Letters: Follow Mandela’s peaceful example

Nelson Mandela was a great mediator and negotiator. Where are our Mandelas?

I just finished reviewing “They Were Soldiers: How the Wounded Return from America’s Wars” by Ann Jones, a journalist. The stuff she writes about does not make the recruiting posters. It is, however, the harvest of all war. Most returning wounded or psychologically ruined young men and women are treated poorly and inadequately by the Veterans Administration and by the homefront. Why? War is abnormal, and we do not know how to deal with its aftermath.

The suffering of sons, husbands, wives, daughters, sisters and brothers who have experienced the horrors of war should make thinking citizens reluctant to go to war. It should make us demand the best of our leaders in diplomacy and negotiation. From our leaders, however, we often have evidence of the opposite.

War is not a necessity. It is not normal. We have to be trained to hate and kill. It is not natural. Aggression is natural, but we can learn to contain it and redirect it. In 1960 President Dwight Eisenhower warned us in the sternest language about letting the military and industries that depend on the military define our society. War has gotten out of control. The U.S. has fought 14 undeclared wars since 1941. War does not deliver peace. It delivers the next war. As citizens, we would be well served to elect officials who are very good at negotiation and patience, strong leaders who can get to yes without giving in or going to war. We would be well served to imagine a world where war is the exception and not the norm. We would be well served to take the example of Mandela very, very seriously as we look in the mirror. As a veteran, I know how important it is.

Aaron G. Margulies, Knoxville

Alexander ignores U.S. Constitution

I wish to congratulate U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander on receiving the “Restoring the Balance Award” from the National Conference of State Legislatures for “working to restore, protect and advance the standing of the states in our federal system,” an honor shared with Sen. Dick Durbin.

Contradictorily, Alexander then promised to introduce legislation preventing passengers on airplanes from “yapping” on their cellphones because of “this noise while you travel, restrained by your seatbelt, unable to escape.”

But what gives Alexander and the federal government the power to fine us thousands of dollars if we “yap” on a cellphone during a flight? If the Federal Aviation Administration deems it safe to do so, then why does the senator, who champions the power of the people, deem to use federal power to enforce social policy?

Alexander agrees that the law he proposes is unconstitutional. He states that “airline cabin privacy may not be enshrined in the Constitution, but surely it is in common sense.”

If Alexander can use the power of the federal government to force people to not talk on their cellphones while flying in an airplane, then the federal government can use its power to force schools to obey a federal curriculum and to restrict fishing on the Cumberland River. And President Barack Obama can force us to sign up for Obamacare.

It is important that Alexander fights to keep school curricula in the hands of local government. It is important that Alexander fights to keep fishing on Tennessee rivers legal for Tennessee anglers. It is important to note when Alexander disregards the Constitution to enforce social policy, even when that social policy makes “common sense.”

The Constitution was written to protect us from tyranny. Sen. Alexander, please regard the Constitution and continue to protect us from tyrannies large and small.

Randy Reneau, Corryton

Jesus wouldn’t be a conservative

As we celebrate the holidays, do we care why we celebrate them? I know I have read that the reason we celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 is because that was the date of a pagan sun god holiday. We listen to those slick televangelists who say God wants you to be rich and will show you how, just send some cash, and you, too, will be blessed by prosperity, all based on careful reading of the Scriptures. Look at the megachurches in this country, where tens of thousands of people go every week to hear about God’s secrets to successful and prosperous life. Would Christ say blessed are the rich? Would Christ have approved or wept? Where is God? Maybe he’s AWOL. Maybe he gave up on the human race. God put a curse on Abraham and his descendants. Look at the children of Israel. How many times were they were forced into slavery? Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans. And look at all the Jews who have been killed by the Catholic Church and the Nazi killing machine of World War II.

What gets me is that conservative evangelical Christians say Christ would be a conservative Christian if he still lived today. To me he would much more likely be like a hippie: no job, preaching peace and love, healing the sick, healing the lepers and casting out demons. And with his love of the poor, you know these conservatives who throw off on the poor wouldn’t like that. Would they be like the Pharisees? This Christmas, with the lights, the trees and the presents, we should think of the less fortunate. We should not forget that every five seconds a child dies of hunger, or how many die because of unsafe drinking water. Count your blessings.

Marty Dick, Knoxville

Minimum wage increase needed

My husband and I are native Knoxvillians. He worked at Y-12 in Oak Ridge for many years. I was a stay-at-home mom since I never needed to go to work. In 1982 he retired and we moved to Houston. I decided to get a job. At age 45 I had no work experience, so I applied for and got a job in a day-care center in its baby room at minimum wage. Most of my co-workers were fine people who needed the pittance for their families. Some had husbands who worked two jobs to meet the bills. As one who has actually worked minimum wage, I would say to all those who don’t want the increase, “Try it! You won’t like it!”