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LETTER: Freedom and democracy
Jul 03, 2010
To the Editor: On July 4, 1776, our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence. This document created a free and independent country where all men are created equal. Extremists and career politicians are threatening our independence, peace and freedoms. We are proud to be Americans, will always defend our freedoms and will never allow extremists to threaten this independence.
It is also time for our elected leaders to remember that their powers are derived from the consent of the governed, “We the People.” They need to pledge to do what is RIGHT for America. If they do, America will always be the country that 234 years ago our founders and forefathers gave their lives to declare independence from tyranny.
Freedom and democracy are our reasons we are so proud to be Americans. July 4th, Independence Day, is a time to reflect, give thanks and instill in the next generation that we will remain free only as long as we constantly guard these precious freedoms. We live in the best country in the world and must never forget it.
Ray Asik, Vermilion
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THE EDITOR’S COLUMN: This Fourth of July arrives with extra reason to celebrate
Jul 03, 2010
THERE’S a doubly special satisfaction in celebrating the Fourth of July this year.
First, today’s landmark Ben Franklin Project July 4 edition of The Morning Journal is our own declaration of independence from the fading old ways of newspaper journalism. It is the start of a revolution in which newspapers gather and publish news in collaboration with readers, using the Internet, social media and software freely available to all online.
There’s more detail about the Ben Franklin initiative in today’s Our View editorial on this page, so here I’ll just note that the project adds a whole new meaning and a new dimension to the concepts of free speech and freedom of the press that are guaranteed in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Readers now have a bigger, more-healthy role in participating in the free speech-free press process. The newsroom and readers’ living rooms are more closely joined by the Internet, our newspaper website, Facebook and Twitter. Readers are encouraged to suggest story ideas, to become “reporters” in a sense by replying to journalists’ requests for information and pictures on specific topics online. We think that’s something that would please American founding father Ben Franklin, who was a printer, experimenter and revolutionary soul. Hence the name Ben Franklin Project for this initiative begun by CEO John Paton at all the newspapers throughout our parent firm, Journal Register Company.
Fundamental rights such as free speech and a free press must be exercised with vigor to remain strong, otherwise they will wither, become weak and the health of our nation will suffer, to the peril of us all. The Ben Franklin Project knits together the roles and contributions of citizens and journalists to create a more broadly based, deeply rooted form of free press, exercised constantly by more Americans than ever before. That can only be good for the country. It’s a great cause for celebration on this Independence Day.
The second source of extra satisfaction connected with this July 4th is the fact that it arrives within a week of the U.S. Supreme Court affirming the Second Amendment “right of the people to keep and bear Arms” as a fundamental right every bit as important as free speech.
America’s founders suffered tyranny and danger from a hostile king’s government, and in their wisdom they knew that even free and independent Americans would be liable to occasional threats from within or outside. Guaranteeing a basic means of self-defense for individuals and Americans’ liberties thus ranked second only to the most basic requirement of freedom from government oppression — free speech — in the Bill of Rights.
Witnessing the Supreme Court’s affirmation that the Second Amendment applies to the states and cities as well as the federal government brought a sense of the nation’s founding history come alive, reaching across more than two centuries to touch our lives today.
So, let’s celebrate the Ben Franklin Project, and let’s celebrate the Supreme Court’s ruling. And, most of all, let’s celebrate the birth of the United States of America 234 years ago today.
Happy Independence Day, and God bless America.
Tom Skoch is editor of The Morning Journal and www.MorningJournal.com where his Tell the Editor blog appears. He is on Twitter as newspaperguy and can be e-mailed at editorofthemj@gmail.com.
OUR VIEW: This Independence Day just the start of revolutionary improvements in news
Jul 03, 2010
Today is July 4, and this edition of The Morning Journal is our Declaration of Independence from being tied to the fading old ways of print journalism.
PAUL BIBER: A letter to the Lorain Community – Fixing financial bind requires long view
Jul 03, 2010
TO the Editor: As referenced in my last letter, the issues facing the Lorain School System are multiple and complex. When citizens ask reasonable questions about finances, academics, discipline, extra-curriculars, the building project, charter schools, etc., they deserve complete responses. My heart wants to start with the academic/discipline issues but the most common questions and misunderstandings come from financial concerns or are impacted by finances, so let’s begin there.
LETTER: The will of the people
Jul 03, 2010
To the Editor: Independence is a condition of a nation in which its citizens exercise self-government in which the members of Congress serve as their representatives and who respect the will of the people.
We need seasoned individuals who have realized the American dream by hard work, honesty, and integrity. A candidate should tell us what they are not going to do rather than make promises of what they will do. Limit congressional sessions to two three-month periods per year. Reduce spending.
