Winston-Salem Journal LTE TH 03/08/12

The criminally insane

The Journal is right about criminals such as Michael Hayes ("Issue of criminally insane must be addressed," March 4). If their verdicts are "not guilty by reason of insanity," their sentences should include lifetime monitoring, as is the case with child sex offenders.

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ANN S. RUTTER

Pfafftown

Taking revenge

The recent failure of the Congress to face problems besetting the United States was an action warned against by President George Washington in his farewell address. He expressed grave concern over the establishment of political parties. His concern was that one of the parties would take revenge on the other.

We saw this happen when the House overrode most proposals put forth by the president even though they reflected previous ideas of the party that affected the override.

It is my opinion that the party with the largest membership in the House was acting in its own best interest, not the best interest of the United States.

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ROBERT C. MARCH

Pfafftown

Finish the Thought

Last Saturday, we asked readers to complete the sentence: "President Barack Obama continues to be widely criticized because he ..."

* * * * *

" … is a total and complete socialist and believes big government is the answer to everything, large and small."

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FRANK SCISM

* * * * *

" … his only accomplishments in the past three years have been to drive America off a cliff financially and divide our country along racial and economic lines. His only goal now is to get re-elected so he can continue the downward slide."

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JOANN DUNN

* * * * *

" … is African-American."

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AL BAKER

* * * * *

" … is not a right-wing white male."

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CYNTHIA GOUGH NANCE

* * * * *

" … because of his anti-American progressive policies."

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DONALD R. CREWS

* * * * *

" … is a black man serving in an old white man's position. If he were a "so-called" conservative Republican he would be accepted by the GOP."

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JACK LUTZ

* * * * *

" … deserves it. He is the worse president that this country has ever seen or had as a leader. He's even worse than Jimmy Carter, and that is bad. Look at the price of gas. The mess that he has created in the Middle East. This man is way-in over his head."

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HAROLD DYSON

* * * * *

" …is not white, not Republican, resists catering to people's fears and biases, and has done a pretty good job extracting us from the Iraq war and avoiding a great depression, which infuriates people who want him to fail."

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MARGARET SUPPLEE SMITH

* * * * *

" … isn't a stick-in-the-mud conservative Republican."

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KENNETH B. SCALF

* * * * *

" … provided billions to bail out large banks that now pay out millions in bonuses and contribute millions to his campaign while those same banks pay less than 1 percent interest on CDs to those millions of Americans who have worked and saved their money in the, now futile, dream of being self-supporting. Is that old-fashioned dream not a part of his plans?"

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SMITH HAGAMAN

* * * * *

" … is an idiot who, after three years, is still completely out of touch with the needs of our nation and the directions we need to go to get headed back in the right direction."

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STEVE SHORE

* * * * *

" … continues to be black and so he must not win. When he finds a workable compromise on insurance, it is refused. When Osama bin Laden was captured on his watch, people tried to give George W. Bush credit. Obama doesn't do enough to save jobs, but when he saved 1.1 million jobs by bailing out the auto industry (from Bloomberg Businessweek), it was wrong.

"If the objection is not to his race and only to his policies, then why do we have the emails that substitute Farina of Our Gang for Obama's childhood picture or Photoshop Obama's face onto that of a primitive African chief? John McCain's birthplace (Panama) was never questioned. There were no quibbles about Bill Clinton's Oxford stint. No one thought Woodrow Wilson's English mother made him British. Not so for Obama.

"When people stoop to racial slurs and personal rumors, their real objection pops out: They can't compete. Without the automatic standing that comes from skin color, they would have to start at the bottom of society's ladder, not the middle. They believe the president should be above them on that ladder and black people below them, and a black president confuses that view."

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DOROTHY MATHEWS

* * * * *

" … is successful despite the obstructionist Republicans he has to endure. Those who criticize seem to have forgotten what a mess we were in before Obama took office. Unemployment skyrocketing and expected to possibly reach the teens, unregulated financiers permitted to steal from the middle class, two debt-doubling endless and unjustified wars, bin Laden still running wild, American manufacturing failing or barely holding on, credibility and esteem of America by other countries at an all-time low, foreclosures skyrocketing, ballooning deficits to pay for tax breaks that made the wealthy wealthier but created no new jobs, the Dow Jones at 6,500 versus the 13,000 it is now.

"Take a look around now. If Obama were a Republican and accomplished everything he has, in exactly the same way, Republicans would be heralding him as the greatest president in memory. But, with no real traction on policy issues, they must resort to sophomoric name-calling."

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J. KEVIN BOKENO

* * * * *

" … was created by God with somewhat dark pigmentation as a test to see if his people who are called by his name believe and follow his word."

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SYLVIA M. WOODRUFF

* * * * *

" … like all in public office should, remembers that old adage: To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing."

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EDIE ROGERS

* * * * *

" … continues to increase the deficit, has failed policies, passed too many regulations on businesses and has close associations with 'sharks' in the media."

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LEE JOHNSON

* * * * *

" … has morals and ethics while the Republicans have none."

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MARCUS HENRY