative sample of the general population?
Then on Aug. 8, you printed an article about an Anderson County sports field being lined with a mixture of dirt and ash some 20 years ago. It concedes that tests show concentrations of 26 pollutants to be very low. Now I am here to tell you, ash won't hurt you.
All this hysteria about the dangers of coal ash is just that. With decades of direct exposure in TVA plants, few have had more exposure than I have. It is not that dangerous to health.
Did you, your parents, or grandparents grow up with a fireplace coal grate or a coal-burning morning heater? What did you do with the ashes? You scattered them in the field just outside the yard. Need I say more?
Glen Moultrie