Reader Comments

Editor: My answer to your editorial “Bureaucracy in Charge” is: “Build a fence.” A "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska and no fence? What are you people thinking? You expect us to vote for more of this idiocy in November?  Think again. Lamar Johnson

Editor: Regarding Donald Devine’s “Bureaucracy in Charge” and Daniel Pipes’ “Time For Air Profiling?” I was hired by TSA on 15 Sept. 2002 and started their 5 day training program. I was one of thousands that were Veterans in the initial hiring and training. The subject of profiling was and is a sore point with most TSA screeners as not only in the training but on the job, those working the walk through metal detectors were instructed to periodically take a person, whether they passed the walk-through or not, and bring them aside for "wanding." In cases of failure to pass the walk-through, a more invasive search was required. The problem with the additional measures is that any person that may even look a little Mid-eastern could not be picked unless they did not pass the walk-through. When I asked if I decided to use a variable numbering system of those passing through and a Mid-easterner came up next, could I then pull them aside? The answer was a resounding---NO! ! !. The TSA and Homeland security and the Administration and both houses of Congress were and are afraid of the consequences of "Racial Profiling" mainly due to persons such as Hillary, Jesse Jackson, Schumer, Teddy, and the ilk. The vast majority of Veterans hired by TSA were let go in a layoff in 2003-2004 and the personnel that had been doing the screening for the airlines prior to TSA gearing up were hired in their stead. Veteran preference is not followed by the government as required by law and was and is a lot of bull. One reason indicated was the time in service could count toward retirement years and income with TSA. I was told that with 5 years in the TSA, I could retire, and the real kicker is that my time in the Marine Corps was only 4 yrs. The military has to spend a full 20 active duty to retire, yet some government bureaucrats are vested after 5 and 10 years, especially the Houses of the Legislature. Also criminal activity can affect Military retirement but Legislators and bureaucrats continue to collect retirement even when convicted of a felony and are in state or federal prisons. Deane Halsey Gilmour

Editor: Concerning “Time for Air Profiling?” by Daniel Pipes, I think it is past time for profiling. This political correctness has gone too far. I have traveled internationally (several times in the Near East regions) many times since 9-11 and I feel safer on any other airline than a US airline. At the foreign airports, and other places such as hotels, profiling is obvious. I was at one US Airport after 9-11 and saw a soldier standing with a rifle. I looked closer, he did not have a clip in the rifle, I looked at his belt, he had pouches for clips, they were empty too. He could have been replaced with a card board picture. Most US TSA stuff I see is only pacifiers. Unfortunately, I have to agree with Mr. Pipes, we need to have about ten 9-11 type incidents before the Government gets serious. Albert J. Mac Elrath, Cherry Hill, NJ

Editor: I would like to thank Daniel Pipes for saying what a lot of us were thinking. Eighty year old grandmothers are not the threat of terrorism for airlines. Muslim men need to be looked at very carefully. If a blond haired W.A.S.P. hijacked a plane then I would expect to be looked at hard! Keep up the good work and let political correctness be dammed!! Thank you and God Bless America, Chris Nikiel

Editor: Regarding Daniel Pipes’ article, I’m of Swedish decent and if 19 Swedes had perpetrated the 9/11 atrocity, I would have welcomed investigators at my door the next day and I would do anything in my power to root out this evil done by my own people. Is this happening in the Arab community? Please profile. I’m tired if seeing 65 year old grandmas frisked at security points in the name of political correctness.  Mats Rudh

Editor: I agree with most of Daniel Pipes’ article on the need for racial profiling and that current scrutiny of Muslims and other Middle Eastern people, if any, should be continued. Even if more were done, I can see the day where Muslim extremists and terrorists would start paying others to do their dirty work.  For example, it has been publicized that Al Qaeda has been in contact with Central and South American gangs.  They could start using these non-Middle Eastern nationalities to perform some of their terrorist acts with the fee for such services paid to the surviving family members.  Although even most gang members may not want to sacrifice themselves for someone else's cause, there could be a small number that would due to their deep hatred of the West and the USA in particular.  For this reason, profiling everyone in line is a necessity. I don't like being delayed in my travels and the time it takes to survey all needs to be dramatically improved so that most travelers are not wasting the time of our people performing security functions. J. Bilodeau, Denver, CO

Editor: Regarding Daniel Pipe’s article “Time For Air Profiling?” it is a sad thought that we must first lose maybe a 100.000 people before the bleeding hearts wake up and realize that our security forces MUST profile those who did the damage and will continue to do so if they are not stopped.  Try getting into Israel, it is a no nonsense approach and they check the person, articles are secondary.  This is just the opposite of what the USA is spending billions of our hard earned tax dollars. We need to get over this politically correct insanity that is destroying our institutions and will do in our country. They need to wake up now. What is it going to take to convince the left that this country must protect our citizens above this notion of offending some people. WAKE UP AMERICA, a message for our slippery politicians. Sumner Thompson

