Print edition: 
Defense bill curbs freedoms, rights
I have lost all respect for our two U.S. senators, Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran. The Senate recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012. It looked like just another zillion-dollar giveaway to the military-industrial complex, but hidden inside, in Sections 1031 and 1032, it does two things: It effectively ends “posse comitatus” and allows the military to patrol the streets, and it allows the government to snatch up U.S. citizens merely accused of being affiliated with al-Qaida and zip them off to detention centers overseas with no charges, no phone call, no lawyer, no trial. That literally erases our Fifth Amendment protections.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., one of the few senators with the guts to stand up to this thing, recently wrote in the Washington Times: “The discussion now to suspend certain rights to due process is especially worrisome, given that we are engaged in a war that appears to have no end.”
That’s an understatement. Honestly, I can’t believe this is happening.
TYLER FEENEY
Wichita
Gift ban is wise
Though I don’t agree with the politically correct trend to take the holidays out of schools, I do applaud the Fort Worth school district’s stand against students exchanging presents (Dec. 3 Eagle).
As a seventh-grader, I was at a new school. The day before Christmas break, everyone began exchanging gifts. The hallways were filled with the sounds of paper tearing and squeals of joy. Nobody gave me anything. It kept going all day long. I thank God that one of my teachers noticed. He saw me reading one of the books from his classroom library and asked me if I’d like to keep it. I didn’t put it down all day. A decade has gone by, and I’ve grown up and grown past the hurt, but some kids never will.
In a time when we’re losing kids to suicide at tragically young ages, we can’t afford for anyone to feel as isolated as I felt that day. I enjoyed my Christmas break, but dreaded going back to a school where I saw myself as an outcast and unwanted. So I appreciate the stand Fort Worth is taking by banning presents, even if the district isn’t making it for this reason.
CATHERINE CALDERWOOD
Wichita
FDR didn’t know
With this week’s 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, I again heard the theory that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt knew about the attack in advance but allowed it to happen to involve us in the war in Europe.
Few thought war with Japan would also mean war in Europe. At the time, Germany was at war with Russia, but Japan was not. Russia didn’t join the fight against Japan until near the end of the war — after Hiroshima, in fact.
Furthermore, in spite of the urging of some of his Cabinet members, FDR made sure in his speech of Dec. 8, 1941, that his declaration of war was only against Japan, not Germany. Adolf Hitler did declare war on the United States on Dec. 11, but few then would have predicted it.
KIM METZGER
Wichita
Gift of faith
I believe there are many people out there like me. I have spent most of my life as a disengaged Christian. I was baptized, I would go to church…sometimes. Yet I was never fulfilled. The fact that it was unfulfilling caused me to wonder about my faith.
About a year ago, I began reading the Bible every morning and praying. I switched my radio to Christian music. For the first time in my life, my faith and relationship with Jesus have come alive.
So my challenge to unengaged Christians is to give yourself a gift this Christmas and begin reading your Bible every day, praying and listening to Christian worship radio. If you invest in these activities, I believe you will give yourself the greatest gift ever.
BRAD HEYEN
Wichita
Quality product
A quality product is usually defined as a good return on your investment, consistently meeting and exceeding your expectations, and having a lasting value. We have such a homegrown product right in our own backyard: the Wichita Wings.
Win or lose, the Wings are exceeding my expectations for delivering quality entertainment for a small investment. For those not enamored with the outdoor game, indoor soccer is made for our American hunger for fast-paced, high-scoring games. For those who love the outdoor game, the indoor game still displays the artistry of great footwork, passing and goal keeping.
Get out and experience the Wings, so that we can have them here for a long time and fulfill the third requirement of a quality product — lasting value.
SCOTT HUBBARD
Wichita
