An old soldier’s farewell
There’s always something poignant about old soldiers, so the recent death of Sen. Bob Dole has been difficult for me. With blurry vision, I spent much of last Sunday watching the network coverage of his distinguished career.
For me, the heart rending image of him struggling from his wheelchair to offer a final hand salute to President Bush was overwhelming.
By any measure, Sen. Dole was a great American, proving it on a WWII battlefield, in the halls of Congress and later through service to causes in which he believed. He fought the good fight.
And now in this toxic post-Jan. 6 world, the Doles, McCains, Powells, Ginsburgs, et al, have been replaced by unprincipled Trump toadies who’ve checked their integrity at the door, and are gleefully leading the charge toward the loss of this hard-fought republic.
If there’s anyone left to write it, history won’t be kind to them or their self-righteous acolytes.
So if this appears to be from another old soldier who once served without much distinction, but with a lot of pride, and now terrified of what lies ahead, you’ve got me figured about right.
George Martin, Chapin
Power and politics
Our political leaders are currently discussing how to divvy up congressional seats for both our federal and state representatives. This is done every 10 years as dictated by the U.S. Constitution. It is not a surprise and it was not dropped on our legislators yesterday.
If they had any interest in performing this task with honor, with fairness, and with logic, they would have decided on a set of rules by which this would be done. They would have done this long ago and with some leisure in that they have had years in which to do it.
Instead, they sit in closed rooms in the confines of the State House, and in taverns and homes throughout the state, and decide whose position to save and whose position to eliminate.
Those decisions are based on political power, and to reward or punish, accordingly — all to decide which voters belong to which politicians. The politicians are selecting the voters in opposition to the basic democratic principle of voters selecting their representatives.
There is still time for them to do the right thing. Sadly, we all know that they will not.
Luther Hendrix, Camden
Anti-vaccine mania?
I hope everyone takes a moment to reflect on two headlines appearing in a recent issue of the State.
On the front page one reads, “Columbia hospitals drop employee vaccine mandates” and on page 3A the other reads, “SC tops 1,000 new COVID cases for first time since October”.
I’m not sure what has caused the mania at work in our state and nation but it will surely bring us to no good end. Refusing vaccination is one thing; waging a campaign against vaccination is quite another.
Frank Caggiano, Columbia
Metal detectors needed
It is time for politicians and educational administrators charged with educating and protecting our children to put a real value on children’s lives, and begin to effectively protect them at school.
There is no logical reason why metal detectors aren’t used daily at all schools at all points of entry. The saving of the life of one child would far outweigh the cost and the logistics of the implementation of metal detectors in schools.
Just as metal detectors at airports became an extremely effective solution in preventing hijackings aboard airplanes, metal detectors can also become an extremely effective solution for preventing school shootings.
Places such as courthouses, federal buildings, airports and large sporting stadiums use metal detectors.
Now is the time for politicians and educational administrators charged with educating and protecting our children to become “proactive,” and not just “reactive” because innocent children’s lives are at risk.
Alvin Staley, Orangeburg
