A Bit of Bias

Dear UTW:

Reading Keith S. Francis' opinion in UTW Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2012 ("Love Letters, Hate Mail") brings to mind another past American war hero. Sergeant Alvin C. York (Dec. 13, 1887--Sept. 2, 1964) was one of the most decorated American soldiers in World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine nest, taking out 32 machine guns, killing 28 German soldiers and capturing 132 others. Deeply troubled by the conflict between his pacifism and his training for war, he spoke at length with his company commander, a devout Christian himself. Citing Biblical passages about violence ("He that hath no sword, let him sell his cloak and buy one." "Render unto Caesar..." "...if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight."), this forced York to reconsider the morality of his participation in the war. Granted a 10-day leave to visit home, he returned convinced that God meant for him to fight and would keep him safe, as committed to his new mission as he had been to pacifism.

Sergeant York disclaimed ever having been a conscientious objector, but he was a pacifist and came to the realization that there are times for peace and times for war.

I would like to ask Mr. Francis if he wrote an opinion letter about the Democrats in the Congress that are Catholic and are pro-abortion (pro-choice) Nancy Pelosi and the Vice President Joe Biden or does he just berate Republicans?

--Robert Schrader

Constitution Restitution

Dear UTW:

There is an old joke where a guy said he spent six years in the third grade because he did not want to pass his father. Is this the scenario that is being set up by the meddling new laws of the Oklahoma Department of Education? They also are now denying a teacher's right to protect her job through the courts -- this is direct violation of the constitution and those that voted for this should all be prosecuted. This is a dictatorial attack on school districts and on public schools to take control from local citizens -- big brother on steroids. Everything being done by the conservative theocrats is to get taxpayer money from the public to pay for their private and parochial ideologies. Theocracy is never Democracy -- theocrats are the enemy of freedom and human rights, not right, not righteous, not good-evil bullies. Oklahoma was stupid to give them power -- they are wolves in sheep clothing and shaming the name of Jesus. Recall them all -- they are fascists.

--J. Ray Hunt

Blown Away

Dear UTW:

As someone raised in Oklahoma who spent a lot of time at my family's home near Hominy before relocating to the west coast wind energy stronghold of the San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs, CA, I was deeply saddened by U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell's ruling against the Osage nation in favor of energy-impotent taxpayer funded windmills. But exactly what happened in Palm Springs will happen in Pawhuska. Once local politicians get a whiff of the big money handed out by windmill developers, the floodgates will open and Oklahomans will see giant windmills being built everywhere. Then you'll wish the Osage had prevailed, because it will be too late to change your mind and decide you don't want them. You'll be looking at towering industrial eyesores forever. Oklahomans will then be forced to pay much higher electric bills to fund this idiotic enviro-window dressing and the massive tangle of ugly power lines required to get a piddling amount of very expensive energy to where it can be used.

Now would be the time for Oklahomans to educate themselves about the detrimental health effects of industrial wind energy that have been documented worldwide and verified by peer reviewed studies.

Now would be the time to take some pictures, so you can all remember how quiet and beautiful it once was.

--Les Starks

For the Record

Dear UTW:

In an article "Boycott the 2012 Election" (UTW, Aug. 11-17) contained a statement of extreme ignorance flavored with an ultimate anti-analogy. You wrote "Obama and Congressional Democrats went along with trillions in cuts, cuts that may lead to Soviet-style collapse." First, there are no cuts, let alone trillions, because spending next year will be much higher than it is this year. When spending goes up that is called an "increase". If your salary is more next year than this year it is an increase not a cut. Second, a Soviet-Style collapse is the result of unsustainable government spending such as what Obama and the Democrats believe in and exactly not due to less government spending and greater free enterprise. Try a thought experiment. If the liberal Democrat contention that cuts in government spending cause economic collapse then has our record spending and our record debt not created the greatest economic boom in our nation's history? If deficit spending is good for the economy then we would never have a recession because we have been deficit spending by in large for generations. But I do love and support your suggestion for liberal Democrats to boycott the next election.

--Rob Roberts