Letters to the Editor – Weekly Issue of June 6, 2011
The dark side of horse racing
I was very pleased to read Marlene Fanta Shyer's May 9 opinion piece, "Lush life for Derby horses? Don't bet on it."
It appears that far too few of us really care about the creatures that God has given us. They entertain us for years; certainly we owe these sentient beings a just reward when they retire from the races, whether they are a horse or dog. Sending them off to meat markets after they have given us so many years, in my opinion, qualifies as a genuine sin.
By not appreciating what those creatures have done for us, we commit a crime against nature and the God that loves us. I look forward to reading more articles concerning our abuse and misunderstanding of other forms of life.
Clifford H. Colpitts Jr.
Sheboygan, Wis.
Hooray for Ms. Shyer for her exposé on the "dark side" of horse racing! I have previously read of these evils, but no one has presented them so succinctly. Thanks for this inclusion at Kentucky Derby time. I hope that more space might be given to the issue, in particular to the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
Racehorses give their owners fame and fortune, and what is their reward? It's too horrible to contemplate. It's an American disgrace.
Carole Westman-DaDurka
Response to Paul Ryan
Regarding Paul Ryan's May 23 commentary, "Paul Ryan: The GOP budget strengthens the safety net": Mr. Ryan's budget reforms may eliminate a few tax dollars but will they weaken the "social safety net" provided by Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and unemployment benefits? Editorial license may allow this insert of the old metaphor: "[Please] don't throw the baby out with the bath water."
The American people would be better served by drastically cutting back on the bloated military and by cutting back on the tax breaks for the very wealthy and big corporations rather than by chipping away on what have been humane social programs.
Frederic Duperrault
Pakistan's border games
John Hughes's May 30 column on continuing aid to Pakistan ("Don't dump Pakistan") was right, but some sort of change is needed.
Pakistan wastes much of its financial and personnel resources defending its eastern border with India. If Pakistan wisely redistributes resources, terrorist strongholds in its western and northern regions would not be as able to withstand the forces Pakistan is capable of deploying.
By encouraging both Pakistan and India to draw down their forces on their border, Pakistan might, finally, be able to enforce genuine, and lasting sovereignty. We should reject all attempts by the Pakistanis to continue this failed and dangerous strategy.
Ted K. Carr
Las Vegas
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