Letters to the editor for the week of June 4, 2008

Staff
Published: June 4, 2008

Political complaint
I heard today that Hillary won Puerto Rico. When was Puerto Rico granted the rights of a state? There is no 51st star on our flag. There is no amendment in the U.S. Constitution granting them the right to vote in our elections.
When did we stop using the Constitution to govern our government? Puerto Rico also has a Representative in the House of Representatives as does Guam, American Samoa and the Virgin Islands.
I guess if we don’t pay attention to what our government is doing it can do what it wants.

Paul Zentmyer
Madison Heights

Saddened
I write as a 79-year-old mother of six and grandmother of eight.
I was saddened to hear of the recent undercover operation and subsequent arrest of several Amherst County High School students.
I for one, would have preferred seeing our tax dollars spent on intervention programs that target our impressionable and inexperienced youth rather then target, and in many ways minimize that which is positive in our young individuals as they develop into responsible young adults.
Although I am a strong believer in personal responsibility, we, as adults, must provide the leadership and mentoring needed to develop good decision making in our young citizens.
Making mistakes is a condition of youth. Why not focus attention and tax dollars towards efforts that help out youth maximize their potential rather then focus on and back-handedly encourage failure. Mistakes are a part of life.
Let’s, as a community, stand behind the belief that we can make positive differences in children’s lives.
Let’s advocate for intervention, education, and guidance rather then for devastating punishment.

Rosemary Draves

Hearing
I have been hearing our veterans want their college education they were promised when they enlisted.  But the President is going to veto the bill that was recently passed. 
The cost of the four years of college would be $2 billion dollars. Is has been said to cost too much.  But, that is absurd. The war is Iraq is costing us $2 billion a week. One week!
Now, ain’t them some apples?
As for the Iraq fiasco, McCain says he will never surrender. Well, I wonder how much that has to do with him having been a POW? 
When you have a tortured veteran, the terrorists never give up, so we will be over there forever, unless we just leave. The heck with saving “face”. We do not have any face left to save.
We have no right to push our ways on other countries.  The terrorists are raising their children up to martyrs.
As fast as one dies, there are ten to take their place.  They have been fighting since the beginning of time and they will be fighting until the end of time.
So, you tell me how we are ever going to end the war, other then just leaving? 
They have their own beliefs, which should be evident by now.  No one can win: so bring our troops and money home. We cannot save the whole world. The other countries know it and that is why they had the good sense to stay out of it. 
Some things you just have to leave to God to take care of.
We need people with plain ol’ common sense to run the military and not be puppets to the quacks we have in Washington right now.
Washington knows what kind of people they are dealing with, but are brainwashing people into believing the war can be won. I say, again, the terrorists will fight forever.
There is pride and then there is stupidity. Which one is this country sporting right now? 
They had better come down off that high horse before they get us all killed.  Take care of our own for once.  Think of what $2 billion a week could get us.

Wendy Nash
Amherst