Trip to capital was reminder of why we engage in wars

Trip to capital was reminderof why we engage in wars
EDITOR:
On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., our dinner group was dismayed at the loss of "ease of movement" around our beautiful capital. The terrorists of 911 have caused cement barriers, ropes, fences, metal detectors and the closure of many streets. As we were experiencing the loss of mobility, protesters were allowed their full expression because WE ARE A FREE NATION! This inconvenience is a small price to pay compared with what our troops are experiencing.
While viewing the Roosevelt Memorial, his words, which are inscribed in the stonework, are as appropriate today as they were in the 1940s. ...
"We are now in this war. We are all in it -- all the way. Every single man, woman and child is a partner in the most tremendous undertaking of our American history. We must scrupulously guard the civil rights and civil liberties of all citizens, whatever their background. We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to attack our civilization."
Appropriately, our last stop was at Arlington Cemetery, which serves as a reminder that all wars have occurred to protect our many freedoms. Freedom is not FREE, it comes with a price. To view more than 275,000 grave markers makes one remember that these people died for our freedom and for service to their country.
As unpopular as war is, and most people are against it, it sometimes becomes a necessary evil. Since we are presently involved in this situation, it would behoove us to remember the adage ... "one should never change horses in midstream."
United we stand and God Bless America.
CARL and ANNETTE CHUIRAZZI
DONALD and ROBERTA LARCINESE
ROBERT and PHYLLIS RICCHIUTI
EUGENE and LORRAINE SANTORO
all of Poland
ROBERT and HELEN D'AMICO
New Middletown
Whoever started the warshould be held responsible
EDITOR:
Reading journalism, watching or hearing broadcast "news" and reading history must always be done with a some skepticism. Is this slanted? What facts are not reported about this, and why? Why does this seem worthy of recording? What judgment is to be engendered, even unconsciously, in us?
Having said this, I believe the reports and photographs of inhumane treatment of some Iraqis imprisoned by some American forces are probably true.
Who is to blame for these atrocities? The soldier guards? Their officers? Who?
When a government goes to war, it is more effective if its warriors are convinced that the enemies are not really fellow humans, but of a somehow different breed and can be treated differently. When we used the atomic bomb, the hundreds of thousands of citizens of Hiroshima were not seen as humans, but as the enemy. When the Germans starved millions of Russian prisoners of war, they were only barbaric Russians. When we bomb Baghdad, we are not killing fathers, mothers, children, brothers and sisters, but only Iraqis, who venerate evil.
Nazism is not inherent in a German's character. Given the proper circumstances, we are all capable of acting like Nazis. And war is such a circumstance.
The American soldiers at the prison are the victims of war, just as much as the Iraqi prisoners.
Who is ultimately responsible for these atrocities?
Whoever started this war.
ROBERT B. McCONNELL, M.D.
Youngstown
Don't let the demolition balltopple old Methodist church
EDITOR:
I read with dismay the news that the Austintown Growth Foundation thinks it will have to give up its plan to save the old Methodist church on Mahoning Avenue in Austintown. The reason given was that there is "a lack of time and money." I can see that there may not be the money yet, but the time issue should not be an issue. I think the church should give the foundation more time to search for funding sources.
The idea of moving the old church to the area near Strock Stone House is an exciting one. What a lovely setting that would be! The St. James Meeting House in Boardman Park holds many lovely weddings and is in great demand. The Methodist church would probably be a much loved setting for weddings and other events as well.
Too many of our historic treasures are being lost every day. The thought of losing this beautiful old building, which is a piece of the history of Austintown, to demolition sickens me. I encourage the members of the Austintown Growth Foundation and the Methodist church leaders to meet and discuss an extension of the deadline for the demolition to allow time to pursue all possibilities to save this historic treasure.
NATALIE DECHANT
Diamond
A lesson about martial lawand what the public can do
EDITOR:
There's been talk of martial law being implemented in the event of a declared national emergency due to another terrorist attack. There's NO SUCH THING as martial law in this country. The Constitution makes NO provision for its suspension or dissolution in any situation.
At your courthouse law library is a set of volumes titled American Jurisprudence, a judicial encyclopedia of court decisions and opinions reaffirming this fact. In Vol. 16 2nd (ed.), Section 71, it is stated: "It is sometimes argued that the existence of an emergency allows the existence and operation of powers, national or state, which violate the inhibitions of the Federal Constitution. The rule is quite otherwise. NO EMERGENCY justifies the violation of any of the provisions of the United States Constitution. An emergency cannot create power, increase granted power, or remove or diminish the restrictions imposed upon power granted or reserved."
If our Constitution suspended and martial law declared, it becomes incumbent upon the American people to forcefully resist.
MIKE NEELY
New Castle, Pa.
Pet owners need to knowhow to prevent dog bites
EDITOR:
With May 16-22 designated as National Dog Bite Prevention Week, I would like to take the opportunity to provide the residents of the Youngstown-Warren area with a few statistics and some information.
Each year, more than 4 million people in this country suffer dog bites. Children under the age of 13 make up the vast majority, followed by the elderly and then letter carriers, who reported more than 3,000 dog bites last year, an average of 10 per day.
These bites range from minor nips to painful disfiguring injuries, and in some cases even fatalities have occurred.
Dog bites account for 5 percent of emergency room visits.
Recently a South Carolina letter carrier, while making his rounds, witnessed a small child being attacked by a pit bull. The carrier was able to fight off the dog and free the child, but unfortunately the boy did not survive.
People need to be aware of the responsibilities and liability of owning a pet.
Mail delivery can be suspended, civil action taken and even criminal charges brought forth in the event of a dog bite. Pit-bull owners must comply with more stringent requirements, among them having a minimum of $100,000 liability insurance.
Local laws require dogs to be restrained on a leash or kept inside a fenced-in area. Pit bulls must be placed in a five-sided cage if kept outdoors.
Please keep your dogs restrained and under control so your letter carrier and others who must enter your property can safely do their jobs, and children can enjoy a safe summer vacation.
JOHN P. FIRE
Youngstown
XThe writer is safety and health representative of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 385, Youngstown.