Letters on voting, women in draft, gun control, servicemen autobiographies

Your vote does matter in November

A recent letter discussed how scary and misguided the 2016 presidential campaign has been (June 10 Letters to the Editor). It described one of the major candidates as being “a complete, insane idiot” and the other as “a liar, a loser and a hoax.” The writer’s conclusion included the comment, “Whom you vote for right now does not matter.”

I beg to differ with such a defeatist perspective. This is politics, people, and our favorite candidates don’t always make it to the big dance. And reality is that when you are down to the final two major candidates, one of the two is going to be inaugurated as the next president. You have a choice as to which of the two that might be.

The candidates represent two very differing political parties, and the party that ends up with its presidential contender in the Oval Office is going to get some things done, changed or possibly really screwed up.

I would like to encourage you to take another look at those two strong contenders and make a decision as to which one might best represent your needs and ideals as well as those of your fellow countrymen, and back them with your vote in November.

Protect from draft

The Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act last week. It currently includes a provision forcing American daughters to sign up for the Selective Service, making them eligible for a future military draft (June 16 Now Consider This). Women and men have equal natural rights, but equality doesn’t mean ignoring the biological differences between men and women that are relevant to accomplishing military missions.

Over an extensive nine-month Marine Corps’ gender-integrated task force study, all-male units outperformed mixed units in 69 percent of the tasks, while mixed units outperformed male units in less than 2 percent of the tasks. The women’s injury rate was also much higher. As former Marine Corps servicewoman Jude Eden argued: “Combat is not an equal opportunity for women because they don’t have an equal opportunity to survive.”

Military personnel policy should be determined based on military objectives and preparedness. The House’s NDAA does not include a draft-our-daughters provision. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., should call on the conference committee to protect our daughters from the draft by adopting the House-passed NDAA.

No draft, combat

Kansas Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts voted for a bill that would require young women to register for the draft (June 16 Now Consider This).

In 2015, President Obama opened all combat positions in the military to women. That is a shame in itself. We should be a nation that honors our daughters and mothers enough to protect them from having to face combat, from having to face killing or being killed. Men should be the buffer between American women and children and such carnage.

But our two Kansas senators apparently believe we should force young women between 18 and 26 years old to go to war. It may be politically correct, but it is unwise, heartbreaking and shows a total lack of respect for women. Men used to say, “Save women and children first.” Apparently that is no longer the sentiment of Moran and Roberts.

Don’t mind the dead

Another mass shooting. Innocent Americans mowed down. The world scorns our lack of conscience. But we really don’t mind more dead Americans; that’s plain. We tell ourselves, “It isn’t me, so who cares?”

After 26 children and adults were slaughtered, we good Americans didn’t care enough to demand that our elected politicians do something. Nothing changed. We still have our moments of silence, just as the dead Americans have an eternity of silence.

The folks who insist on allowing those on the terrorist watch list to easily buy weapons are being hoodwinked by the National Rifle Association. But don’t you, in your silence, ever ask yourself why weapons are not allowed in Congress – or at political conventions? It isn’t ever going to be “them” who experience the unimaginable. But we’re fair game. I’m sick of babying those who cower behind the NRA’s death grip on Congress.

Dedication to allowing war weapons to be easily available to wannabe terrorists is morally corrupt. It isn’t patriotic; it’s pathologic.

Not assault rifle

I can’t take any more of liberal newscasters, President Obama and his gang brainwashing Americans into thinking the AR-15 is a nasty beast. First off, the AR is not an assault rifle. An assault rifle has to have select fire and be fully automatic.

“AR” stands for Armalite rifle, after the company that first began making these feared rifles.

In case Obama and his gang of fear mongrels don’t know, Americans need a special license to own fully automatic rifles. The AR is no different in operation from a semi-auto shotgun. The trigger has to be pulled each time to fire.

My question to liberals and Obama: Why isn’t alcohol banned? Alcohol kills more people than guns, so why not do something about that?

Write own history

The curtain of life is rapidly closing for servicemen of the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s. I urge each to write an autobiography now. They shouldn’t put it off, as it can take a year or longer to get it completed.

Why should they do this? Because it will be the best thing they can do for their families and those not yet born.

People spend thousands on a tombstone that few family members will look at after the children are gone. Not so with an autobiography.

Think how important it would be to a family to have a book from an ancestor of the Revolutionary War, Civil War or World War I era. It would be priceless as a family treasure. This will be also.

In order to have the finished product the best it can be, individuals should do some research first. Those who lack computers can find them at senior centers, churches and libraries.

The important thing is to get started.

This story was originally published June 19, 2016 at 12:04 AM with the headline "Letters on voting, women in draft, gun control, servicemen autobiographies."