Letter to the editor: Armaments and military not the only path to defense
October 1, 2012
The opinion piece published in the Thursday, Sept. 27 issue entitled “War used as a means to peace” incorporates the kind of one-sided arguments normally reserved for Fox News.
Emma Rinehart selectively quoted President Barack Obama’s remarks at a fundraiser in Las Vegas. She argued the president has said nothing about bringing those responsible for the attack in Benghazi to justice and has said nothing about First Amendment rights being threatened. Rinehart is either severely misinformed or feigns ignorance for the sake of her argument.
On Sept. 25, Obama spoke to the U.N. General Assembly. What follows is an excerpt of his comments on the attack in Libya.
“The attacks on our civilians in Benghazi were attacks on America. … There should be no doubt that we will be relentless in tracking down the killers and bringing them to justice.”
In regards to the threatening of First Amendment rights, Obama said this:
“Our Constitution protects the right to practice free speech. Here in the United States, countless publications provoke offense. Like me, the majority of Americans are Christian, and yet we do not ban blasphemy against our most sacred beliefs.”
The arguments Rinehart presented are biased and on at least one occasion utterly false. Rinehart stated we are still deploying troops to Iraq, when in reality our combat troops withdrew on or before Dec. 18, 2011.
Rinehart ended her piece with a quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower. Allow me to do the same. The following is from Eisenhower’s Farewell Address in 1961, made famous for his criticism of the military-industrial complex.
“Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose difference, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose.”