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Headline
News From Our
Feb. 21, 2003 Issue
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County
officials get ball rolling
for setting firefighter standards
Sierra
County Commissioners on Thursday approved a resolution for the eventual
adoption of standards for volunteer fire firefighters for the various
volunteer fire departments within the county.
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To
see DJ photo series of Elephant Butte Lake and the impact of drought on
the landscape, click on the photo of Elephant Butte.
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The
latest business development in Sierra County has begun construction. Click
on photo to see who's up to what.
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Nine
Southern NM businesses
charged in underage alcohol sting
On Feb. 16
and 17, the Special Investigations Division of the Department of Public
Safety conducted an underage alcohol compliance checks in three southern
New Mexico counties, including Sierra.
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Lee
Belle Johnson nominated
to
National Cowgirl Hall of Fame
Lee
Belle Johnson has been nominated for induction into The National Cowgirl
Museum and Hall of Fame, the Truth or Consequences/Sierra County Chamber
of Commerce announced Tuesday.
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Applications
open for EQIP assistance
USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Rosendo
Trevino III has announced the agency is accepting applications for
financial assistance under its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
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Cuchillo
Pecan Festival
to
serve 400 pies
Four-hundred
pecan pies baked in the Ritch Pecans tradition will be served up at the 12th
annual Cuchillo Pecan Festival this Saturday, Feb. 22, in Cuchillo, NM.
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The
Wildlands Project Comes to
Hidalgo County
Having
just returned from an Aldo Leopold Forum on El Lobo in Las Cruces, I felt
it was time to address why we're not making any progress in resolving
conflicts between those who would like to see wolves running wild and
those who would like to protect their economic investments.
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CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE
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The
Shadow Advisory
Restraint is
in order for any war; a pre-emptive strike without provocation is an act
of aggressive, an invasion – people who execute this kind of action are
fascists...
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OBITUARIES
No
death notices received this week.
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…Clearing
Vets Park for the Wall
City
of Truth or Consequences crews Wednesday begin clearing brush and debris
from an 8.4-acre tract of city land just southwest of the New Mexico State
Veterans Home for the city’s designated Veterans Memorial Park that will
become home to a replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.
Funds of $60,000 have been secured to acquire the Wall from the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Fund. The original aluminum wall with laser-engraved
names of U.S. servicemen killed in the line of duty in Vietnam is due to
arrive in April (after two stops in March in Ohio and Nevada) when the new
park will be ready to accommodate its installation.
DJ photo by Bill Johnson
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…A
breathtaking view
A
sailboat eases its way to shore with a soft breeze Wednesday afternoon
while the majestic Elephant Butte towers in the background. The white rim
or water mark around the Butte must be at least 150 feet above Elephant
Butte Lake’s water level, a sure sign of the drought plaguing New Mexico
and the Southwest. To see more photos of the impact of drought on the lake
area's landscape, scroll down this page.
DJ
photo by Bill Johnson |
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County
officials get ball rolling
for
setting firefighter standards
By
Fred Mramor
of
the Desert Journal
Sierra County Commissioners on Thursday
approved a resolution for the eventual adoption of standards for volunteer
fire firefighters for the various volunteer fire departments within the
county.
County Attorney Jim Catron said county
commissioners have been neglecting their duty to set standards for
volunteer firefighters and were relying only on the bylaws established by
each of the county’s fire departments.
Catron warned that the county may find
itself liable if “something happens” while it has no standards in
place.
Standards will establish due process
for and protect the rights of any volunteer firefighter accused of
misconduct, Catron added.
The issue came up after it was found
that one volunteer fire fighter does not have a valid driver’s license,
Catron said.
Representing the Arrey-Derry Fire
Department, Richard Millard proposed that county commissioners and the
chiefs of the county’s fire departments hold a workshop to develop
standards for volunteer firefighters.
Commissioner Russ Peterson suggested
also that standards adopted by other fire departments and districts could
be adapted to fit Sierra County’s needs.
