I worked hard for Barack Obama’s election in 2008 and his re-election in 2012, and on many counts I think he’s a much better choice for president than Mitt Romney. I’m happy that Obama won, but I’m also very concerned about drone attacks he and military officials continue to order against suspected terrorists in Afghanistan and other countries.
The use of unmanned drones probably saves some U.S. military lives, but it annihilates the lives of those who are attacked, including many innocent civilians — yes, women and children among them. Further, the attacks violate the sovereignty of other nations.
Suppose Canada labeled some people in Elkhart County “bad” or “terrorists” and launched drone attacks against structures or vehicles in Goshen and Elkhart and, oops, killed a number of ordinary folks in the process. Can you imagine the U.S. national outrage (and retaliation) regarding such actions?
In a Feb. 3 Nation of Change op-ed piece called “Barack Obama, Drone Ranger,” Bill Moyers and Michael Winship pointed out that drone attacks are being made not only in Afghanistan, where there’s a declared war, but also in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. They quote the Brookings Institution’s Peter Singer who said a year ago: “... A new technology is short-circuiting the decision-making process for what used to be the most important choice a democracy can make. Something that would have previously been viewed as war is simply not being treated like war.”
In the August 2012 edition of Sojourners, Editor Jim Rice wrote: “Drone warfare takes our country-and Obama, who according to the (New York) Times, personally approves many drone strikes-far down (a) moral slippery slope.”
From both a Christian and geopolitical perspective, I ask President Obama to search his soul about the devastation of drones and stop using them.
— Dan Shenk
Goshen
Letters to the Editor
Drone attacks disappoint reader
- Letters to the Editor
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2008 robbery victims speak out
We would like to contribute some information concerning the front page article published on Saturday, May 18, in The Goshen News.
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Remember the amnesty law of ’86?
The “Gang of Eight” U.S. Senate members have drafted an immigration bill that’s worse then the amnesty bill signed into law by Ronald Reagan in 1986. S. 744 gives those here illegally instant Registered Provisional Immigrant status, which means they are free from being deported if they register for amnesty.
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Don’t ignore signs of someone contemplating suicide
Everyone has issues that they have to deal with in their lives. It’s when we become overwhelmed and our issues become so drastic that they are unbearable that the results can be catastrophic. Suicide is a desperate attempt to escape suffering that has become unbearable.
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Why do immigrants come to the U.S. illegally?
With the current increased interest in fixing our broken immigration system both political parties are putting forth legislation.
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Safety along C.R. 35 is a concern
This letter is meant to bring awareness and hopefully corrections in regard to C.R. 35 in Elkhart County. Something needs to be done immediately to enforce the laws pertaining to the use of C.R. 35.
- Emphasis on gun control makes you wonder
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Goshen should stick with ‘Redskins’
I must respond to the letter to the editor from Mr. Ron Chupp (The Goshen News, May 9). What’s in a name, Mr. Chupp? I too have a Native American heritage, and for some reason, I am not offended by the term Redskins, or brown skins or any other color of skins.
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More important issues than a nickname
I would like to, in the most respectful way possible, respond to Mr. Chupp’s letter (The Goshen News, May 9) regarding the ongoing debate over the term “Redskins” being used as the nickname and mascot for the Goshen school system.
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There is hope through God
May I share what happened to me after praying about the issue of whether to have guns carried by school authorities at Goshen High School. While calling out to God, my question was: Why have we as a nation come to trusting in government agencies, such as Homeland Security, rather than obeying the Constitution in what you have declared through our forefathers?
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Sheriff has this reader's support
This letter is in defense of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and in response to Shari Mellin’s letter (The Goshen News, May 8) about Sheriff Brad Rogers not obeying the laws related to anti-gun legislation
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