Letters to the Editor: 11.15.06

Poster plague

Re: campaign posters.

Posters remaining in yards and on public property, sometimes for weeks, even months, after the election are annoying to many.

So . . . here's a thought: Keep a notebook handy and jot down the names on posters that linger too long. Then, in the next election, don't vote for that person.

Of course, the candidate cannot remove all the signs personally, but if he/she is a good organizer, a willing staff can accomplish this task in no time.


(Aransas Pass)

Pack iron

As we have seen on the news for the past couple of years, there are Islamic extremists who want to kill Americans and destroy America.

We know that law enforcement types cannot be everywhere all the time, 24 hours a day, in order to protect citizens.

So what should American citizens do when it hits the fan? Should we rely on local law enforcement to protect us? What about county sheriffs, marshals, the FBI, the CIA? Who is kidding who?

Clearly, they cannot protect us. I think all adult men and women in America should arm themselves for personal protection. We cannot rely on law enforcement.

Think about it, and ask yourself, when does law enforcement come to the scene of crime? It is only after a crime has been committed that law enforcement appears on the scene of a crime.

It is an unadulterated fact that law enforcement does not prevent crimes. Personally, I feel that all adult American citizens need to be in a position to protect themselves with firearms from these radical Islamic extremists, should they crop up here, and that all adult Americans should be granted concealed carry permits in every state of the union.

Charles E. Calvert.


Sore winner

The only thing worse than a sore loser is an ungracious winner.

Solomon Jr. showed that the night of the elections at the courthouse when they declared him the winner. He stood there attacking Joe McComb's character instead of thanking the people who did vote for him.

Who's showing their true character now? Who's your daddy?

You Democrats are slow learners. Remember what happened the last time you voted against Joe McComb . . .

Patricia Humiston


Red light rancor

David Hauser (letter, Nov. 3), like many other letter writers, frets over the potential injustice of a vehicle owner having to pay a fine when a vehicle is photographed running a red light with someone other than the owner driving. It isn't clear how this will be handled locally, but I know how it worked when I saw red light cameras used in Germany.

The U.S. Army chain of command handled these matters when our soldiers were involved. I recall getting a notice once which included a photo showing a sergeant's vehicle caught in the act. Interestingly, the sergeant had been away with his unit on maneuvers when the crime was committed.

The photo showed the sergeant's wife in the passenger seat with someone else driving. The sergeant was not fined. His soon-to-be ex-wife did, however, have to go to German court and identify the fellow whom our soldiers would have euphemistically referred to as the sergeant's husband in-law. My belief is that the husband in-law paid the fine.

This of course points out another significant benefit or disadvantage, depending on your point of view. Perhaps it also helps explain why some folks are so resistant to the idea of these red light cameras.

Early in the last century we made the technological advance to electric traffic lights, which some no doubt argued was a limitation on our rights, privacy and freedom. Why not make the next technological advance, which will allow us to actually start enforcing the law?

Marty Evans

Adios, attack ads

I will guess that I'm not the only person in the Coastal Bend who watches television or listens to th4e radio who is thankful the election is finally over.

I grew weary of the repetitive ads in which a candidate had allegedly accepted $400,000 for false ads and was not telling the truth; the ones about some of the things an incumbent voted for and some of the things he voted against, both of which he shouldn't have done; the ones I kept hoping the newlywed grandmother would change and tell us that she wanted to shake up Austin instead of shaking Austin up before time ran out, but she never did; et cetera, et cetera.

Of course, now that the election is over, we will stisl be reminded that there is a perennial tire sale going on where all the tires are at the lowest price, and still watch Superman zap some furniture prices lower when he is told to do so by his mother.

Oh, well, some of it is, and has been, entertaining.

Zelda M. Turner

(Aransas Pass)

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