An unequal
sacrifice
To the editor:
The Iraq war is unique. It was a preemptive war, begun under false pretenses promoted by our neoconservative leaders either by design or by faulty intelligence.
They not only were inept in planning for the post-military period resulting in the current chaos and civil war but also arrogantly went into it almost unilaterally without asking Americans to share the sacrifices of participating in it, other than the families of those killed and maimed there and, of course, the ones that were killed and maimed.
They spent American blood and treasure profligately, increasing our deficit significantly. This war is being funded by loans from other countries (some of which can be considered our potential enemies) that are buying our government bonds and which will devolve to our children and grandchildren to pay back the principal plus interest for many years to come.
This is blatantly unfair. The administration’s only request was for our citizens to do their part to help in the war effort by continuing to buy things that would maintain our domestic economy. Some sacrifice! Some war!
I would like to suggest that the administration grow up and face facts by paying for the war as we go by instituting an Iraq War tax. This could be written to significantly affect the war profiteers Halliburton, Exxon Mobil, et al, by putting them in a higher war-tax bracket and by minimizing or eliminating this tax on families of those of our military killed and maimed.
This would have a much overdue salutary effect by uniting the country in the sacrifice that should be shared and is demanded now from only a few. It would recover some of the obscene profits that have been realized by war profiteers and reduce our deficit substantially.
It might even result in disillusioning the chicken hawks who have been big on professing their patriotism but letting others face the bullets and bombs, by having them put their pocketbooks where their mouths are. When asked to participate in actual shared sacrifice where their money is involved, many of them will see the light and undoubtedly switch to joining the majority of people who want our troops to return home in the foreseeable and defined near future.
Irving Bersak
Monroe
Speech rights
inalienable
To the editor:
There is a very interesting and disturbing case in our state Supreme Court, the board of directors in the Twin Rivers homeowners association vs. owners. Originally, when this case went to court, the judge decided that when people join homeowners associations they give up their constitutional right to freedom of speech. The residents then took the case to the Appeals Court where three judges unanimously ruled that we do not give up our constitutional right to freedom of speech when we join an association.
The Twin Rivers board and their attorney evidently disagreed and have taken the case to the Supreme Court.
Owners who live under homeowner associations across the nation are waiting to see what our court decides. I’m 70 and I’ve lived in the United States all of my life and I have never heard of anyone’s right to freedom of speech or any other freedom being given up. How embarrassing and disturbing it will be if our court decides that we have indeed given up our right to freedom of speech.
The fact that a group exists that believes that we can give up our right to freedom of speech is frightening. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, mentions that we have "inalienable rights" and according to my dictionary that means "incapable of being surrendered." Hopefully, the New Jersey Supreme Court will agree with Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence.
Janet Huet
Monroe
Turn to God
for guidance
To the editor:
When we have needs to be met do we not provide for those needs ourselves if we can, and then appeal to others through various options?
Do we not have a need for protection from devastating hurricanes, snowstorms, floods, fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, drought, and other unusual occurrences of weather, and a host of other things that are beyond mankind’s control? To whom do we appeal when we humans have exhausted our resources, physical or otherwise?
The obvious answer to many is God, our creator, who cares very much about us, his creatures.
However, how can we appeal to the God who is not held in reverence, whose very existence some deny, the God that we as a nation or as individuals have chosen to ignore, deny, disobey, ridicule, and/or attempted to shut out of our "state" business?
He has told us how in a book revered by millions. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Do we not need healing as a nation? Isn’t it about time that we who claim to be among "his people," acknowledge that the God who created and loves us is trying to get our attention before we humans destroy ourselves? If we, from our president down to the "lowliest," humble ourselves before God, hasn’t he promised that he will "forgive their (our) sins and heal their (our) land?"
Will he not also give us the wisdom, guidance, and resolve to solve the problems we should and can solve? Thank you.
Miles Bennett
Monroe