Obama s response is worrisome

7/28/2009

President Obama s remarks about the arrest of a Harvard professor showed his true allegiance. After stating that he did not have the details of the incident, he went on to support the black individual, and called the actions of the white officer involved stupid. He also stated his conclusion, again without having the details, that anyone would have been angry if in the shoes of the professor.

If he were truly representing all Americans, Mr. Obama s first response over a racial incident would have been to refrain from any comment on that which he had no details. I would expect this from Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, who make their living injecting themselves and promoting themselves by saying all white individuals are always wrong and racist. I expect more from the President of the United States.

Here we have the most powerful man in America and he can t see past his color. That truly scares me, and should scare us all.

Gale Hulderman

Valley Ridge Court

I want to thank Dr. S. Amjad Hussain for bringing attention to the devastating impact of poor birth outcomes on families and communities in his July 13 column. However, a vital point wasn t mentioned.

The efforts under way to address this issue under the name of the Lucas County Initiative to Improve Birth Outcomes were spearheaded by the Toledo Community Foundation. The foundation identified improving birth outcomes as a community priority and is providing substantial funding for the initiative.

Our community is very fortunate to have the foundation, Dr. Elizabeth Ruppert, and Dr. Hussain addressing the unbelievable health disparities that many don t even know exist right in our own backyard.

Jan L. Ruma

Sylvania Township

Editor s note: The writer is project director for the Lucas County Initiative to Improve Birth Outcomes as part of her duties as vice president of the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio.

The Blade published a very interesting article on the St. Lawrence Seaway and how its size constraints limit its usefulness. Options have been examined for enlarging the seaway to accommodate ocean-size ships and the tremendous economic impact that would make. The figure quoted was a conservative $10 billion.

As huge as that figure sounds, I realized that the renovation of the seaway could be done a hundred times over for the current cost of George W. Bush s immoral, needless, pointless war in Iraq. Instead of rebuilding our own crumbling infrastructure we are rebuilding the Iraqi infrastructure that we destroyed with billions of dollars in munitions.

Those trillions of war dollars could have been used to revitalize America but most of all, thousands of brave, honorable U.S. soldiers would be here for their families.

Mark Harrell

Maumee

Injecting taxpayers money into what s left of General Motors Corp., to me, is like pumping adrenaline into a corpse and expecting it to get up and walk around.

The enormous challenge to GM is to convince the auto consumer of the quality of its vehicles after many years of product inferiority, and hoping to glean a profit after overcoming a gigantic loan interest payment and taxes that are involved.

In the viability plan presented to the government, GM said it would break even before taxes and interest payments next year and slightly above by 2011. How can they possibly pay back the billions on this type of financial plan?

The CEO, Fritz Henderson said the company will seek to pay back the investment but stopped short of promising that taxpayers will recover all of the $50 billion they have put into the company. I personally feel that very little payback will take place, if any.

Gerard W. Jacobs

Fairhaven Drive

Why is it necessary to put a Supreme Court nominee under such scrutiny for days to reach a conclusion that has been predetermined?

If this is our Congress in action, why did it pass the 1,100-page stimulus bill with no clue what it contained? Absurd, but it will happen again. This time it will be the health-care reform bill. Any bill that has to do with the well-being of the American public deserves the same examination as a Supreme Court nominee.

My solution is quite simple: Because Congress has shown its incompetence for many years, vote all of its members all out, regardless of political party. Eliminate the status quo and replace them with others with fresh ideas, even though they may lack the finances of the incumbents.

If the people speak, they will be heard. If not, they will listen.

Ned Plummer

Hagley Road

I was confused reading about what s happening in Honduras. This nation s leading news journalists, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, the printed news, Congress, and our President are confused as well.

My research shows that Honduras is a republic form of government, like ours. Honduras has a constitution, like we do. The Hondurans elect their president and national congressional representatives, like we do.

Honduras problem evolved when a strongly leftist president, Manuel Zelaya, decided that constitutional term limits (like we have) shouldn t apply to him and that he should rule Honduras forever. The Hondurans didn t like that. Their congress didn t like that. The Honduran supreme court was petitioned to rule on Mr. Zelaya s action. The court ruled against Mr. Zelaya and the congress issued an arrest warrant.

Leaders in Honduras could have taken several directions. They could have tried Mr. Zelaya, found him guilty, and imprisoned him. They could have killed him, but instead escorted him to the airport and sent him away (very civilized). Immediately thereafter, the congress legally appointed Roberto Micheletti as president. This is how a constitution protects a nation from a dictator.

No coup occurred, just a very orderly, constitutionally correct exercise in democracy by a very courageous and civilized nation. Their former president was a leftist, a socialist just like our President. Their congress had the courage and love for democracy to resist being eradicated. Our left-leaning Congress doesn t care about freedom; it s always the party first. Hondurans have realized that they must stand and hold onto their individual freedoms.

We the people of these United States are giving our freedoms away daily. People, wake-up before it s too late.

Charles J. Smith

290th Street

Our community lost a teacher and friend when Roy Williamson, long-time resident and retired English teacher at Anthony Wayne High School, died barely two weeks before his 85th birthday.

Roy contributed to community literacy as a founding member of the citizen-initiated library in Whitehouse.

He was a great promoter of classics of all kinds and read to elementary students well into his 80s.

Most important, however, Roy left behind a legacy of patriotism, class, tolerance, and courage that neither his former students nor his friends will ever forget.

KATHARINE HEINTSCHEL

Oregon