Winston-Salem Journal LTE SU 04/01/12

A Palm Sunday thought

In the March 24 article "Standing up for our faith," the Rev. John Eckert is quoted, addressing a downtown rally to oppose federal mandates on contraception in health-care coverage:

"We might have to pay for something that we people of faith see as immoral."

I myself — a person of faith — have been forced for years to pay for undeclared, unauthorized wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I certainly see that as immoral; so welcome to the club, Rev. Eckert.

By the way, I have been a student of the words of Christ for many years. I have not yet found anything he said about contraception. His views on war, however, are quite clear.

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KIRK HOUSE

Winston-Salem

Put children first

In regard to the letters "On Alberto" (March 21) and "Immigration thoughts" (March 26):

Over the years, the wise words of two of my friends have become mantras: Always put the children and their welfare first when making decisions, and remember that "same is not always equal," especially when children are involved.

The immigration dilemma demands our best combined thoughts from all sides because innocent children are ultimately the focus of the consequences. If we take the high road, keeping open minds, listening to each other and remembering that we can learn from each other, we can come together for the best for them and our country.

For those who can see primarily through the eyes of logic, I would add that under the Civil Rights Act and Lau vs. Nichols, we have educated these children. Our tax dollars would be well-spent if we pass the DREAM Act. We send away to other countries for bilingual nurses and teachers of many languages when we have brilliant minds among us, eager to give back to this country. Some want to serve in our military to defend this land that has allowed their families safe haven and work.

As the saying goes, "We've always had an immigration problem; ask any American Indian." This particular situation is not going to go away and must be addressed with care, for we are dealing with the most vulnerable of human beings — the children — caught in a Catch 22, living in the shadows of fear.

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DIANNE S. ISEMAN

Winston-Salem

GOP excitement

As we approach Primary Day in North Carolina it's an exciting time to be a Republican. We have a great local man running hard to be the next lieutenant governor, and I know if Dale Folwell wins, he will do an awesome job.

Pat McCrory, running for governor, has double-digit leads over all his possible opponents and knows what it takes to bring jobs back to this once-great state.

On the presidential level, we have had our squabbles and at times contested debates, which is always good in the name of democracy, but it is now time to rally behind Mitt Romney and prepare him for the contest with President Obama.

This may sound strange from a die-hard Republican, but I was pulling for Obama to do an excellent job as president. But after three and a half years, it is obvious he was way in over his head. It's not that I dislike the man, I just can't afford him.

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JEFF DUDLEY

Winston-Salem

A child's conscience

I didn't realize that students don't have rights unless their parents say so. Nor did I realize that one must sign a waiver to practice one's First Amendment rights. I appreciate Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school-board member A.L. "Buddy" Collins clearing that up for me in his letter ("Reciting the pledge," March 25).

Suppose a student objects to reciting the Pledge of Allegiance for moral reasons. Some think it's wrong to pledge allegiance to a war-mongering nation that values greed above all else. Some see no truth to the claims of the nation being "under God" — nor the claim that there is "liberty and justice for all." Some think any pledge is wrong. One needn't agree with those assessments to understand that they are matters of conscience.

Collins says that the law "merely requires pledge recitation." "Merely?" What does the student learn from being forced to say words he does not believe in — to actually be forced, at such a vulnerable and impressionable age, to make a pledge, a promise, that he doesn't sincerely feel?

Perhaps he learns to be insincere. Perhaps he learns to be a hypocrite. Like those who say they believe in freedom but are willing to coerce others to recite pledges they don't believe in.

Perhaps he learns not to trust the authorities who insist he violate his conscience.

Some have said, essentially, that they were forced to recite the pledge and they came out all right; I can't help but conclude that they didn't.

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RICKY S. PHILLIPS

Winston-Salem

Burden of support

I would like to give a "that a boy" acknowledgement to Ila Hester's March 24 letter "How government works." I hope the members of the Winston-Salem City Council and the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners read this and think about it. It seems these officials run things like the federal government, spend money they don't have and worry more about special-interest groups or personal projects than the people who fund this county — the property owners.

Why continue to put the burden of supporting the city's and county's money shortfalls on the property owners? Use the sales-tax increase option, the only fair tax.

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WILLIAM CLARK

Winston-Salem

The mockingbird

When I turned to the opinion page in my Journal on March 24, the political cartoon with the caption "To Kill a Mockingbird" literally took my breath away. A stunning piece of art, with a tragic message.

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CAROL ROAN

Winston-Salem

Sum It Up

Do you think the Supreme Court will rule correctly on "Obamacare"?