We want smaller government, individual liberty, low taxes, fiscal and personal responsibility, common sense, and practical solutions. Limit money donations to individuals who are residents of a particular congressional district. Stop political donations by corporations and unions. No donations of any kind from out of the candidate’s home state.
Be a patriot – a person who loves our country and the people and is loyal to the Constitution.
C. D. Windmiller, Amherst
LETTER: American independence today
Jul 03, 2010
To the Editor: On July 4, 1776, we declared our independence from England. We were tired of taxation without representation and the fact that we had to pay for the English troops that were quartered in this county.
We were sick and tired of mad King George III and his parliament enacting laws that would affect our colonists. It led to the Revolutionary War and our independence.
Today we have “Tea Party Patriots” who wrap themselves in the flag and cry for their freedom. One tea bagger who is running for Congress wants to do away with Medicare and Social Security as if that would give her more freedom.
How different would this country be today if we had not declared our independence from England? We would probably be a lot like Canada, which is not so terrible. However, I like it this way.
Glenn Walter, Lorain
LETTER: 1776 Declaration of Independence
Jul 03, 2010
To the Editor: On July 4th, America will celebrate her 234th birthday through the “Declaration of Independence” that proclaimed the 13 American colonies, at war with Great Britain, were now independent states and no longer part of the British Empire.
“The American Declaration of Independence is more than America’s supreme, unamendable moral law; it is an eternal Declaration of War ‘against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.’” In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.”
It has been said that the Constitution is simply another piece of paper unless America has God-fearing leaders with a Biblical world view and unrelenting citizens to hold those responsible to pass only moral legislation. Socialists dispute the notion of God because if there is no God, they argue, there can be no God-given rights.
Until American history becomes a treasured part of every American’s store of knowledge with which to make informed, intelligent decisions, the preservation of the “independence” afforded the citizens of this, the greatest country in history, will be lost.
J. Stolec, Lorain
LETTER: Two relevant documents
Jul 03, 2010
To The Editor: The two most important and relevant documents given to America by the Founding Fathers are the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The Declaration specifically states the tyranny imposed by King George on the colonists and the egregiousness of that tyranny. The Constitution emphatically states the limits of government, but is only useful if the people understand the power of the people to enforce those limits.
The Constitution is not a living document except for the amendment process. The God-given rights delineated within the framework of the Constitution do not vary from one year to the next, or from one generation to the next.
Much honor is needed to defend the Constitution and the freedoms and liberties handed down to us from the FoundingFathers, and with that honor comes trust. Unfortunately, those qualities are sadly lacking in many of those in public office.
If those in office that lack honor and trust would read the Declaration and the Constitution once a year, I truly believe that our country would become more free and that liberty and prosperity would become common place. Honor and trust must work in both directions in order for America to thrive.
Honorable, trustworthy, dedicated, hard working people must step forward to restore America’s greatness, to restore the America of our Founding Fathers, and to allow our children and grand children to enjoy the freedoms and liberties that the Greatest Generation protected so faithfully.
Ken Sedlak, LaGrange Township
LETTER: Independence from anatomy
Jul 03, 2010
To the Editor: This year marked the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill. The Economist (1999) listed this as one of the most important scientific advances of the 20th century. This enhanced the ability for women and families to plan when and if to have children.
In every culture, the measurement of progress and prosperity is the literacy rate of women and access to family planning. We are seeing this played out in countries across the globe – Afghanistan, India, Iraq. Women in the United States can celebrate their independence from anatomy as destiny.
Lois McClelland, Sheffield Lake, Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio
LETTER: The price of freedom
Jul 03, 2010
To the Editor: Independence Day has been celebrated since 1776 as a declaration of our country’s independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. On July 3, 1776, in a letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams wrote that he is apt to believe that this day will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. He said it ought to be commemorated as the day of
deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.
We as a country like to celebrate with picnics and parades and enjoy a good fireworks display to end the day. We need to be reminded that this great country was founded on biblical principles and that is why we are free. That is what our soldiers are fighting for now and what our veterans have fought for in the past.
You don’t have to look hard to see what it is like to not have freedom. Look at Iraq. I received close to 2,000 emails recently about “Charlie” the dog that was abused by his owner. There is no one who stands up for a wife being beaten and raped by her own husband in Iraq. We care more about dogs in America than other countries care about their own people.
Most of us are reaping the benefits of what those before us did to get us where we are today. Out of respect to our forefathers, let’s all do our part to continue the path of freedom by our solemn acts of devotion.
I was reminded while standing in South Amherst as the motorcade went by with our fallen Staff Sgt. James Hunter, that our freedom is not free. It comes with a price. He along with countless others paid the ultimate sacrifice for this great country and for us all. Don’t forget to thank a
vet.
God Bless America,
Lori Kokoski, Lorain County Commissioner
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