It was also suggested that particular
standards be established for the different functions that individual
volunteers perform, with consideration to factors including the varying
ages and abilities of the volunteers.
Annie McManus, a volunteer for both the
Caballo and Arrey-Derry Fire Departments, and who may be a shade on the
high side of 55, said she doesn’t drive trucks or pull hoses but
performs clerical functions and bakes cookies.
In other related business, the
commissioners granted permission for the Arrey-Derry Fire Department to
proceed with plans to build a new fire station on the county’s ballpark
in Arrey.
Arrey-Derry FD Treasurer Richard
Millard reported to commissioners the department has $130,000 in its
coffers, and no debts, and hopes to acquire additional funds through the
New Mexico Finance Authority.
Although the department will need to
consult with architects to determine the cost of a new, four to six bay
fire station, Millard said his best guess now is that it will cost about
$150,000.
The county commission also on Thursday
adopted a resolution requesting land from the U.S. Forest Service for a
county fire department.
The resolution states that a severe
drought has been impacting New Mexico the last four years; the lack of
precipitation has resulted in the driest conditions in decades, and; the
rural, traditional people of Sierra County are inextricably tied to the
natural conditions of the environment.
The resolution further states that
these conditions call for protection of life and property from the
upcoming fire season in Poverty Creek whose residents have requested that
Sierra County move forward toward securing a piece of property for the
sole use of a fire station for this year’s fire season.
…Video
arraignments
County Commissioners Thursday also
approved the expenditure of $200 a month to maintain a remote arraignment
system via closed circuit television between the county’s detention
facility and Magistrate Court.
The video arraignment system has been
in place since July 2001 and was purchased and installed at a cost of
$40,000 to $50,000 with court security funds appropriated by the state
legislature, according to Magistrate Tom Pestak.
Making his case before the county
commission, the judge said other New Mexico counties will be very eager to
acquire the system if the commissioners decline to provide funding to
maintain the system, and that if removed from Sierra County, it is very
unlikely that the county will ever get the equipment back again.
Pestak argued the county will spend
much more than $200 a month to transport prisoners from the county lockup
to the court and back if it discontinues the video arraignment system. He
said also video arraignments eliminate the security risks physical
transports involve.
…Ken
James honored
amid mild
protest
In recognition of his 29 years of
service as executive director for the Sierra Joint Office on Aging, county
commissioners adopted a resolution to rename the Arrey Senior Center,
which will be known from this time forward as the Ken James Senior Center.
Before commissioners voted unanimously
to bestow the honor upon the retiring director, Arrey-Caballo resident
Annie McManus suggested that it would be better to rename the Truth or
Consequences Senior Center - rather than Arrey Center - for James.
McManus said it would be more
appropriate to name the Arrey Center for one that community’s deserving
residents, and that while she likes Ken James, she will continue to call
the facility the Arrey Senior Center.
County Manager Adam Polley informed
McManus it was no lesser personage than Senator John Arthur Smith who
asked county commissioners to rename the Senior Center for Mr. James, to
which an unimpressed McManus replied, “So?”
The county manager also pointed out
that the T or C Senior Center is within the City of T or C’s
jurisdiction and that the county has no authority to rename the T or C
facility.
…Contributes
to project
Commissioners also adopted a resolution
for the purchase of about 14 acres of land to complete the last phase of
the Morgan Street Flood Control Project.
The land will be purchased from the
Truth or Consequences School District for $153,000, subject to final
approval from the New Mexico Board of Finance.
Approval for the land purchase was
requested by the county’s flood control commissioner.
…Contract
approved
The commission also approved a
professional services contract with engineer Douglas Copeland to provide
consulting services and to assist in initiating and conducting a
countywide arroyo management plan.
Professional and engineering services
performed by Copeland must have prior approval from the county commission
and must not exceed $20,000, according to the terms of the contract.
