2 Last Letters

It's Election Day in the United States of America. I voted early, so I'm not worried about trying to leave work and stand in line somewhere to cast my vote. I didn't have to be late. I don't have to leave early. And I didn't have to run out at lunch and try to vote. As for lunch, today in the cafeteria at school, we had a cake decorated like an American flag--the stars and stripes, the red (or pink) and white and blue in icing. Interestingly, the cake was chocolate, and my colleague and I wondered if the university food service was making a political statement.

Here are two last letters sent to editors. This time they're from Tennessee folk, and they were submitted to the editor of the Johnson City Press.


Obama Offers Change
Though you [Johnson City Press] have endorsed John McCain for president, your endorsement sounds hollow, rote and unenthusiastic.

This is understandable, given the candidate’s recent tendency to swerve off what used to be his moderate and bipartisan message. He seems now to be desperately grasping for the support of the radical fringes, inciting suspicion and fear in disenfranchised Americans, rather than pride in our country and optimism for our future.

McCain’s rash selection of Sarah Palin as VP candidate, when there are numerous brilliant Republican women (and men) who are more qualified, calls into question his judgment under pressure. Far from demonstrating “character” in recent appearances, he has been coming across as angry and sarcastic, certainly not presidential.

It is time for us to look forward, rather than backward. A new era requires creative solutions to difficult problems; John McCain seems mired in the failed policies of the past eight years and has built his campaign pandering to fear of the unknown.

I am grateful that for the first time in many years we have a very clear choice in a presidential election: We can choose candidates who represent the same old thing, or we can vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who offer an opportunity for moderation, intelligence and inclusiveness in our government.—Catherine Murray, Jonesborough

Beware of Obama
I wanted to warn everyone now to be prepared for the blizzard we may get Tuesday. If we don’t wise up and realize just how dangerous Se. Barack Obama and his brand of socialism is, we will wake up Wednesday to the biggest snow job we have every witnessed.

This is more than the normal Democrat vs. Republican race, this is about our Constitution and what our nation is all about. Obama has stated that he will eliminate the philosophy that we give money to the rich and hope prosperity will trickle down (dictators eliminate “philosophy”) and he has stated he will take money from the rich and give to those who are poor (this is called redistribution of wealth or socialism). His alliances with the unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, the hateful teaching of his long time preacher Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the choice of Washington fixture Joe Biden all add up to trouble.

Obama has been so busy running for office that he has hardly no record but his small record shows that he is the most liberal of all senators. This includes voting down energy independence and lower taxes.I will admit that John McCain is far from perfect but if Obama is elected we will need far more than snow shovels to get out of this mess. Before you blindly vote for Obama please research Obama and learn who he really is.—Ed Dembowczyk, Telford