LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — Power trumps good

With all the oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, I hear much talk about the importance of switching to cleaner forms of energy like wind and solar. When listening to the arguments for why we need to keep drilling for oil, I wonder what it might’ve been like 150 years ago. Did people then make similar arguments in support of slavery?

The other week I heard a BP spokesman promise to clean up all the mess in the Gulf and pay for all the damages, and our president said that he would make sure that they did so. But does anyone really think they ever could? This oil spill is so huge and so toxic that the environment will be suffering its consequences for a very long time.

When asked why our government has done so little to end our dependence on fossil fuels, a veterans news correspondent answered that it was because the large oil, gas and coal companies hold sway over our government.

I believe in democracy and that a healthy democracy will elevate common good sense to help us navigate the changes that we must go through to get to where we need to be. But when our democracy is allowed to be corrupted by the greed of corporate money, it won’t work right. A good democracy needs to be taken care of and, like the natural world now, requires from us work and an ongoing commitment if we expect it to function as it was intended to. We have a lot of catching up to do.

OWEN REIN Mountain View

Awards overlooked

I recently heard a national news report about a crime committed by an American soldier in Afghanistan. It’s a terrible thing when that happens and it should be reported. My question: Why didn’t I also hear a national news report covering 14 American soldiers who were awarded the equivalent of our Medal of Honor, the highest award possible, by the German government?

In April, these 14 American soldiers risked their lives to rescue 11 wounded German soldiers who were under heavy fire in Afghanistan. I never heard this on national news. If my husband were not retired military, we never would have known it happened.

I also wonder if these men were honored in any way by their own American government. Could it be possible that our brave and loyal troops are better appreciated in Germany than in the United States of America? Think about it.

BONNIE TERRY Sheridan

Don’t trust ‘Big Oil’

Charles Krauthammer and other right-wing nut jobs blame the environmentalists for the oil leak in the Gulf. That’s not who the survivors of the catastrophe blame.

Several of them said on TV that safety rules and regulations were ignored. Now what people say on TV and what they say under oath might be different. I would like to see this matter go to court. Let everybody have their say and let a judge and jury decide.

I do not have any faith in Big Oil, not just BP. Has any other big oil company offered to cap this leak? So they would be in the same fix as BP. We can no longer believe that they will not destroy the environment.

To save the environment as we know it, we must have the capability to cap an oil well. I suggest a nuclear submarine; not one with torpedoes and missiles, but one that has all the known oil-capping equipment known to man. To train the crew we would need an underwater training facility. Maybe with computers we could do some simulations, but we need people with hands-on experience.

We can no longer trust Big Oil to keep the environment safe. Could we ever?

These things of which I speak cost a lot of money. What is our trust in Big Oil costing us now? Never again should we let something as fragile as the environment be left up to Big Oil. JEFF LAHA Little Rock

Hasten election day

“Mexican President Felipe Calderon has joined King Hussein of America in suing Arizona to ensure that there is no hindrance to the flow of illegals, cocaine, heroin and marijuana into the U.S. and no interruption in the flow of money to Mexican drug cartels, police and politicians.”

Our president is an eager accomplice-not surprisingly, being the only anti-American chief executive in the country’s history. That Calderon opposes America repatriating Mexicans in the U.S. illegally surprises no one. If they were sent home, who would distribute the thousands of tons of drugs being brought here by the runners? With no one to funnel drug money back to them, how would corrupt politicians, police and cartels fund their lavish lifestyles? Drug money is one of Mexico’s largest sources of income and criminals one of their chief exports.

But what’s Barack Obama’s excuse for his complicity? It seems his every decision is simply to do the opposite of George W. Bush, a man who unabashedly loved America. Bush supported America’s allies. Obama effectively sends $400 million to Hamas, the terrorist organization; appeases Iran, Syria and China; and insists that Israel drop its defenses against the 21st century Nazi dictatorships surrounding it. He abandons support of Poland and the Czech Republic to the designs of the Russians. Thank God that November is not that far away.

JAMES ALLEN McFATTER Siloam Springs

Promises yet to keep

First off, I am not a “Dem” or a “GOP.” Nor am I a tea-partier. What I am is an American who is deeply concerned for my country.

Our senators and congressmen have decided to side with President Obama to degrade American states like Arizona, giving a president from another country a pulpit to low rate a member of the United States of America, Arizona. Our congressmen and senators of the Democratic Party gave Felipe Calderon a two-minute standing ovation for railing against our sister state because Arizona wants to protect her people from this invasion of illegals.

We have a right to uphold our laws. Our members of Congress and our president all took an oath of office to protect and, yes, to defend this country from all enemies, both foreign and domestic. They are in contempt of their oath of office. They have denied the rights to the rule of law, and they should be impeached.

So when shall we start the process, force them to keep their promise? Rise up, America. Our country’s founders said this is a republic if you can keep it. Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” What say you?

ABBIE ELLIOTT Little Rock

Too much negativity

Numerous letters have hit this page concerning Barack Obama, mostly negative. It makes one wonder if the writers considered that there has been only one perfect person since mankind’s creation to walk our earth and that is Christ.

Certainly, Obama has made errors, but I look at his positive points-the announcement of the forthcoming withdrawal of our troops from Iraq, and later Afghanistan, after more than 9 1 /2 years of war, not to mention the loss of more than 4,400 young men and an escalating tax burden; the addition to George W. Bush’s education program; the help to small businesses, a backbone of our economy; and a quick response to the Gulf oil spill, with help promised to those affected by talks with BP CEOs, as well as four visits to date to the region.

He, as all other presidents past and future, needs our prayer and moral support, not our extreme negativity.

DIXIE ANN COLE Fayetteville