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…Business
project begins at airport
Richard
Burkhardt, General Contractor of Burkhardt Construction Co. in Las Cruces,
secures the cross bars in place with ties for the flooring of the new
Peppin & York Electronics’ facility at the Truth or Consequences
Municipal Airport. Eventually, a 6,300-square-foot prefabricated metal
building will be installed. Construction began last Friday on the
Texas-based aviation electronics installation and repair business’s
building. Local subcontractors include Bartoo Sand & Gravel Co. and
Sierra Plumbing. In bottom photo, Burkhardt works on the site Wednesday
afternoon with his crew members, Justin, Ricky and James.
DJ
photos by Bill Johnson
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Nine
Southern NM businesses
charged
in underage alcohol sting
Two
of six establishments
in
Sierra County get stung
On Saturday and
Sunday, February 16 and 17, the Special Investigations Division of the
Department of Public Safety conducted an underage alcohol compliance
checks in three southern New Mexico counties.
During this enforcement operation,
servers and clerks at nine out of 43 licensed liquor establishments sold
alcoholic beverages to an 18 year-old minor. Two of the six establishments
checked in Sierra County were among the offenders.
"The minor worked in an undercover
capacity, and carried her valid New Mexico driver's license. The minor's
license was the new vertical format that clearly displayed her date of
birth, 9/25/1984, in bold red print,” said Sgt. Lee Mullen, who
supervised the weekend operation.
“The license also displayed a caution
statement printed on the front of the license indicating the minor was
under 21 until 9/25/2005. The minor was briefed prior to the operation,
instructed to show identification if asked, and to tell the truth if asked
questions concerning her age," Mullen said.
The minor entered and attempted to
purchase alcohol in a total of 43 licensed liquor establishments across
Socorro, Sierra and Dona Ana Counties. The clerks/servers at 34
establishments checked the minor's identification, and properly refused
the sale of alcohol.
The clerks/servers at nine
establishments sold alcohol to the minor. Two sold after checking the
minor's ID, and seven sold without checking ID or asking any questions,
Mullen said.
"Though majority of liquor
establishments and their employees are doing a good job of preventing
sales to minors, some need to slow down whenever a suspiciously young
customer attempts to purchase alcohol," said Agent Douglas Slavens of
the division's Las Cruces office on Monday.
“It only takes a few moments to look
at a customer's face and to properly check their identification for proof
of age. It doesn't hurt to ask a few questions when the buyer looks
young," he added.
Agent Todd Griffin, public information
officer for the SID, explained the consequences. "The clerks/servers
cited for selling to the minors were issued criminal citations, a
misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of $1,000 and/or up to 60
hours of community service, and possible suspension or revocation of their
alcohol server permits."
Agent Griffin further explained that
under the law owners of licensed liquor establishments are responsible and
administratively liable for violations committed at their establishments.
"Administrative citations have
been issued against the liquor licenses of the establishments caught in
the operation,” Griffin said.
The administrative citations will be
forwarded to the New Mexico Regulation & Licensing Department's
Alcohol & Gaming Division (AGD), which may assess administrative
penalties including fines of $1,000 to $10,000 and/or suspension of an
establishment's liquor sales, according to Agent Griffin.
“Additionally, the AGD has the
authority to fine, revoke or suspend the alcohol server permits of the
each server or clerk charged for underage sales," he said.
Concerned citizens are encouraged to
contact the SID with referrals, questions or concerns regarding alcohol
violations. Law enforcement agencies and liquor establishments may contact
the SID for educational presentations. They may contact their nearest SID
agents by calling the local state police office.
...Operation
Results
BUSTED
- The following nine establishments sold alcohol to the minor:
Sierra County: Earl's Shamrock
in Elephant Butte (sold without checking the minor's ID); Hot Springs Bar
& Package in Truth or Consequences (sold without checking the minor's
ID).
Socorro County: Capital Bar
(sold without checking the minor's ID).
Dona Ana County: Eagle Quik Mart
on Picacho (sold alcohol after checking the minor's ID); Shorty's Food
Mart No. 1 in Mesilla (sold alcohol after checking the minor's ID); Billy
Crews, Santa Teresa (sold without checking the minor's ID); Severo's, La
Mesa (sold without checking the minor's ID); Mesquite Mercantile, Mesquite
(sold without checking the minor's ID); Guacamolez, Fairacres (sold
without checking the minor's ID).
