Staying informed is a key to bringing positive change

Staying informed is a keyto bringing positive change
EDITOR:
I talked to two 18-year-old people recently and was shocked to hear that neither of them had heard of the bombing in Spain that occurred only a week before. I guess we shouldn't expect too much from that age group, but I wonder how many similar responses we might get from other age groups.
We all live in a bubble, and the size of that bubble is governed by how we choose to go though life. The essential things are health, family, jobs, hobbies. We could refer to these necessities as the core of life or the bubble of basic survival.
Is this all we want? Are we satisfied? Is something missing? Too many of us choose to remain in a static condition throughout life.
But, for those who wish to expand their bubble, reach out and grab a larger piece of life. First we have to be willing to think and act beyond everyday problems. This will not be easy, but it will be the first step, and now our bubble will begin to expand. Why do we have to remain in our bubble while we reach out for changes? The answer is simple: The bubble is our safeguard. It prevents us from overextending ourselves and making costly mistakes. Consider a medical student who drops out of medical school after the second year and begins to practice medicine? Would you like to be a patient of that person? Would you like to fly with a airline pilot who never finished flight training?
Now for those who seek a fuller life and wish to increase their potential and enlarge their bubbles. First we must become better informed. We will have to fight the tendency to dwell only on the things that affect us now. Be willing to break old habits.
Think with our heads rather than our feelings. Open your minds to the needs of the country and the world. This could be a rewarding change. Take an interest in the government and those who are making decisions for us -- decisions that can affect us now and our future. We do this by reading, listening and searching for the truth and never settling for hearsay. The truth can be difficult to recognize, but it's out there. We may have to brush aside a certain amount of political and cultural spinoff, but if we persevere, it will come shining through and our bubble of knowledge will have broadened -- for the truth can be challenging and rewarding.
LEM WHITE
Columbiana
Clarification
A letter in the April 22 editions was written by Daniel Lee Kapalko Sr. of Austintown. The designation of senior was omitted from the signature when the letter was published.
It's too hard to fathom thatGod is behind George Bush
EDITOR:
I thought I had heard everything until a recent letter writer claimed that God wanted George Bush to be president! I find it strange that God would pick a Republican, since based on the actions of Jesus, he appears to be a liberal who cares for the poor and downtrodden in society.
Also, why would God allow for the Democrats to actually get more votes than Bush and only through the shenanigans of a conservative Supreme Court, which is supposed to be nonpartisan, would Bush win election? Seems to me that the electoral college, something most people have trouble explaining, is a concept that God would also find troubling! I'll bet God would wonder how an election could be won by the person who got a million votes less than the loser. Especially, coming from a nation that claims to hold fair elections!
The writer insinuated that God wanted Bush to invade Iraq. Did God not know that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction? Did he not know that the United States at one time supported Saddam and was the supplier of the chemicals and biologic weapons that Saddam used on his people? Does God not care about the thousands of innocent Iraqis who have been killed in this war based totally on false pretenses?
It seems that the God I know isn't the one that the writer claims to know. This is the very reason the Founding Fathers were adamant about separation of church and state. Otherwise, you get zealots who use God as a justification for anything.
BILL JOHNSON
Boardman