U.S. policies have led many veterans to despair
Our veterans are committing suicide at an alarming rate. The solutions to this seem to be long and complicated when it seems to me that “prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Stop sending our military back repeatedly into these horrific situations. Reinstate the draft so that civilians are present as a balance to the career personnel. Return the past jobs done by the military itself like food supply (KP duty) and hosts of other things that are now contracted out to the private business contractors with heavy lobbies in Washington, D.C. Stop the glorification of violent solutions.
There is something wrong with a world in which I hear a mother bragging that her son “wants” to be a sniper. I could be a sniper, but it certainly would not be my goal in life. We glorify the super-aggressive sports people and mock the meek and the peacemakers.
“Where have all the flowers gone ... When will they ever learn?” Veterans commit suicide because not living is better than living and our policies have made their lives that way.
ANDREW MUNSTER Swissvale
Unwinnable games
I wish everyone could read Dan Simpson’s April 29 column, “Please, No New Wars.” He points out the numerous, dangerous and unwinnable games we are playing and simultaneous risks we are exposing ourselves to in Yemen, the Philippines and Ukraine. He could have mentioned more.
Is it too much to hope that our leaders should have learned something from our illfated histories in Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Libya, all of which will continue to haunt us in waves of chaos, displacement, poverty and refugees?
I am not sure what the right policies for each of these situations are, but I know what we are doing is not working, and, unless a nation speaks up, we might be in for more of it.
JAMES McCARVILLE Ross
Military support
To the Raging Granny who wrote about the government spending too much money on the military (“We Focus on the Military While Bridges Crumble,” April 6): I see she likes using the freedom of speech and freedom of the press that our country provides. Who maintains that freedom? The military!
Why would anyone want to take funds from the organization that protects this country to ensure that we are free and can live how we want?
Maybe instead of the nation giving more money to food stamps, able-bodied individuals on welfare — and we all know there are some — should be working on the crumbling bridges. This will give them a job, which means they will be contributing to society instead of being a burden. That would save our country a lot of money, not only with welfare. This could possibly free up money for the military along with assisting with education, providing housing and protecting and maintaining our environment.
If we don’t maintain our military, other countries would not have a problem stepping right into our country and taking it over. Also, terrorists would love for our country to desert our military so they could destroy our country as it is.
If I could choose where my tax dollars go, I would choose the military. I’m tired of paying for people who are as able to work as I am but who only care what this great country can do for them and won’t contribute one thing to maintain or support this country.
I think it’s time for the Raging Americans to sing!
LINDA WEIBLE Georgetown, Beaver County
Many drone deaths
Although I am sure that he did not intend it that way, Rob Rogers’ April 26 cartoon, wherein a handgun calls a predator drone a “slacker” after the drone asserts that it “accidentally killed two innocent people” (meaning one American and one Italian hostage), could not be more misleading and downright offensive.
Over the past 10 years, thousands of innocent Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis, Yemenis and other inhabitants of the area generally designated as the Middle East, as well as parts of Africa such as Somalia, have been killed by American drones. They are the folks our government casually writes off as “collateral damage.” Wedding parties and funerals have been attacked, and young men dressed a certain way are automatically assumed to be “terrorists” and, hence, fair game.
I understand that Mr. Rogers meant to slam the pro-gun movement, but what his cartoon really illustrates is the mentality that places a higher value on some lives than on others.
Black and brown lives matter, and not just the lives of white Americans and white Europeans.
MICHAEL PASTORKOVICH Oakland
Offends gun owners
Once again Rob Rogers has managed to offend law-abiding firearms owners, with his delusional April 26 cartoon depicting a revolver criticizing a drone for only managing to kill two innocent people.
Of course, Mr. Rogers consistently ignores the fact that firearms are inanimate objects and could be left loaded on a table for eternity without harming anyone.
MATT BURK Marshall