Letters 10-26-2015

Oct. 23, 2015

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Send The America Haters Away

ISIS continues to recruit an increasing number of our American youth. The message they send through social media is "come or kill." In other words, kill Americans here or go to the Middle East and engage in atrocities there.

Given the choice of our disenchanted youth killing us here in shopping malls or joining ISIS in the Middle East, I would make the easy choice. Stop our pointless effort to keep them here. Self-deport them with free jet service to ISIS-controlled territory. But first relocate the chip on their shoulder to an area of the body where surgical removal of a chip would be very difficult and would allow for an easy identification to prevent their re-entry back to a country they have grown to hate. Good riddance.

Bob Ross, Pellston

Real Facts About Guns And Shooters

Gun lovers across the country are quick to say that mass killings keep happening because the U.S. is full of "gun-free zones." Did you know that there is absolutely no evidence to support this assertion? Most killings occur at the killer’s past or present workplace, and in all but one of the recent school shootings, the killer had a personal tie to the school he struck.

In other words, shooters are motivated not by "gun-free zones" but by personal grudges and animosity. Doesn’t it occur to anyone that the NRA and the politicians in its pockets construct these false assertions just to sell more guns and get re-elected?

The other old saw dragged out by the NRA is that guns don’t kill people; crazy people do. If this is true, why don’t the politicians and the voters do something about it, like beef up the background checks or allocate funds for early detection and treatment of mental disorders? Instead they just shrug their shoulders and say, "things happen."

With reactions like this, one wonders if gun lovers treasure their weapons more than their school children.

G. C. Petty, Bellaire

Ike Was Right

In one of his recent columns ("Ike Warned Us," 10/5/15), Jack Segal structured an argument against unnecessary and excessive defense spending around President Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell address in early 1961 in which he famously stated that we "must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."

As we now know all too well, Ike was eminently correct (there is some historical evidence, incidentally, that his original draft referred to "the military-industrialcongressional complex." That, too, would have been right on).

Over the past fifty years, Ike’s phrase has since become one of the most famous expressions in American political life, and has been quoted in books and speeches by literally thousands of historians and political commentators. It also contains one of the most important warnings ever made by any president to the American people -- albeit one which absolutely no one has ever done anything about.

Steve Morse, Suttons Bay

Guns And Law-Abiding Citizens

It is unfortunate that (letter writer) Lee Trucks of Manistee had the misfortune of knowing four murderers, thereby changing his perception of law-abiding citizens who carry a firearm for the protection of themselves and their families!

The majority of law-abiding citizens carry concealed, even though open carry is legal in Michigan. So when someone is carrying concealed, how or why is Mr. Trucks concerned, without knowing for sure if anyone is carrying?

Mr. Trucks’ letter came across as someone who is paranoid and willing to frighten others with his concerns without substantial evidence.

Remember, it takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun. The statistics from the FBI show that gun deaths are down dramatically across the country!

But when there is a shooting, especially on a school campus, the mainstream media gears up to demonize "the gun!"

It is like they are saying, "guns kill," but the truth is that the person with a gun, hammer, baseball bat, can of gas, moving vehicle or a glass bottle -- any of these -- can kill. But the agenda of mainstream media and politicians is gun control.

School campus shootings are not surprising! They have signs indicating that "This campus is a gun-free zone." What does that mean to the deranged person with a gun? "No one will shoot back nor defend themselves. Come and get us!"

Greg Haske, Gaylord