This war is futile; stop the fighting

12/4/2009

When will the United States of America and its allies realize that a war in Afghanistan cannot be won?

We should all know that the answer is in the history of that land and its war-experienced people. The war in Vietnam, with its experienced fighters, and the death of more than 58,000 U.S. soldiers and thousands of minds and bodies maimed for life, is one hard lesson.

Soviet Russia, in its war in Afghanistan, lost more than 20,000 soldiers, and again thousands more minds and bodies wounded forever.

This war is total waste, as all wars are: a waste of time, lives, and resources. A couple of trillion dollars could have accomplished so much more around the world, to feed, to build, to house, to help veterans, the homeless, the mentally disturbed, and so on.

When will our leaders realize this fact, and boldly say to the greedy business opportunists: “No more war — we're going home.”

Larry Parker

Maplewood Avenue

Before retiring as a police officer, I always appreciated City Council giving me the tools necessary to do my job by enacting ordinances to get the job done. However, if I were still on the department I would not get any warm and fuzzy feelings over council's recent enactment of the new anti-texting ordinance. Though council didn't pen the ordinance, members also apparently didn't completely investigate the properties of the ordinance when they borrowed the wording from Cleveland and only enacted it because it was the “politically correct” thing to do.

Let me explain: When an officer stops a vehicle for traffic only, the driver need only produce his license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance. With the new anti-texting ordinance, the officer will have to ask the driver for his cell phone company and his cell phone number. If the officer has encountered an astute driver who then tells the officer that he is invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and will not divulge this information, the officer will be able to give the driver a very dirty look but little else. The officer can't subpoena anything without this information, hence a useless ordinance.

I know City Council believed it was doing the right thing, but I have a suggestion: One should not tackle vast problems with half-vast reviews.

MEL STACHURA

Executive Parkway

So University of Toledo President Lloyd Jacobs is at it again, interfering in due process and contractually established procedures with imperious gestures. Why don't we just do away with democratic procedures altogether and re-establish an empire or monarchy? History furnishes plenty of examples to emulate, from the Roman and Byzantine empires to the absolute monarchies the American Revolution is thought to have done away with.

In these simpler systems, the ruler could decide his subject's fate by way of the old thumb-up or thumb-down sign on the basis of his subject's body language during a brief or not-so-brief encounter.

No dossiers needed there, no painstaking and exacting evaluations by elected committees, not all of whose members, by the way, can be assumed to be the candidate's friends. Many are the candidate's competitors, quite a few the candidate's rivals.

Advancement in academia is hard enough to come by in this day and age of ever-diminishing full-time positions even without the revival of feudal practices.

Uta Schaub

Mount Vernon Avenue

Thank goodness City Council finally accomplished something by passing an ordinance to ban text messaging while driving. What I don't understand is why Councilmen Lindsay Webb and Michael Ashford voted against passage. They stated that in their opinion the issue should be handled by the state. Wow. Have they never heard of leading by example? That kind of attitude is regressive and perhaps part of the problems our city faces.

I'm appalled that the safety of the citizens of this city takes a back seat to these councilmen. It's obvious that texting while driving is extremely dangerous. Talking on your cell phone while driving is dangerous. Drive throughout the city and see how many drivers are paying more attention to their cell phones or text messages than they are to the road or other drivers.

Concern for the citizens of this city should have made this a unanimous vote. Perhaps they are afraid of getting caught?

Bonnie Fruchey-Mossing

Shoreland Avenue

I went out to get lunch recently and got stuck driving behind a white van with a big dead deer strapped to a small trailer on the back.

Not the most appetizing sight to see as I was heading back to my office with my baked potato and chili. I was, however, very thankful that my children were not in the car with me.

I couldn't help but wonder: Why not cover up the deer? Would that have been so hard?

I don't have a big problem with hunting. But I really do not want to get stuck driving behind a vehicle with a bloody, gutted deer carcass strapped to the back for all to see.

So, hunters, in the future cover up your kill. Have a little bit of thought for the general, nonhunting population around you.

Dana Logan

Maumee

So now there will be a nationwide search for a new Toledo Public Schools superintendent.

I suppose some of the qualities they seek will be vision, intellect, compassion, patience, and wisdom. But wait, Toledo already has all those qualities in John Foley. This man has the innate ability to skillfully balance working with students, unions, administration, parents, the city, the county, etc. His sensitivity to all involved in building a viable urban district is unparalleled, while managing a workload of immense proportions.

The board of education, however, has chosen not to offer Mr. Foley a two-year contract. What an insult to all who stand for educating our youth. As a TPS teacher, I have had the opportunity to witness firsthand how well Mr. Foley listens and responds to our needs. As a TPS parent, I have watched him deal with sensitive issues, bringing together people with vastly opposing viewpoints.

We have the key to our success right here, yet this dynamic visionary is essentially offered a vote of no confidence. The search committee can pursue candidates from New York to Seattle, but the only sensible answer is in our own backyard.

Janet Robinson

Pembroke Road

He got five deferments from serving our country, but our former vice president thinks he knows best.

Dick Cheney has a lot to say about President Obama and how he is dealing with the war left to him by the Bush-Cheney team, and so much more. They had eight years and did nothing to get our servicemen and women home safely to their families.

President Obama has had 10 months with that mess, and the economic mess, and Mr. Cheney seems to think it should have all been solved overnight. Why doesn't someone give him a box of toy soldiers and tell him to play war.

Don Kerstetter

Perrysburg