Open Forum

I'm startled by the logic in the recent letter "Liberal ideas improve society". Ultimately, we are supposed to believe that because five liberal ideas helped society, all liberal ideas will help society. This is simply illogical. I think the writer must have missed the article several weeks ago where I (satirically) proposed that we legalize murder. That would be a new, progressive idea, but I doubt it would be a good one.

The notion that one should support a proposition simply because it is "liberal" or "progressive" (as they like to be called now) has been around for years. In fact, the great writer Jonathan Swift called attention to it in his brilliant "Modest Proposal". Swift wrote satirically from the perspective of an Irish townsperson with an idea to end Ireland's poverty and hunger. Swift's idea: Eat the children. He argues (using typical liberal logic) that poor families could sell their kids as food to others, or eat the children themselves. Swift is obviously not promoting cannibalism; his writing is pointing out the uselessness of supporting an idea simply because it is new and progressive.

There are historical liberal ideas other than the ones the writer points out. Take, for example, the liberal idea that we could have world peace if we set aside our differences and refused conflict. It was popular after World War I and was eventually called appeasement. After Hitler invaded Austria, the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia, and Poland (among others), the world realized that the liberal idea of appeasement was fatally wrong.

I'm in no way trying to say that every liberal idea is bad. But I wouldn't go so far as to say every liberal idea is good. History proves that it's dangerous to support an idea simply because it is liberal.

Jared Anderson

Baxter

Time for retribution

Let the days of retribution begin. The mighty (anyone making over $42,000) shall be brought low. It's time for an angry Afro-American to get even with those who have something as a result of their own efforts. Those who have something have no right to that something and shall be dealt with harshly. Allah be praised!

Stephen A. Busch

Pequot Lakes

Are we immune to violence?

How come so little attention has been paid to the hideous act performed by two men in California who this past week hung Sara Palin in effigy from the eave of their house in a so called Halloween prank. Yet, neither the police or the FBI considered it a crime. After all we do have the freedom to express ourselves in anyway we choose, but can you imagine the national outrage had it been Sen. Obama who had been hung in effigy! It would have been immediately investigated as a race crime bringing back the horrible memories committed by the KKK so many years ago. The person or persons involved in this incident would have been instantly arrested and jailed.

Now don't anyone for one second believe I would ever think about, let alone condone a heinous act such as this, but at the same time, where was the outcry about Sara Palin being hung in effigy? What does this say about we, the American people? Have we become so immune to violence, so apathetic that an act like this does not even faze our senses? If so, shame on us. God help this nation if we continue to sink so low as to view the hanging of a woman in effigy as of no concern. What next? Will this nation continue this course in the years to come? We are dangerously coming close to following in the footsteps of the fall of Rome where laws were disregarded, morals completely disappeared and no one dare ask questions of their leaders for fear of being thrown to the lions. Think about it.

Dolores Zaske

Pine River

We can't lose unity

Veterans Day is special. As is the Fourth of July, Memorial/Armistice Day, Dec. 7, and numerous important other occasions. Most citizens of the U.S.A. pause, pray and give thanks for our veterans and active service people who have accepted to protect us from the challenge of foreign intrigue terrorism and sometimes greed of special interest groups, that threaten us in so many ways.

On 3 p.m. Memorial Day, 2008: Did you hear the silence? We felt astounded as we joined hands and uttered our prayers for all our armed forces everywhere and tears for those who have come home damaged and the many who will never again smile at their parents, siblings, wives, children or friends. Let us repeat this on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. Unity is something we cannot afford to lose.

Attend a special program, salute our flag, repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. Remember, thank a veteran today.

Jackie Raymond

Veterans Administration and Rehabilitation Chairperson

American Legion Auxiliary

Deerwood

Thanks, General Motors

Back in the fall of 1997 when we were better off and gas was a lot cheaper, we planned a long trip. We made arrangements to trade in our used car and ordered a new 1998 Chevy Suburban. It was getting closer to our trip time and the car hadn't been delivered yet. We knew General Motors had a plant in Janesville, Wis., where Suburbans were made so we offered to go pick it up. The dealer told us our car wasn't coming from Janesville, but from Mexico. We didn't go pick it up. I found out recently that General Motors is closing the plant in Janesville, putting a lot of employees out of work. I haven't heard anything about the plant in Mexico closing. Now, how do you feel about your tax dollars going to bail out General Motors?

Julie Pawlak

Hackensack