Freedom

The truck trundled down muddy roads, and to the weary men it seemed to hit every pothole. The damp chill went all the way to the bone. It was Christmas Day in Germany, and every soldier wanted to be home. The truck was filled with men from two countries. In charge were the yanks, eyes ever watchful for danger. Though the war was going well for the Americans, they could never let down their guard. Loaded in the rear were Germans headed for a POW camp. As the vehicle passed through a small village, suddenly there was a commotion.

Dear Editor, This election in some ways is no different than others. I wish it had been different, but people just will not admit we have different needs and views. I want everyone to be honest and put others before themselves. We have to think of the good of the country. This morning, as I was listening to the news, I became discouraged. Congressman Yarmuth said he was pessimistic about the chances of working together. All the news media are talking about gridlock. I wish just one source would say it would be great to work together and try and see the other side’s point of view.

Dear Editor, Last Saturday, I was a guardian on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., with World War II veterans going to see the memorial finally dedicated to them after 60 years. They are truly the “Greatest Generation.” Some of them will never see it. Think about what they did. Where would we be if Japan or Germany had conquered us? Think about the quote on their T-shirts: “If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read it in English, thank a veteran.

Dear Editor, I am only one Christian man who is a citizen of our great nation. You know, the land of the free. It’s sad to pick up the newspaper and read some things, like the man who voiced his words in our paper that we’re a nation of cowards. It seems to be true. The president plainly said on national TV that we are not a Christian Judean nation, but a nation of values — morals. Now it seems to be that we have let our guard down in what we believe in, one true God. After all, our forefathers had founded our land, America, on belief in God. To me, that’s what we are fighting for — to have freedom in our beliefs in freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

Whether a genuine misunderstanding, or collusion and conspiracy, the mainstream media continues its false portrayal of the grassroots movement known as the Taxed Enough Already party as a bunch of angry, racist rednecks. In Kentucky, the mischaracterizations seem limited to large media relics — primarily the largest newspapers. A Lexington Herald-Leader columnist’s infomercial-column (published free of charge, I’m certain) about the upcoming Coffee Party convention in Louisville confirmed this.

One of our country’s Founding Fathers reportedly said if we want to know where we’re going we have to know “from whence we came,” and Thomas Jefferson said protecting our liberty requires “constant vigilance.” Nearly a century later, Abraham Lincoln was quoted as urging the citizenry to study history in order to “avoid the mistakes of the past.” Too often we take for granted the Constitution and the freedoms guaranteed therein. As a student in Washington, D.C., I recall that one could freely walk into a congressman’s office and usually expect to meet with him, even without an appointment.

After fundamentalist Muslim terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, murdering nearly 3,000 people and destroying the World Trade Center’s twin towers, we Americans asked ourselves: Why? Why do some Muslims — in this case from countries that are our allies — want to destroy us? Some Muslim American clerics and scholars tried to answer that question forthrightly while at the same time condemning the attacks. Imam Abdul Rauf was one of those.

Dear Editor, I certainly hope the Boyle County High School staff learned something from graduation night. Many could not stand the heat and had to leave, some had medical problems. They took way too long for everything, took 30 minutes just to seat students; that could have been done in five. People had to arrive at least an hour early, even to get a seat in the top rows; 110 degrees up there. I hope they learned from this and will correct the problem next year. On another very serious note, I noted nothing was mentioned about the importance of the weekend on which this was happening — Memorial Day weekend.

Kentucky coach John Calipari insisted he wanted to continue playing in Freedom Hall and that he wanted to play a marquee opponent that fans would want to see. He got his wish, too, as UK will face Notre. Dame on Dec. 8 at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN in the second game of the SEC/Big East Invitational at Freedom Hall. The first game will pair Seton Hall against Arkansas, which is coached by Kentucky native John Pelphrey. There was a time when a Kentucky-Notre Dame game in Freedom Hall was an annual event.

Dear Editor, On Monday, we remembered and honored those who defend our freedoms in all wars. So many have made the ultimate sacrifice. Please remember those they left behind — families and friends who will never forget them. A lot flew the flag in their memory, and once this day was past, they will not do so for another few months until Veterans Day. I remember every day of my life. I have a father, husband and brother who gave all they had for this country. The saddest thing is that our president could not give up one day to lay the wreath at the grave of the Unknown Soldier.