Letters to the editor for Sept. 5

The Olympian • Published September 05, 2008

No more cowboys for president

It's interesting to note the reactions of the two presidential candidates recently. When asked whether evil existed in the world, we heard a rather Bush-like answer from John McCain, i.e., Osama bin Laden and I'll run that guy down if it takes my last breath! Barack Obama identified evil as being much wider spread and closer to home!

On the recent Georgia/Russia affair McCain is quick to place the total blame on Russia and Mr. Putin. Obama, while berating the actions of Russia, was a bit more thoughtful about the affair. Do you suppose that Obama might just be aware of how this mess got started? Do you suppose that he might recall that the United States, via the CIA, helped bring Saakashvili to power after the previous Georgian president refused to play footsie with U.S. energy companies in 2003?

Or possibly Obama can understand why Russia is engaging in some saber-rattling. Would we not do the same thing if Russia was encouraging Canada, Central America, and South America to join in an alliance with them and set up shields against missiles from wherever?

It will take a thoughtful and understanding president to offset the effects the last eight years of hip shooting by our cowboy president.

Please! No more cowboys, or fighter pilots, for president!

Lloyd Hogden, Lacey

Immigrants contribute to culture, national identity

In watching the Olympics, I saw many on the U.S. team with unusual names: Nastia Liukin (Russian-born gymnastic gold medalist), Lopez Lamong (runner and U.S. flag bearer from Sudan) and runner Bernard Legat from Kenya. In all, nine of the athletes representing the United States in Beijing are immigrants.

Many of our U.S.-born athletes are the product of immigrant coaches. Take for example Liang Chow (from China and 13-year coach of Shawn Johnson (gymnastic silver). He allowed a middle-class girl from Des Moines, Iowa, to reach Olympic fame.

We might have a general understanding of the value that immigrants provide in planting and harvesting our food, but do we really understand the value they provide to our culture and national identity? How many of the great acts of compassion and courage done in emergency situations are done by immigrants? What effect do immigrants and children of immigrants have on our literature, music and learning? How much of what we have do we owe to immigrants?