I want to comment on Allen Shirley’s latest rant (Globe, May 27). His verbiage can’t disguise the plain truth. Shirley mentions people “conveniently forgetting” while he ignores the fact that George W. Bush engaged the United States in aggression against a foreign country for specious reasons; costing thousands of our young people’s lives, to “liberate” the Iraqis who hate us. How many of the families of our lost ones believe “Bush kept us safe for seven years”?
The monetary cost of this war has a great deal to do with the economic problems we endure today. Shirley conveniently forgets that Bush took over a budget surplus from President Clinton and quickly turned it into a huge deficit, fueled principally by this unnecessary war, still bleeding billions of dollars, years after it began. That “Mission Accomplished” short war has devastated our economy and is still not “accomplished.”
As to the “hypocrisy” Shirley mentions, how about those opposed to the war being accused of hating our service people who have to fight in it? My late husband was a retired serviceman who joined as an 18-year-old in 1943 and served our country for 26 years. His eldest son is a Purple Heart Marine veteran of Vietnam. Still, I hope for a time when we humans become civilized enough to settle our differences peacefully.
Shirley claims that a major percentage of Americans dislike President Obama. Perhaps in his next diatribe he will explain how Obama came to be elected by such a large majority of votes.
President Obama is an intelligent, well-spoken man doing his best to clear up the mess he inherited from the last administration. He is already regaining the respect and friendship of the other nations. Let’s give the man a chance. He couldn’t possibly do worse than the last guy!
Barbara A. Bullette
Joplin
Opinion
Voices: Couldn’t do worse
- Opinion
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Our View: Victims should come first
Millions of dollars in donations have poured in from around the world since the May 22, 2011, tornado. Those donations represent money from lemonade stands, charity auctions, corporate gifts and celebrity checks, just to name a few. In fact, one year later donations continue to come to Joplin.
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Beth Meeker, guest columnist: Same-sex marriage battle a quest for equal rights
I would like to take a moment to reply to guest columnist Anson Burlingame’s, “The Marriage Debate” (Globe, May 13).
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Sunday Forum: 2012 graduation speakers key on tornado, mall school and president’s visit
Editor’s note: In addition to speeches by President Barack Obama and Gov. Jay Nixon, Joplin High School’s top students addressed graduates, faculty, parents and other guests packed into the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on the Missouri Southern State University campus. Following are the text of those speeches.
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Geoff Caldwell, guest columnist: Pack mentality takes truth as a casualty
President Obama’s Joplin graduation speech Monday showed that while there’s the political “right,” there’s also a very active “rabid” political right.
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Your View: ‘Study’ can mean anything
A few evenings ago, I watched a television program on the science of marriage.
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Our View: Support for museum
How can you tell the story of Joplin without the accounts of its mining history?
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Our View: Finding middle ground
The G-8 summit held last week in Camp David ended as expected.
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Anson Burlingame, guest columnist: Class of 2012 upholds character, hope
My oldest granddaughter was part of the class of 2012 from Joplin High School, and I attended the ceremony on Monday night.
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Scott Charton, guest columnist: 'Deadline in Disaster' film a story about storytellers
Local newspapers are at their best when they help their communities confront, understand, endure and overcome shared challenges.
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Our View: Make voting easiser
This year’s ballot will not include a proposed constitutional amendment that photo identification be required at the polls in Missouri. Good.
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Our View: Victims should come first
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