NOT BUSTED
- The following establishments were checked and did NOT sell to the minor:
Sierra County: Pat's Bermuda
Triangle Chevron in Elephant Butte, and Fast Stop Liquor, IGA Food Basket
Supermarket and Circle K Convenience Store, all three in Truth or
Consequences.
Socorro County: Socorro Texaco
Mart, Sunset Liquor, Socorro Shell Mart, Cooney's Package, Socorro
Supermarket, Smith's Supermarket, Santa Fe Diner and Truck Stop.
Dona Ana County: 7 & 7,
Hatch Package, Pic Quik on Valley, Ray's Liquor, Pic Quik on Dona Ana
Road, Albertson's on N. Main, Shell Stations on N. Main, Triviz Chevron,
Walgreen's on N. Main, Pic Quik on Del Rey, Albertson's on Lohman, Nacho
Shell, Diamond Shamrock on Foothills Drive, Pic Quik on Telshor, Pic Quik
on Missouri, Eagle Quik Mart on Stern, Pick Quik on Union, Pic Quik on
Avenida de Mesilla, Chevron on Valley Drive, Vado Travel Center in Vado,
Howdy's in Santa Teresa, Malibu Club in Mesquite, and Pic Quik, 3916
Picacho in Las Cruces.
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Elephant
Butte sits splendidly on the eastern shoreline of Elephant Butte Lake
rather than in the middle of it as the result of a shift in landmass with
declining water storage.
DJ photo by Bill Johnson |
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Lee
Belle Johnson nominated
to
National Cowgirl Hall of Fame
Lee Belle Johnson has been nominated for
induction into The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the Truth or
Consequences/Sierra County Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday.
Lee Belle Johnson is a resident of
Truth or Consequences and has been writing poetry and stories most of her
life.
She is 91 years young and is still very
active in her community.
She recites her work from memory and is
asked frequently to perform at many local functions and events. The local
Senior Center and Mealsite are one of her regular forums and her talent is
recognized and appreciated by all.
She also has won gold medals for her
poetry recitals during the talent competition of the New Mexico Senior
Olympic Games.
Lee
Belle Johnson is very highly respected by her community and many are
rallying behind her with regard to her recent nomination. She has
expressed a wellspring of gratitude to those who have come forward on her
behalf.
Her
supporters include the Truth or Consequences/Sierra County Chamber of
Commerce, City of Truth or Consequences (mayor, city commissioners and
city manager), the County of Sierra (county manager and commissioners),
Sierra County Economic Development Organization, Village of Williamsburg
where she had served many years as its municipal judge, the City of
Elephant Butte, State National Bank, New Mexico Old Time Fiddlers
Association, Sierra County Arts Council, the Church at the Butte, Chamiza
Cowbelles, Western New Mexico University/T or C Campus, Bank of the
Southwest, Geronimo Springs Museum, Retired & Seniors Volunteer
Program, Sierra Joint Office on Aging and the T or C Community Theatre.
“Those
who have had the pleasure of hearing Lee Belle perform are not surprised
to hear about her recent nomination and we all hope that she is selected
as she is a true Cowgirl Poet and a Crown Jewel in our community,”
according to the Chamber’s release.
Lee
Belle was featured in the Desert Journal during its first years in the mid
1990s and regularly contributed her prize winning poems for publication.
“Of
all the poets I know, and I have known many, Lee Belle Johnson stands out
best for captivating her audience with her witty western character – her
body and spirit move with her poetry. But most impressive, her recitals
are done from pure memory without the benefit of crib sheets. I’ve seen
her do entire ballads, dozens of them at a time, without stuttering or
missing a line,” said Bill Johnson, editor of the Desert Journal.
“She
is truly gifted and Sierra County Cowboy Country is darn lucky to have
her. As such, the Desert Journal also supports her nomination to the
Cowgirl Poets Hall of Fame,” Johnson said.
