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Republicans and race
America has a pervasive race problem that will not be resolved as long as we continue to deny we have a problem. Far too many people believe racism does not exist in our country and don’t want to talk about it. Often, those who bring up the need for dialogue on race issues are called racists.
The fact that the Republican Party is predominantly a white people’s party speaks volumes about where the GOP stands on race. Why does the Republican Party have such a hard time relating to people of color? It seems the party is content in not trying to win the black vote. That sends a subtle message that blacks are not worth Republicans’ efforts to win their votes.
By becoming a more diverse party and working hard to appeal to black voters nationwide, the GOP could make a huge difference in changing racial attitudes for the better. The ball is in the GOP’s court. What will the party do with it?
Paul Lam Whiteley Sr., Clover Lane
Listen to the Vatican
The Vatican has warned against climate change for years, with the past three popes all speaking out on its potentially devastating effects and our need to combat it. Unfortunately, few are aware of the Vatican’s position on climate change.
As far back as 1999, Pope John Paul II warned that the burning of fossil fuels was damaging our environment and human health. Pope Benedict XVI warned against climate change, promoted renewable energy and implored the international community and individual governments to stop the devastation of our environment. Pope Francis called global warming a serious ethical and moral responsibility and rebuked those who exploit nature, calling environmental destruction a sin and the greatest modern challenge. He has called for environmental protection and warned “the time to find global solutions is running out.”
The Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences issued a declaration saying: “We call on all people and nations to recognize the serious and potentially irreversible impacts of global warming caused by the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. We appeal to all nations to develop and implement, without delay, effective and fair policies to reduce the causes and impacts of climate change on communities and ecosystems.”
Pope Francis plans to publish an encyclical on climate change in 2015. See more information at catholicclimatecovenant.org.
Susan George, Crawfordsville, IN
Response to Brian Butler
If Brian Butler believes for one second that Khalid Sheikh Muhammad predicted “Dr.” James Mitchell’s well-deserved comeuppance — using language (“the liberal media will turn on you”) we might expect from Fox News or Rush Limbaugh, no less — then I have some lakefront property he might be interested in. Interesting, though, that despite his credulousness, even Butler doesn’t go so far as to claim that the CIA’s torture of detainees produced the slightest bit of practical good for anybody. Instead, he relies on implicit straw men and false dichotomies to ridicule those who would hold the United States of America to a higher moral standard than terrorists.
Nick Braden, Highlands