Today's Letters: Show the flag on this Veterans Day
Letters to the EditorPublished November 11, 2007
Today is Veterans Day. It is the day set aside by Congress to honor all the men and women, past and present, who have served in the armed forces of our beloved United States of America. These are the people who have preserved the freedoms we so highly regard but sometimes take for granted. Many of these people gave their lives in the preservation of these freedoms.
What better way to show them our appreciation and gratitude than to display the flag for which they served? Contrary to the beliefs of many today, the flag is not a political symbol. Our flag is the symbol of this, the greatest country on the face of the Earth. It is the symbol of every man and woman who has ever served our country. To desecrate our flag is to show disrespect to these honored veterans. To display the flag with pride and respect is showing our respect and honor toward them.
Show your appreciation for what these people mean to us and show your support of those who now wear the uniforms of our country.
Display the flag with pride and honor.
Don Murphy, Clearwater
Remember to honor veterans of World War II
Veterans Day is a very special day when we honor all veterans - men and women, living or dead - from all branches of our military services. Perhaps this will be an impetus for families to remember those veterans. World War II veterans who were killed and buried in American cemeteries overseas can be found listed in the World War II Registry of Remembrances at the World War II Memorial.
As a bit of history, Veterans Day first began after World War I and at that time was called Armistice Day, since the armistice was signed with Germany on Nov. 11, 1918. Later, the name was changed to Veterans Day to encompass all wars where our troops fought.
There are many veterans who have not registered in the Registry of Remembrances at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. As a member of the World War II Memorial Society, my quest in life has been to encourage every World War II veteran to register. You have served your country well and deserve to be on record for all to see for years to come. Also, a family member or close friend may register for a veteran.
The Web site is www.wwiimemorial.com. Click on the "WWII Registry" link to either search for or honor a veteran. For those without a computer, simply call (800) 639-4992.
Procrastination will not get the job done. Honor the World War II veteran in your life ... now.
Jack Keller Sr., 8th Air Force B-17 combat veteran, lifetime charter member-World War II Memorial Society, Belleair Bluffs
Patriotism needs a boost
Ken Burns recently produced a television series for PBS about World War II called The War. When asked about his motivation for doing the project, he said that when surveyed, about half of our high school students thought the United States fought with Germany as an ally against Russia in World War II. I guess they learned that on their iPods.
It has been said that "Our country is not at war; our armed forces are at war, our country is at the mall talking on their cell phones."
This Veterans Day our patriotism is at an all-time shameless low. If it weren't for some very brave veterans who made supreme sacrifices, you could be listening to your iPod in German and speaking on your cell phone in Japanese.
Today above all days, do something "cool": Thank a veteran you know for your freedom. Please try to understand that freedom is not free.
Frank Thoubboron, Belleair
E-mail assailing Obama's patriotism misses mark Nov. 9, PolitiFact
A matter of respect
I read with interest the article about Barack Obama not placing his hand over his heart during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner and Anne Garside trying to explain it away as being outdated.
To her, I say, "How dare you?" To both of them, I say, it is a matter of respect to place your hand over your heart. I find it funny that in the photo Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson had enough respect to place their hands over their hearts, but not Obama.
I, too, received one of the e-mails in question but mine did not have a caption. It was just a picture. So, to Anne Garside and Barack Obama, all I can say is a picture is worth a thousand words.
Alice Rusconi, Spring Hill
E-mail assailing Obama's patriotism misses mark Nov. 9, PolitiFact
Informative photo
This attempt to defend Barack Obama is disingenuous. Despite the fact that the e-mail incorrectly mentioned the Pledge of Allegiance, the import of the picture is the same.
The most common attitude for both the pledge and The Star-Spangled Banner is to either remove one's hat or to place one's hand over the heart. No, it is not required, but thanks for printing the picture. It tells voters everything they need to know.
Mitchell J. McConnell, St. Petersburg
South Africa's big scrum Nov. 4
Two apartheids
I enjoyed reading Bill Maxwell's analysis of the effects of the apartheid regime in South Africa on the people who experienced them in the past and those who will live with these results in the future.
What struck me most powerfully was the similarity between what was going on in South Africa in the old days and what is going on in Israel today. Today, Israel is building a huge wall to separate Arab communities from Jewish areas, and building roads for use by Jews only, to cite just a couple of Israel's apartheid practices. It seems strange to me that the U.S. government opposed such actions when they occurred in South Africa, but we appear to support them when they occur in Israel.
Joseph A. Mahon, St. Petersburg
Pakistani envoy faults method, not intentionNov. 7
Support Musharraf
We would like to make some additional observations regarding Susan Taylor Martin's fine analysis of the problems with our nuclear ally Pakistan.
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has used eight of nine lives in fighting the Wahhabi terrorists who would take over Pakistan. Survival is the key. This is no time split hairs on whether he is using democratic means.
In conclusion, we had better support our friends and punish our enemies.
Norman N. Gross, Ph.D., president, PRIMER (Promoting Responsiblity In Middle East Reporting), Palm Harbor
Congress can stop wars, but first it must decide to Nov. 4, George F. Will column
War powers puzzle
We went through the long Cold War against a large, aggressive enemy, the Soviet Union, which was every bit as strong militarily as we were. This, at times, required rapid decisions by Washington to oppose its actions. Who else but the president could make those decisions? Of course, the sudden extension of Vietnam from guerrilla warfare to full-scale war by Lyndon Johnson was a tragic mistake, and this was met with congressional opposition.
In the post-Cold War era, we do not face the same enormous enemy, and George Will is correct that Congress should play a stronger role in deciding military action as indicated by the Constitution. Even so, terrorism provides an elusive and widespread enemy that often may require rapid decisions to counter its aggression. What we don't need are total wars like Iraq or Vietnam unless seriously threatened by an Iran or North Korea.
W.H. Riddell, Tampa
Letting dying dogs die Nov. 4, Perspective story
Euthanasia often best
What a slanted article. If writer Emily Yoffe decided to take her geriatric cat home from the vet's office to die, that is her decision, and I'm sure most veterinarians would support her position, especially since the preliminary tests did not reveal anything remarkable.
If it were a person and not a cat, the doctors would have repeated the tests five or six times even though the results would have been exactly the same, and she would have given them a pass. Why is that?
What she also forgot to think about was that humans have hospice for end-of-life issues; only recently have such efforts been available for pet owners.
Very few animals just seemingly die in their sleep. Most suffer a great deal near the end of their journey and taking them home from the veterinary hospital to die should be questioned in most cases. Not making the correct decision may be the easiest, but it usually isn't in the pet's best interest. Euthanasia is a very hard decision for most people and it takes great courage to say goodbye in this way. For most animals where the end is clearly in sight and where there is questionable quality of life, it is the best available answer until animal hospice is a mainstay.
Next time get a veterinarian to write your animal stories. They would not only be entertaining but they would also be accurate.
Mark C. Brown, DVM, St. Petersburg