Smith on Smith

Is anyone else as exasperated as I am with Rick Smith? I highly doubt it in this alternative universe we are currently living in. His take on Iraq is the usual, predictable, liberal diatribe: Bush lied us into Iraq under the wrong pretense and people died. It surely can be argued whether or not we should have fought the war, but as has been said many times before, by people with an intellect, Bush had the same intelligence information at the same time as everybody else, and Saddam did violate 17 U.N. regulations. Democrats thought Iraq had W.O.M.D, too. Smith’s stubborn extolling of Hillary Clinton? This, too, borders on the ludicrous, what with her Bengazi travails, server problems, etc., etc. Smith reminds me of someone at a blackjack table who defiantly keeps splitting face cards of a made 20 hand while ignoring the wrath of the other players whose cards he keeps taking.

Kirby Smith
-Des Moines

Republicans abandon voters

FOX News, with the blessing of the Republican National Committee, has been given the power to pick the top 10 candidates allowed on the stage at the first presidential debate, Aug. 6. (Trump is now No. 1 in polling, USA Today). Currently it appears Perry, Christie, Santorum, Fiorina, Jindal, Kasich and Graham won’t be allowed onstage for the first debate by FOX due to their low polling numbers. It’s obvious all these excluded candidates are more serious candidates than Donald Trump, but FOX rules. What kind of a Party lacks the leadership to allow a media outlet to pick their candidates? Why do these other candidates lack the courage to demand all be allowed to participate? Senator Cruz is asking all the other candidates to oppose the FOX debate rules. FOX News VP Michael Clemente responded by telling Cruz he couldn’t wait until Cruz was president to tell them how to run their business. It’s no secret that FOX News is the unofficial voice of the Republican Party, but it’s unprecedented and outrageous for this party to allow a partisan news outlet to hijack the presidential candidate selection process. Apparently, Republicans no longer trust voters to decide.

Rick Smith
-Urbandale

Support legislatural special session

Please support a special session of the legislature to override Gov. Branstad’s vetoes of additional funding for public schools. A special session should be held out of respect for the weeks of work by both Republicans and Democrats to hammer out solutions on both mental health and education. Gov. Branstad wants to close the remaining two mental health facilities as well. If he is not stopped now, he will systematically eliminate both mental health options for Iowa citizens as well as public education for our children. Gov. Branstad is attacking two of the most vulnerable populations in Iowa. How does anyone expect Democrats to trust any negotiations in the future if there is not an attempt to address their concerns and those Iowans that they represent? Most Iowans do not like gridlock and want our Iowa legislators to listen to each other. Contact your state representative and state senator to push for a special session to override Gov. Branstad’s vetoes.

Julie Stewart Ziesman
-Waukee

Just so you know…

Douglas Burns in Political Mercury takes an often-repeated quote from IPTV, “that no other state north or south had a higher percentage of its “military-age” male population between 15 and 40 serve during the course of the Civil War.” Just so you know…

No less than 11 states claim to have sent more of their citizens into service during the Civil War.

Mike Rowley
-Clive

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