Published: October 04, 2008 03:17 pm            

FLASHPOINTS: McCain will bring right kind of change

TERRE HAUTE — I was appalled to hear that some people didn’t know who Sarah Palin was. There is an important election coming up and everyone should know who the candidates are, what the issues are, and where they stand on them. Both sides are talking change but we need to know what kind of change. There are no perfect candidates so we need to know where they stand on the issues that are important to us.

I can’t understand people who close their eyes to the fact that we have enemies who are intent on destroying us and ruling the world. I have just gotten a book by Georges Sada, a retired Iraqi general and an insider who was a special advisor to Saddam. He gives much information. Did they have WMDs and what happened to them? What were Saddam’s plans? He makes a compelling case for the war. There was another excellent article in the Sept. 17 paper by Maj. Hal Johnston. He makes so much sense. Both men give us a better understanding as to what has happened and is happening in Iraq. If people would read without their anti-war, Bush hating glasses, they would be able to see more clearly. I trust McCain on this. And also on abortion.

Do you mourn for all the murdered babies? Obama supports it, including the gruesome partial birth abortion. He even voted against giving medical care to the babies born alive after a botched abortion. Is this a woman making a choice about her own body? And do you parents want your children to have abortions and birth control without your knowledge? And you can’t blame the abstinence-only program for teen pregnancies. Times have changed.

What version of separation of church and state do you support? It’s interesting to hear that the Republicans rewrote the First Amendment. I could have sworn it was the Democrats who prefer using Jefferson’s letter (and they put their own spin on what he said) instead of the Constitution. Do you want activist judges who legislate from the bench or do you want judges who follow our Constitution?

Who is responsible for the energy problem? Could it be the Democrats? No drilling, new refineries or nuclear power. Yes we need to pursue alternatives but we also need to drill. Now!

Who is to blame for the economy fiasco? Greed, yes. But O’Reilly named names of people who knew what was happening but didn’t do anything. One was Christopher Cox, head of the SEC (McCain said he needed to be removed), and Barney Frank, head of the House Banking Committee, who, instead of demanding Freddie and Fannie be more responsible, encouraged more loans to the low-income families. And they couldn’t pay.

In 2004 Republicans in Congress were worried about Freddie and Fannie but Democrats denied that there was a problem. And OVER-regulation caused the problem. Who do you suppose was responsible for that?

There are many other things to consider but space will not permit. People, decide which way you want the country to go and don’t rely on misinformation, simplistic reasoning, and anger. Republicans are not the cause of all of our woes. It’s true they lost their way but McCain is on the right track. He will NOT have a Bush third term. Check it out, what he has done and how he has voted.

Check out Obama, too. He is the most liberal member of the Senate. Vote, but don’t vote your emotions. You might be sorry.

— Marilyn Payton

Rosedale



Obama poses no threat to our guns

I write in response to the letter published on Sept. 28, 2008, “Obama gun record remains troubling”, as well as in response to the swirl of rumors I have heard about the issue of Sen. Obama’s position on the Second Amendment.

Let me be totally clear about this. The rumors are pure bunk. Sen. Obama poses absolutely no threat to our Second Amendment right to bear arms.

I grew up in a family where I learned how to shoot and take care of a gun. It was an important part of growing up, and an important part of what it meant to be a part of our family and community. I am a gun owner and I spent my career in the Indiana House of Representatives fighting for the rights of sportsmen.

Owning a gun is important to me and I wouldn’t support any candidate who posed a threat to my hunting rifles, shotguns, and pistols. I support Barack Obama because he won’t tamper with our gun rights and is the better candidate on the real issues that matter to hunters: conservation of wildlife habitat and expanding access to places to hunt and fish.

Time and time again, Barack Obama has affirmed his commitment to the Second Amendment — and the belief that it confers individual right to own firearms. In the Senate, Obama voted to protect our guns from confiscation during times of emergency and supported the recent Supreme Court decision upholding our gun rights. The fundamental rights of law-abiding gun owners will remain untouched under Obama. These distortions only serve to distract us from the real issues at stake.

We need to reverse the losses to our fish and wildlife habitats — if we continue to follow the path of the past eight years, we’ll have fewer and fewer opportunities to enjoy the outdoor traditions we hold dear. We’re losing open spaces and access to lands for hunting and fishing and even our own numbers, as sportsmen, are dwindling.

Sen. Obama is committed to fighting for these issues. Obama supports opening two million more acres of land for public hunting and fishing, and he recently said in a Field and Stream interview that he will appoint conservationists to key agencies. His administration will work with states to ensure abundant game and fish populations and to support hunter education and recruitment.

An Obama presidency would not only protect our rights to gun ownership but also bring the change we need — through a commitment to conservation — to preserve our outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing.

— John R. Gregg

Former Speaker of the Indiana

House of Representatives

Sandborn

        

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