Editor: Daniel Pipes’ article is dead on! One of your letter writers was correct when she said motherhood was denigrated in Muslim society. I have twice written National Organization of Women president Kim Gandy and asked for her response to the abhorrent treatment of women by Muslims. She did not respond. Political power is apparently more important to her than fighting Islamic terrorism against women. Don Sully, Pittsburgh, PA

Editor: I just wanted to comment on Jeffrey Folks’ article, “Heartland Smirk,” especially the author's conclusion that today's teenagers seem to display an idealism and will to excel that have eluded the immediately past few generations.  I agree!  I tell my teen daughters that their parents' generation (mine!) helped to screw up society, but theirs will be the one to start turning it around again--because I've seen the very things in them and in their peers that Mr. Folks observes.  I enjoyed his article immensely! From the Heartland, Elizabeth Marcotte, Hays, KS

Editor: I recently discovered ConservativeBattline, and have found the online articles extremely well-done. I am particularly impressed with the "Heartland Smirk" piece by Jeffrey Folks. It is simply one of the most intelligent, thought-provoking works I have read in some time. I commend the work you are doing, and encourage you to keep articles of this quality flowing.  Best wishes for future success. Ryan Hirschey

Editor: Thank you for an insightful article in “Gender Double-Standard” by Carey Roberts. May I please have a reference for this: "All soldiers, regardless of gender, train to a single standard, the Army standard," proclaims one regulation. Differences in performance requirements between the sexes, such as Army physical fitness testing scoring, are based on physiological differences and apply to the entire force." Truly amazing.  I wonder if the writer had a sense of humor and was not-so-subtly making Roberts’ point for her. I had not heard of the Hutlgreen crash, either. Sincerely, Charles Stevenson, Anaheim, CA

Editor: “Gender Double Standards” by Carey Roberts” is fine as far as it goes but, sorry, fighting feminism openly is the only way for lots of guys to vote Republican again this November. Otherwise, we will stay home. Right now, you guys are not even pulling punches, but totally agreeing with feminists. Look up IMBRA and feminism on the Internet. John

Editor: Thanks for the excellent article by Jeff Crouere in response to Spike Lee's so-called documentary on the effects of the Gulf coast hurricanes. Gordon Lee, Minneapolis

Editor: I just finished reading Stephen Maggi’s piece on "Greedy Lawyers". Greed in and of itself is not the problem. The ease of suit is the problem. If we went to a loser pays system then much of this would come to a grinding halt. R. Mac Dunlap, Birmingham, AL

Editor: Thank you for Stephen Maggi’s article "Greedy Lawyers."  One example of a greedy lawyer might be John Edwards, former VP candidate of the US, who lives on a private island off the NC coast.  Most of his millions were made from such lawsuits as mentioned in the article.  The results are that both residents and the "better" doctors suffer.  The good doctors don't want to pay outrageous malpractice insurance that exponentially compounds with each new lawsuit, so they readily move to a state where business is good and insurance costs are much less. This happened in rural NC, in part thanks to Edwards, and the people were left with less than optimal care.

Needless to say, I agreed with much of your article.  However, here is my qualm.  I've worked in hospitals where a bad surgeon does damage -- first to the patients and secondly to the hospital (financially and in its general morale).  Instead of remediating a bad/careless surgeon, hospitals relinquish them with letters of recommendation just to be rid of them. The problem is that those surgeons just move to another hospital, and the vicious cycle of bad health care continues.

Perhaps due to length, here are some thoughts that your article did not address.  First, Putnam General Hospital's responsibility should have been to their patients and "suspend" Dr. King--really let him get 100 surgery complaints?  Second, the medical system needs to remediate "bad" doctors better than how they've handled them in the past.  The local medical review boards rarely revoke or suspend a doctor's license, especially in small town America (bad doc better than no doc?)  A doctor should be made to go through additional training and internship.  Thirdly, legislature needs to put a cap on medical lawsuits that are frivolous. Bankrupting our presenting medical system with lawsuits only propels us toward a national healthcare program.  By reviewing other national healthcare systems, one can quickly surmise that system provides even worse healthcare than our present system.

As a licensed professional, if I messed up equivalently the way I've seen some doctors "mess up," I'd have lost my license and would have had to change careers.  And with all of this said, implementing these changes would probably take political mutiny...but that's another article, isn't it? I enjoyed the article. Linda Oster

Editor: I love the ideals and ideas in your ConservativeBattleline editorials! I think we need to work hard to help the Constitution Party! Rosie O'Donnell is certainly doing her part to push the Liberal or Socialistic Party! We've got to get smarter!!! We have got to do our level best to bring things back to a more conservative and constitutional way of life for Americans! Thanks for all you do. Linda Fulwider