OBAMA ON AFGHANISTAN
President is going down a familiar, failed path
Well, it looks like President Obama is channeling his "inner Dick Cheney" regarding his policies on Afghanistan.
With Gen. Stanley McChrystal channeling his "inner William Westmoreland" and the corrupt Afghan President Hamid Karzai channeling his "inner Ngô ình Diem," let's only hope Obama does not begin channeling his "inner LBJ" as the situation really resembles Vietnam
BILL HOOTS, INVER GROVE HEIGHTS
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Regarding the president's speech on Afghanistan Tuesday night: I believe if George W. Bush had given the speech last year, or President John McCain now, there would have been 50,000 war protesters outside of West Point demanding that this war not be escalated.
My daughter, who has been a part of the antiwar movement for over five years, told me this summer that nobody was interested in it anymore even though we were status quo on both fronts.
She told me, "I'm convinced there wasn't an antiwar movement, just an anti-Bush one." I really didn't want to believe her, but I am becoming more and more convinced she was right.
TIM TURNER, COON RAPIDS
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On Dec. 10, President Obama is scheduled to travel to Oslo, Norway, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. After listening to his speech announcing sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, I hope the Nobel Committee reconsiders and rescinds the prize.
A real peacemaker would realize that continuing the killing there will not solve anything, but only plant the seeds of the next conflict.
STEPHEN KRIZ, MAPLE GROVE
The American way
Why is Tiger's tale the media's top priority?
Reading Steve Salerno's article ("What we pay for glitz and glitter," Dec. 3), I was reminded of something my dad said to me years ago: "Son, if you want to make a million dollars, don't invent anything that people will need. Invent a goofy fishing lure."
I felt the same way as I was driving in my car, scanning the radio dial, on Wednesday --the day after the president had escalated our troop presence in Afghanistan by 30,000, yet every call-in radio station was focused on one topic -- Tiger Woods.
Have we lost all sense of value, significance and substance?
DOUG BERG, EXCELSIOR
Science's pedestal
Climate research scandal shows a crack
The recent scandal dubbed "Climategate" once again reveals that science, far from being the immaculate, incorruptible discipline that many assume it to be, is just as vulnerable to bias, ideological agendas and greed as other institutions.
Scientists after all are human beings and not immune from the temptation to either promote their own beliefs or profit from their position, even if that requires manipulating or hiding inconvenient data. In doing so they violate the trust that society has been taught to have in science.
In addition to those in the scientific community committed to an extreme environmentalist ideology are those who are tempted by the millions of dollars available through research grants, government agencies and publishing contracts. These funds are provided almost exclusively for those who sign onto and promote any theories that advance a cause célèbre, in this case radical environmentalism.
Just as we monitor and regulate public corporations and hold them accountable for their actions, we must also monitor and hold accountable those science institutions which often have a powerful influence on public policy when they abuse their power.
GARTH THORESEN, EAGAN
Black Friday
Let's open arms and hearts to a new model
It was inspiring to read about Open Arms' capital campaign in your Nov. 27 editorial. After the shopping frenzy of Black Friday I couldn't help wondering if there might be a better measure for our country's health than the amount of money we spend the day after Thanksgiving.
Ever since 9/11, patriotism has become synonymous with shopping. What if Open Arms provided a different model and we measured our value by how well we take care of each other instead of by how much we buy?
LINDA KELSEY. ST. PAUL
The Lone star state
Maybe secession isn't such a far-fetched idea
I agree with E.J. Dionne in his Dec. 1 assessment of former Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa. Leach was and remains an admirable public servant with whom I almost always agree.
But I don't agree with his negative reference to Texas Gov. Rick Perry's campaign "notion" of Texas seceding from the union.
That very same notion has occurred to me many times in the last 25 years. I can think of several horrendous situations the other 49 states would have avoided if Texas had done so.
And probably the majority of Texas citizens support the idea. Perry was, after all, elected and to my knowledge there has been no claim of irregularities.
We in Minnesota could still trade them pacemakers for oil; we could vacation there in winter and they could come here in summer. Things could be just as they are with other friendly foreign countries.
And even better, there is no reason we couldn't continue to compete in college and professional sports.
DONALD M. SULLIVAN, EDINA