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The
ruins from the construction plant of Elephant Butte Dam in the 1910s
emerges to witness drought upon the land.
DJ photo by Bill Johnson |
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Applications
open for EQIP assistance
Program
helps Sierra County’s farmers
&
ranchers improve their private lands
USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Rosendo
Trevino III has announced the agency is accepting applications for
financial assistance under its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
The
application deadline is March 14. This program is authorized by the 2002
Farm Bill.
The proposed rule that governs EQIP has
also been released for public comment.
"This
program is extremely important to farmers and ranchers in the Sierra and
Caballo Conservation Districts," District Conservationist Gene Adkins
said.
"If
they are new to the program we need to help them develop a conservation
plan that gives them options. We help develop options, they make the
decision about which conservation practices are right for them,"
Adkins said.
Last
year New Mexico farmers and ranchers received $10.5 million in financial
assistance through EQIP to install conservation practices and equipment on
their private working lands, and additional funds for ground and surface
water conservation on the New Mexico High Plains.
EQIP
provides cost-share funding to make conservation improvements that impact
water quality, mitigate soil erosion, improve grazing, enhance wildlife
habitat, improve animal waste storage facilities, and make other
conservation advancements on private land.
EQIP
is a voluntary program that promotes environmental quality and assists
producers to meet their conservation goals.
"In
this drought farmers and ranchers must work harder than ever to conserve
resources and maintain their financial viability," Adkins said.
"EQIP is the backbone of the 2002 Farm Bill and can help in this
situation."
More
information about EQIP and other conservation programs is available by
calling the Sierra and Caballo Conservation District Office at (505) 894-
2212 or 2232.
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Rattlesnake
Island was connected with the landmass, making it an island no more, until
recently when the water level at Elephant Butte Lake started to rise as
the result of the end of the irrigation season and the end of releases
last November. Soon, though, the lake’s level is expected to drop
significantly lower than last year’s levels unless we get more than our
fair share of rain.
DJ photo by Bill Johnson
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Cuchillo
Pecan Festival
to
serve 400 pies Saturday
Four-hundred
pecan pies baked in the Ritch Pecans tradition will be served up at the 12th
annual Cuchillo Pecan Festival this Saturday, Feb. 22, in Cuchillo, NM.
Bernice
Ritch of Ritch’s Pecan and Candy Shoppe reported earlier this week she
was as busy as a busy bee in a pecan orchard and kitchen cooking up the
delicious pies. She reported she’ll have a total of 400 pies available
for sale during the festival.
Cuchillo
will be the place to be Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival is
held at Ritch's Pecan Orchard on Highway 52 on the west side of Cuchillo,
which is 13 miles northwest of Truth or Consequences.
Craft
booths will feature quality crafts, from pecans, Brazilian embroidery,
stacked glass, pottery, custom designed jackets, Ritch's chocolate candy,
candles and more.
Food
vendors will sell hamburgers, BBQ sandwiches, hot dogs, fry bread, Navajo
tacos and pop.
There
will be 400 homemade pecan pies for sale. Take your piece of pie to the
food vendor, have him heat it in the microwave and top it with a scoop of
ice cream. Yum!
The
Van of Enchantment from the Palace of Governors State History Museum in
Santa Fe will be at the fiesta featuring
old farming tools. A collections specialist: will be with the van, bring
your obscure tools and he can identify them for you.
Visitors coming from the north on
Interstate 25 should take exit 89 and follow the signs to Cuchillo.
Driving from the south on I-25, take exit 83 and follow the signs to
Cuchillo.
Other
places to visit in Cuchillo include the Cuchillo Cafe for authentic
Mexican food and the Cuchillo Bar for a glimpse of an old West bar.
For more information, call Bernice
Ritch at 505-743-3201.
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Marina
del Sur on Elephant Butte Lake looks like it’s starting to get stuck in
the boxed channel as the overall water storage declines with continued
drought.
