Letters to the Editor
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Published Letters: 202 Editor's Choice: 38
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Call His Bluff
[Read the article: Bush on 9/11: Come together -- behind me]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Democrats should call Bush's bluff. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi should get up in their respective chambers and say this:
We agree with the President. This is the battle of the 21st century and all Americans must sacrifice.
The war to save our civilization will cost a lot of money. We offer legislation to repeal the tax cuts for the wealthy of 2001, 2002 and 2003. We also offer legislation to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans.
This money will targeted to ensuring our men and women in uniform and our intelligence agencies have every weapon necessary to find and destroy the terrorists and bring peace and freedom to the world. It will also be used to supply the poorest areas of the world with clean drinking water, food and healthcare. It will also be used to provide guaranteed healthcare to the most vulnerable Americans: the poor, the elderly and children.
We offer legislation to bring back the selective service system. All Americans aged 17 to 34 will have to register and will be selected by lot to serve in uniform. There will be NO exceptions other than those of conscience. Conscientious objectors will be required to serve the government in other ways. We will create a 5 million person army. This army will go wherever terrorism threatens the fabric and fiber of our civilization.
We offer legislation to create special courts to handle terrorist cases. Those accused will have rights to counsel, to see the evidence against them and to help prepare their defense. These courts will show the world that the United States stands behind the words of its Constitution and its Bill of Rights.
We agree with the President. This is the battle of the 21st century to save our way of life. We must all sacrifice. It is time for all Americans to come together to defend the freedoms and rights we hold so dear against those who would take them away. To quote Franklin Delano Roosevelt, "The American people in their righteous might will achieve the inevitable victory, so help us God."
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Change the Reality
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]College football should become officially what it is de facto, the minor leagues for the NFL.
Pay the players. If a player agrees to come to your college's football team he gets paid. The player may have an agent negotiate his contract with the school.
There would be minimum and maximum salaries, based on skill and negotiation.
There would be a hard and fast salary cap. Violation of the cap would be punishable by loss of bowl and ranking eligibility.
If the athlete wants to take classes, up to and including achieving an associate's or bachelor's degree, great. If he prefers to chill while not playing or practicing, that's fine.
He cannot accept money or gifts from anyone other than the school. If he does, he loses his contract and cannot sign with another school for this or the coming season.
If he is convicted of any crime while employed by the school he loses his contract and cannot sign with another school for this or the coming season.
Players would be subject to the NFL's drug testing rules.
Players would be able to opt for the NFL draft at age 20 or after two years in college ball.
There will always be cheaters, but when a lot of people are cheating, it's because the rules no longer match the reality. The rules must change. College football is simply an extension of the NFL and should be treated as such.
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Not so fast, George
[Read the article: The Bush administration vs. the founding American principles]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Below are sections 1 and 2 of Article III of the Constitution:
"Article III
Section 1. The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behaviour, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services, a compensation, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.
"Section 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority;--to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls;--to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction;--to controversies to which the United States shall be a party;--to controversies between two or more states;--between a state and citizens of another state;--between citizens of different states;--between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of different states, and between a state, or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens or subjects."
Sounds like the Supreme Court decides constitutional issues.
The oaths taken by members of Congress and by enlisting servicemen and women include the words, "...defend the Constitution of the United States...."
Sorry, George, but lots of people are sworn to defend that piece of paper you hate so much.
This is a despicable administration led by a despicable man who sees nothing wrong with the destruction of 230 years' work to expand liberty and rights to all the people of the United States. And the Democrats say nothing and do nothing. Shame on all of us. We are witnessing the death of our democracy. And the fatal wound is self-inflicted.