War

Roger Bowman recently wrote that he had no respect for President George W. Bush, that he lied and that he was forewarned about the attack on the Twin Towers, and that he should be arrested. Liberals (aka socialist Democrats) are notorious for stating their personal opinions as fact without any back-up evidence. Where is the proof? Not enough space to compare the current president's record with “W”?   I am still not convinced that he is constitutionally eligible to be president.

Dear Editor, I am young, turning 20 in August, but for half of my life the country that I live in has been immersed in continuous war. You’d have every right to shoot me down already, just in the second sentence of this article, and say that everything I say is as obvious and unnewsworthy as saying that grass is green or the sky is blue. I certainly don’t know everything, and I have many that disagree with me on some of the views that I have, but in lieu of the disagreements, I just want to share my thoughts, perhaps from a perspective that gets lost in the fear and glamour that subdues us. I sometimes find that I have to forcibly remind myself that we are in a war, perhaps two wars, perhaps more.

Dear Editor: To begin with, I hope that no one will misconstrue what I say in this letter. Upfront and first of all, I wish it to be known that I support our troops all around the world. I am a military veteran of the Vietnam era myself. Troops only follow orders. But I want my voice heard loud and clear, in that I do not and cannot support the Bush policies. I have seen presidents come and go since Harry Truman, and this present one is, in my opinion, the absolute worst. I think he is dangerous and egotistical.

Dear Editor, Two recent letters in The Advocate-Messenger and one featured column by a local college professor have accused President Bush of being a "war criminal" and worse. It is my humble opinion that these three are the criminals for "aiding and abetting" the enemy. The college professor makes a case out of "torturing" the prisoners, especially waterboarding. No one is physically harmed by waterboarding, they are not actually drowned. By contrast, if the situation were reversed, these people would cut yours or your baby's throat in a nano-second.

Dear Editor: The Bush administration must have clear doubts about its ability to win the war on terrorism. In a recent interview on NBC, Bush stated, "I don't think you can win it," when asked if he thought the United States could win the war on terror. The spin doctors from the Republican Party of course said, "what he meant was," but that doesn't cut it. Bush may be able to read a speech about winning the war on terrorism but clearly he has doubts about his ability to do so - and with good reason.

Dear Editor: Through numerous falsehoods and deceptions, George W. Bush and other senior members of his administration persuaded the American people and their representatives in Congress to go to war against Iraq. They repeatedly asserted that they had indisputable evidence that Iraq was amassing weapons of mass destruction. They invoked the specter of a mushroom cloud erupting over an American city, and of Americans dying in large numbers from chemical and biological assaults.

Culture warriors loudly proclaim that Christianity is under siege in the United States: Christmas wars, Bible wars, school wars all part of a great "war on Christians. " For a little perspective, try explaining this "war" to people like Father Douglas Yousef Al-Bazy, a Chaldean Catholic parish priest in Baghdad. Last month, Al-Bazy was kidnapped for nine days before being released (probably for ransom). Earlier this year, his parish was hit by bomb attacks, and a month later he was shot at while pulling a pregnant woman to safety.

Dear Editor, My primary interest is the military and foreign affairs. I have not gotten involved in the health care controversy. Not because I don't think there is a problem, there is. I just think we have much more important problems that deserve our government's attention. Our young men and women are still fighting and dying in the mountains of Afghanistan eight years after 9/11. Yet our president vacillates over whether to send more troops or to give up. Universal health care in order to win votes seems more important to him. I served 21 years in the military during the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

They stood silently around the labyrinth in McDowell Park Monday thinking, meditating on the loss of lives in Iraq. Rick Axtell, the chaplain at Centre, organized the vigil with CentrePeace as a recognition of the tragedy of war. Axtell said the vigil is not meant to be a political statement, just a solemn remembrance. Students and professors gathered at 4:15 p.m., many with book bags still slung across their shoulders. They picked up a two-page reflection on the tragedies and responsibilities of war. They remembered the more than 2,000 soldiers from the United States; the soldiers from Great Britain, Italy, Ukraine, Poland and Spain; the Iraqi soldiers and the 30,000 Iraqi civilians who have died in the war in Iraq.

Dear Editor: Bravo to Mr. Rodger French for his comments in Tuesday's Advocate. Mr. French was correct in pointing out that it isn't unpatriotic to disagree with President Bush and his decision on Iraq. We were all told that the basis for this war was to eliminate Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. I believe I am correct in that not one weapon of mass destruction has been found. I proudly stand by all troops who are or have been in Iraq throughout this war, and I will support them regardless of my disagreement over the current administration sending them over there to begin with.