DJ photo by Bill Johnson |
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The
Wildlands Project Comes
to
Hidalgo County (Part 16)
A
Country Girl's Musin'
By
Judy Keeler
Having just returned from an Aldo Leopold
Forum on El Lobo in Las Cruces, I felt it was time to address why we're
not making any progress in resolving conflicts between those who would
like to see wolves running wild and those who would like to protect their
economic investments.
Designed to bring all the stakeholders
to the table, the forum gave everyone an opportunity to lay their cards on
the table and make their cases.
I wondered, however, how many were
really listening and what was achieved? I've attended many a wolf meeting
beginning with the scoping meetings for the recovery plan in 1995.
Through the years I've sensed a
majority of the people - at least 95% by personal observation - would like
to see respect for each other's positions and some semblance of
"working together" for the betterment of the species, as well as
those who are economically impacted by the wolves.
From the very beginning, however, the
reintroduction effort has been plagued by an agenda, pseudo-science and
faulty history.
Based mainly on emotionalism, the
program is doomed to failure, unless everyone starts caring about what's
best for the animals, not just their agenda.
How did emotionalism gain the moral
high ground in the debate? Environmental groups chose to use university
students for their experiment in social responsibility.
Finding fertile ground in academia -
rebels looking for a cause, and causes looking for rebels - wolf
proponents denied historical evidence that wolves kill domestic animals,
including horses, cattle and pets; that wolves were known to kill for the
sheer pleasure of killing, not just for survival; and that wolves were
exterminated by federal and state agencies, following the advice of
leading wildlife biologists, including Aldo Leopold.
Instead, they chose to demonize the
ranching industry and gained ascendancy by essentially rewriting history
to support their agenda to remove cattle ranchers from the West.
Once they had the students retrained,
they set out to bring them to every wolf meeting that was held in close
proximity to a university.
Hiring buses to transport them, the
students then booed, heckled and "wolf called" anyone who dared
to question the wisdom of reintroducing wolves back into the tender desert
environment.
The strategy employed by the
environmental community is not new. Known as anarchy, the ultimate goal is
to confuse the issues and, ultimately, to impose the will of a small
minority upon the majority.
Every movement has its radical fringe
groups. Joseph Farrah, editor of World Net Daily, likens the
radical environmental movement to "green fundamentalists" that
holds to be "self-evident the untruth that there is no difference
between a child, a tree and a rock."
This ideology also seeks to move man
out of any area that has been targeted for inclusion into a wilderness
preserve.
Although this is a very radical
strategy for most wolf proponents, one must view it as a part of the
greater strategy.
As indicated by David Brower, Sierra
Club's first executive director, in an interview with E magazine in 1990,
the environmental system was built to move the Sierra Club out of the
radical movement and into the mainstream movement.
"The Sierra Club made the Nature
Conservancy look reasonable. Then I founded Friends of the Earth to make
the Sierra Club look reasonable. Then I founded Earth Island Institute to
make Friends of the Earth look reasonable. EarthFirst! now makes us look
reasonable. We're still looking for a group to come along and make Earth
First! look reasonable," Brower said.
Funded by government grants and
foundational giving so many groups have now been organized that the Sierra
Club, Nature Conservancy and even EarthFirst! appear reasonable
alternatives.
At the El Lobo forum I was smitten with
the realization that even the Defenders of Wildlife, Southwest
Environmental Center and Center for Biological Diversity temporarily
dropped their green fundamentalism and were trying to evolve into a
"voice of reason."
On only a few occasions did they lower
themselves into the anti-ranching rhetoric of the past. Instead they
promoted the new concept of a federal buyout of grazing permits.
In the fall of 2001, U.S.
Representative Scott McInnis of Colorado wrote a letter urging
environmental organizations to openly disavow the actions of eco-saboteurs
like Earth Liberation Front and its sister organization, Animal Liberation
Front.
It caused a flurry of controversy and
accusations that McInnis was trying to paint all environmental
organizations with the same broad brush. In rebuttal, McInnis wrote that
it was not the letter's purpose "to impugn or link organizations like
the Sierra Club to ELF or ALF. The letter had just one purpose: to send a
powerful message to the eco-criminals and their sympathizers that even
those who share a similar environmental ideology deny and reject the use
of terror as a tool to promote that ideology."
