Letter to the Editor

First let me say right up front that I love the United States of America. I think it is the best country in the world. But, that doesn't mean that this country doesn't have its faults.

I spent two hitches in the U.S. Navy during World War II and Korean War along with several thousand more men. I spent 34 months in the South Pacific fighting the Japanese. I was sent to the South Pacific in early 1943. At 0630 October 23, 1944 General Quarters was sounded and we started doing battle with the Japs at Leyte Gulf. That was the largest land force ever used in the South Pacific. There were over 750 ships involved. The Leyte Gulf was secured October 26, 1944. This was the beginning of General McArthur retaking the Philippines. Then at 0630 February 19, 1945, General Quarters was sounded again and we started invading Iwo Jima. I was in the Amphibious and our job was to put the troops on the beach. That was a hard fought battle. We lost so many good men, but it was finally secured March 16, 1945. Then it was on to Okinawa. At 0630 April 1, 1945 General Quarters was sounded again and we started invading Okinawa. It was secured June 21, 1945. Then we had assembled a flotilla about 500 miles north of Hawaii. We were going to invade Japan, but August 6, 1945 the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan then another one August 9, 1945 on Nagasaki. That was all Japan could take, so on September 2, 1945 Japan signed an Instrument of Surrender.

I have said all of the above in order to say there were no democrats, republicans, blacks or politicians in the South Pacific. We were all fighting for the freedom of the United States because our freedom had been threatened at Pearl Harbor.

But, the freedom that so many gave their all for and we all put our lives on the line for is just about gone, taken away from us by politicians. The American citizens don't run this country any more, the politicians run it. They tell us what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Here are some examples. The so called Patriot Act. It does not help the American citizen, but it allows the law enforcement to kick in your front door and take you to jail. No warrant or probable cause, they just wanted to check you out. Another example, the government can tap your phone and listen to whoever you are talking to. Another example, the government can take your home and property. I don't care how long you have owned it and have been paying taxes on it. Then they can sell it to some big company for development. They call this eminent domain. Then the government sold the rights allowing the big oil companies to drill and take oil from the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska and sell it to Japan and other Far East countries. That oil belongs to the American citizens, but we don't get the first drop. Oh no!! We have to pay big high prices for oil from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela and other foreign countries. Have you ever heard how much the big oil companies paid the U.S. for this oil that they are taking from the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska? Oh no! And you never will. Do you think that all these things that the government does is for the freedom of this country? I have read that it cost the big oil companies less than $1.00 a barrel to get the oil out of the well.

The government is always talking about fighting the terrorists. Let me tell you just straight out and in plain English the worst terrorists the citizens of the United States of America need to worry about are the politicians.

Now on the local page, the local government is just as bad. The politicians decided to sell the Bradley County hospital and did. Did they ask the Bradley County citizens how they felt about selling it? No, but when it was built, the tax paying citizens stood good for the notes that the money to build it was borrowed on. Were the citizens asked to vote on selling it? Why of course not. Don't you know the politicians always know what is best for the tax payers? Like if you want to put a sewer line on your property that you bought and paid for years ago and paying taxes on, you know what and how you want it. Makes no difference, you must go get a permit where some politician's kin folks or friends work. Then they will tell you what you can or can't do. Same as if you want to change some plumbing in your own house you bought and paid for years ago and have been paying taxes on for years. Oh no, you must go and get a permit from some politician's kin folks or good friends first. If you want to add a small room onto your house, oh but first you must go and get a permit from another politician's kin folks or real good friend. Makes no difference if these people issuing permits had any experience on what you wanted to do. Honey, they've got the job issuing permits. Boy! Ain't that good old freedom. Well I call it good old buddy, buddy for the good old boys.

I believe that the government takes in enough money in taxes that no Veteran ought to pay taxes on the land that they put their lives on the line for. They could if the politicians would quit giving the tax payers money to every politician's favorite organization and giving big companies big tax breaks if they promise to hire so many people. Well I know of the last three who got big tax breaks that haven't kept that promise, but neither have they given the tax break money back to the county. Why not give the Veterans a big tax break? After all, if it wasn't for them, there wouldn't be any jobs for the politician.

You might say well um, you can vote out these good old politicians. It just isn't that easy. When these politicians were first elected they intended to stay in office until they retire. It's really hard and expensive to get an incumbent out of office because in his term he has made some good old political friends.

Now about the terrorists that we've been hearing so much about and that Mr. Bush is spending trillions of dollars to fight, so he says. He claims its all about security. How can he or anybody else say we are fighting terrorism when you, me, and the government knows there are millions of illegal people in the United States from Maine to Key West, Fla. And from New York to L.A., Calif. Now have you heard of just one being deported? And with our open borders with Mexico, thousands cross every day. I heard and saw a person ask the director of homeland security on TV why the government didn't put the National Guards down there guarding the border. Know what he said? They weren't trained for that. But I guess they are trained enough to go to war and get killed. The government is a joke, local and all the way to the White House.

- Claude Wallace, Cleveland, TN




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