Published: September 22, 2008 10:11 am      

9/21/2008 Letters to the Editor

Let’s not make Third World countries happy



Between 1989 and 2008 more than 354 lawmakers have received more than $4,844,000 in contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Fifty seven percent went to Democrats, while the balance went to independents and Republicans. The second largest recipient was Sen. Barack Hussein Obama, while the first was Sen.Christopher J. Dodd, both Democrats.

Now the Democrats — Obama — can holler and howl all they want to about the Republicans being responsible for the current financial mess, but when you dig out the facts they have made the most money from it, the list does not include John McCain but does include Bayh, Boxer, Byrd, Dingell, Domenici, Feinstein, Hillary, Jesse Jackson, Kennedy, Kerry, Pelosi, Rockefeller and Schumer to name a few infamous ones.

During the bulk of my lifetime the Democrats have controlled the Congress of the United States of America. I have prospered under 12 presidents, six Republicans and six Democrats. I seem to get by no matter which party is in power, but I fear the Democrats with their desire to take away my guns. I guess I must be one of Obama’s “bitter small-town Americans clinging to my Bible and gun.”

I have become used to politicians lying to me, taxing me, taking away my God- and Constitutional-given freedoms and wasting my hard earned money on boondoggle earmarks — McCain has never had one — and pork.

But what really scares me today are things I read about foreign ambassadors wanting Obama to win the presidency. The prospect of an American president with whom the Third World identifies does not sit too well with me. Especially when it is Muslim-controlled countries.

This desire of foreigners has been echoed regularly in much of the foreign coverage of the election. Most recently by a recent column in Britain’s Guardian, in which journalist Jonathan Freedland warned that if American voters ignore the desire of the rest of the world for a victory by the Democrats, the consequences might be ominous.

“If Americans choose John McCain,’ he said, “they will be turning their back on the rest of the world.”

Obama is too shrewd to speak such sentiments as Sen. John Kerry did during his failed presidential candidacy in 2004 when he stated some foreign leaders — French — had told him they hoped he would beat Bush.

While Europeans assume everyone shares their belief in their superior moral and political vision, Americans have historically rejected such theories. One of the founding ideas that established our culture was that its legitimacy rested on the concept of American exceptionalism. European arrogance aside, the notion that London or Paris has anything to teach us these days about foreign policy morality is ludicrous. What writers like Freeland are also ignoring is the very real possibility that an Obama presidency might disappoint even his most fervent foreign fans.

Some may believe that Obama’s charm will miraculously convince Europeans to adopt tough sanctions and persuade the world to follow our lead. Such expectations are based on more of a good opinion of Obama than on a grasp of European realities.

No matter who wins in November, Europe isn’t going to do much about Iran for several reasons, one of which has to do with a lack of will to defend its own values. An outlook that has resulted in us saving them from being forced to speak German two times in the last century. The election of Obama would not eliminate the probability that the next president will have to take action on Iran, and his policies will necessarily consist of things the Europeans will not like.



W.V. Bonds

Cleburne



American me



Although now an older type, I still feel lucky and proud for being American and a Texan, even though born in New Mexico, which can be considered far West Texas.

By choice, I am a Texan. On the genealogical scene, I could be called a Texan American or a New Mexican Texan American. Some of my predecessors originated in Germany and on the way to Texas spent a while in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Kansas and Tennessee, so should I be called a German Pennsylvanian Kentuckian Kansan Tennesseean New Mexican Texan American?

What a privilege to just be an American citizen. Why do all of these native-born yahoos call themselves African Americans, Muslim Arab Americans, or Mexican Americans? Maybe they plan on going back to their ancestral home. Why wait?

Throughout the U.S. there were thousands of communities formed by various ethnic settlers, and each was populated by distinct ethnic, racial or religious groups from many parts of the globe.