As we ate lunch at El Lobo Forum,
several of us mused why we kept having round table discussions, no
consensus was ever achieved, no problems resolved. We would go home to a
flood of new lawsuits, all designed to reek havoc and bring terror upon
the ranching community.
The agenda never changes. In the end
analysis it must be acknowledged that many mainstream organizations
support, and the "fringe organizations" have grown up around,
the Wildlands Project.
There is an agenda - to implement the
plan within our nation. If it requires anarchy, imposing the will of the
minority upon the majority, that's what will be used.
As history is being rewritten by
academia and science is being reclassified to include conservation
biology, young, zealous ideologists are easy to find.
Our universities keep churning them out
at an amazing speed. Unfortunately, everyone, including the plants and
animals we're attempting to save, will lose as we continue to rewrite
history and force a largely untested science upon mankind.
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The
Shadow Advisory
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By
Bill Johnson
Editor
of the Desert Journal
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…Send ’em all to
the sun
Restraint is in order for any war; a
pre-emptive strike without provocation is an act of aggressive, an
invasion – people who execute this kind of action are fascists or
violent extremists and should be deemed Hitler’s camp. Those who agree
are his followers.
Now here are a few quotes:
He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword.
They who have the greatest interest in war shall by moral
obligation and human decency stand at the front line of battle.
There must be peaceful resolve. War should be a last resort
and limited in scope to ending an enemy’s aggressive advances.
There should be no question that war is imminent if an enemy
aggressor attacks first; self-defense is justified. But to attack and kill
without provocation, without actual proof of an imminent threat or attack
- is murder and those who commit it are surely guilty of war crimes.
End of quotes (some being self quotes).
Now some people have said that we should kill innocent Iraqi
children and women because of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack against America.
But nowhere have I seen justice called or demanded to clear up this
matter. No one has taken Saddam Hussein to court and tried him for war
crimes in the United States, even against his own people in Iraq.
If Saddam must give up his arms, his weapons of mass
destruction, then let the whole world do so in unison.
Iraq, the United States, North Korea, England, France,
Germany, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, etc., should build a giant
spaceship that would transport the toxic wastes from these weapons for
incineration by our own sun, which is an atomic furnace that would purify
these horrible agents of death.
Without fanfare and without the help of the failing United
Nations, we the People should demand peace and demand that Bush put to an
end his stupid war.
According to the latest reports, 90% of our soldiers are not
even outfitted with proper or effective gear that would allow them to
survive a biological or chemical attack. Why does Bush want to send them
in harm’s way?
I absolutely agree with the young poet’s poem last week
that said greed is the motivating factor for war. But who profits? It
isn’t we the People. No, we’re too busy weeping while burying our sons
and daughters, all in the name of our leaders’ paranoia (or profits!).
I also agree with Leo Dailey’s letter last week that
challenges Congress to make an actual declaration of war before our
Commander in Chief, the President, executes the order for war. The blood
of our children should be upon Congress since Congress represents our
interests at home. The President should be immune from the blame of
spilling our soldiers’ blood in war, excepting the fact that he should
lead them into battle upon a congressional declaration of war.
I tend to believe that Congress is protecting their greedy
friends who stand to benefit if no war is declared. To declare war would
make them traitors, by virtue of the fact that they aid and abet the
enemy.
But there is no enemy – not even communist Cuba or
Saddam’s regime should be considered an enemy until Congress officially
declares war against them in accordance with the Constitution.
Now, some people have expressed that there may be hope in
light of the fact that most Americans are opposed to a preemptive strike
against Iraq. Polls show Bush has only a 1 in 3 approval rating for his
cause.
Furthermore, the cries for peace by millions of people during
demonstrations in more than 600 major cities around the globe last weekend
should tell President Bush something about his lack of support for war.
No, we should not forget 9-11; but neither shall we forget
the lesson Hitler taught the world when he invaded and occupied most of
his neighboring countries.
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