Martha Raddatz told one on herself Sunday during her commencement address to Centre College's Class of 2013. The highly decorated and respected ABC foreign correspondent who has reported from war zones around the world, the White House and the Pentagon, the woman who held Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan in check during their feisty debate at Centre last fall, never made it through college. Raddatz told the crowd at Newlin Hall that she had given a commencement speech at a small college a few years back and one of the newly-minted graduates asked her how she could follow in Raddatz's footsteps.

STANFORD - An ongoing debate over garbage fees in Lincoln County, nicknamed "Dumpster Wars" by Judge-Executive Jim Adams, heated up Tuesday morning when a top official for the county's largest waste hauler walked out on talks with county officials. Now at least one magistrate says he's interested in increasing county revenue from the trash industry by as much as $90,000 - more than three times the amount officials were originally discussing. What began as a relatively quiet meeting about the technical aspects of pick-up fees on commercial Dumpsters quickly changed in tone after Solid Waste Director Chris Thomason and Republic Services General Manager Kerry Loy disagreed about the effect of the Tri-K Landfill on Lincoln County's cleanliness.

The Jessamine County Public Library was transformed into a galaxy far, far away Saturday as more than 500 people attended Star Wars Fan Day, which capped off Star Wars Week. Star Wars Week was the brain-child of the library's children's department, according to Heather Reynolds, community relations librarian. “They thought it would be a great theme to use for programming during spring-break week for the families that don't travel,” Reynolds said. “We were looking for a theme that attracted kids, teens and adults.” Saturday's event also featured members of the 501st Star Wars Legion, whose volunteers dressed up as Darth Vader, storm troopers, a sandtrooper and an imperial gunner.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and director of the National Park Service Jonathan B. Jarvis announced Monday the designation of 13 new national historic landmarks, including the Camp Nelson Historic and Archeological District. “These national historic landmark designations span more than two centuries of our country's history, from 17th century architecture to a Civil War battlefield to a 19th century-Kentucky whiskey distillery that continued to operate through the Prohibition era,” Salazar said.

I have noticed something that I would like to bring to your attention, if you haven't noticed it already.  Hundreds of thousands of Americans - America's best - have been fighting in the Middle East. Many have returned, and some have acted out. All who went to war against terror have been in conflicts that have messed with their heads. Many have gone and returned to lives they live with some sense of normalcy and they don't impose on anyone.  A few of them who have acted out have shed a light on the conflicts that is very negative.

One of the many tragedies of the Civil War was the divided loyalties that led to Kentuckians fighting on opposite sides. Being a border state, Kentucky saw many instances of “brother against brother” during the war. A number of well known Clark County families - Jackson, Bush, Haggard, Quisenberry, Curry, Hanson, Combs, Rankin, Parrish, Ecton, Stevens and others - sent men to both the Union and Confederate armies. One of the Jackson clans descend from the Revolutionary War soldier and pensioner, Josiah Jackson.

LEXINGTON - From what Kentucky coach John Calipari has seen, Auburn coach Tony Barbee has his Tigers playing harder than UK¿has been. That's why Calipari knows Saturday night's game against Barbee, who played and coached under him at Massachusetts, will be a difficult matchup for the Wildcats. “I love this team. We have so much upside. We are going to be in dogfights,” Calipari said after Tuesday's win over Tennessee. “We have to go to Auburn, Auburn is playing as well as anybody in our league right now, on the road, they are retiring numbers, it's Jersey Day, Cup Day and Bat Day in Auburn.

MITCHELLSBURG - Robert H. Mitchell observed his 18th birthday in August 1944 and was looking forward to graduating from high school in the spring of 1945. Instead, he was fighting to stay alive in the Battle of Balete Pass in the Philippines while his 18 classmates were graduating from Perryville High School.  Mitchell was a member of Co. I, 3rd Battalion,  35th Infantry Regiment of the 25th Division. from Dec. 1, 1944, to Nov. 18, 1946, during World War II. “I had never been anywhere until I left for Tyler, Texas, and Camp Farrin for basic training,” said Mitchell.

Editor's note: This is the unabridged version of the condensed article that appeared in the Jan. 17 Interior Journal. This article is the first in a series to commemorate the War of 1812 Bicentennial. The Congress of the United States has designated November 7, 2011 through June 15, 2015 as the bicentennial period. The important contributions of Kentucky and Lincoln County troops began in early 1813 so our commemoration period in Lincoln County will run from January 8, 2013 through January 15, 2015.

STANFORD - About 200 years ago, the United States was at war with Great Britain, and Lincoln County citizens were leaving prominent marks in history. To commemorate the contributions to the War of 1812 by Lincoln County natives such as William Whitley and Gov. Isaac Shelby, Judge-Executive Jim Adams declared Jan. 8-15 Lincoln County's official observance week for the War of 1812 bicentennial. Brian Thompson, chairman of Lincoln County's War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee, said Lincoln County played a big role in the war, with Kentucky residents accounting for 64 percent of U.S. casualties.