In Texas, there were many German, Czech and Polish communities formed by earlier immigrants who came here to improve their lives and who lived close to each other because of kinship, language and cultural reasons. Over time they have blended into the general population while simultaneously retaining many of their language and cultural assets but adapting to the laws, customs and English language of this country to the benefit of citizens of all ethnic diversities.

History tells us that many of the groups that came here, including the first settlers who intruded on the indigenous natives, were also looked on as intruders by the implanted locals.

This was and is now due to pre-formed attitudes and lack of tolerance by both the locals and the intruders. Language, religious, superstitious, political and cultural differences and bad attitudes are strong deterrents to civil harmony, separately or inclusively. These differences have been fuses for explosive upheavals within communities in our country’s earlier days and, unfortunately, in modern times, are still reasons for distrust.

It’s time we recognize other peaceful and legal citizens as Americans and not group them as African Americans or Mexican Americans or whatever divisions devious politicians subsist from.

In congressional coalitions and lobbyists, these feelings of animosity are being constantly refueled. Minority citizens are fed unkind information from their own false leaders for political , hate baiting, lobbying and entitlement reasons. “Politically incorrect” statements are used incessantly and disloyally by the media and race and minority hate mongers. I thought that Aggie jokes, as harshly spirited as they often sounded, were actually good advertisement for us Aggies and did not make us victims. Theory: When they quit talking about you, you’ve lost ground. Laugh at yourself because when you’re mad you look silly.

I recently attended a citizenship swearing in ceremony in Keene, where 137 people from 37 countries proudly took the oath finalizing their legal path to become U.S. citizens with singular loyalty to the U.S.

I doubt that any of them proclaimed that “I am at last an Indian American” or “I am now a Cuban American,” or “I am finally a Canadian American.”

From my observation spot I thought I could read their lips saying, “Thank God, I am an American!” and “I loved my parents’ country but I am now in my country.” Will these be better Americans than I am or take their citizenship rights for granted?



Monte Swatzell

Cleburne



Proud to have been a union president



I expected Mr. Bonds to answer the trace union question. Of course, he knows more about my subject because he gets all his knowledge from his computer. Yes, we give money to Democratic and Republican candidates, but it is community action money and not union dues. According to Mr. Bonds, all union presidents and officers are crooks. I wonder what Mr. Bonds would find if he put ENRON on his computer.

I am proud to have been president of local 317 UAW at Bell Helicopter Textron in Hurst. Bell has been in Hurst for more than 50 years. They have more than one union at Bell. We have gotten some of the best labor contracts in aerospace nationwide. They build the best helicopter in the world. Labor has not priced them out of any contract with any private or government contract. Bell is the best company I ever worked for. As for us protecting incompetent workers, every employee is hired with a trial period, up to six months. I am certain the company can find out if an employee is competent in that amount of time.

The statement about a janitor dropout making more than a school teacher. At Bell, a janitor makes $14 an hour, after he has been at Bell 16 years. His starting salary was $6 per hour.

Some years ego, Safeway left Cleburne because they were union and could not pay $12 per hour for cashiers. In canvassing I could not find a cashier who made $12 per hour. The top wage I found was $8 per hour. Companies do !ie.

No, Mr, Bonds, ignorance had nothing to do with my retirement. I worked 25 years at Bell and am now 85 years old. For your information, I am invited back in the plans every Christmas and on other special occasions.

As for as pricing the automobiles so high the foreign car took over and are better cars. That tells me that on election day you will get into your foreign car, go to the polls and vote Republican.

I am proud to say I have many Republican friends here in Cleburne. They are not radical “know-it-alls.”

I suppose your next letter will blame all the bank problems and bankruptcies on organized labor.



Earl G. Pierce

Cleburne



The new Rush Limbaugh?



You now have a writer (Zack Cunningham) who can cover local sporting events and also favor us with astute political and moral observations.

The young man is wise beyond his years.

See as how you are whittling the Times-Review down, why not put the young man’s sports column on the opinion page. He is on track to be his generation’s Rush Limbaugh.

Yours truly,



John Phillip Street

Cleburne