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Letters To The Editor

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 4, 2008

Show Some Leadership

Regarding "Is States' Rights A Position Or Evasion"? (front page, July 28):

While it may be true that a candidate believes that certain issues may fall under the purview of "states' rights," you can bet that if John McCain wins the presidency, he would have a concrete opinion of any issue that his special-interest supporters were interested in.

What happened to the "straight talk express"? Then again he also pledged not to run a negative campaign, and today we see an ad that he approved running blatant lies and misrepresentations.

Is this leadership or pandering? It's very disappointing.

NEIL WILLIAMSON

Tampa

Insulted By Media Bias
William March reports that Republicans are complaining of unfair media coverage. This is news? March evidently has not been reading The Tampa Tribune, wherein daily pictures of Obama appear consistently much larger and are always placed above those of McCain.

The idea that Barack Obama's crash course in foreign affairs experience - by a taxpayer-funded visit to Europe and the Mideast - is some kind of qualifying test is another media concoction to help him get elected. Typically, Obama is featured as focused on major issues while McCain visits an eatery.

Truly the intelligence of the American people is insulted by the media's bias, which is hardly a pretension any more.

G.J. TAYLOR

New Port Richey

No Free Passes

The last eight years have made us fearful to speak our minds on sensitive topics lest we be considered unpatriotic. The campaign of Sen. John McCain seems to be feeding off this very sentiment.

It is hard to criticize a man running for president when we see photos of him as a prisoner of war. But don't we want the very best for our country, and doesn't that mean that every candidate be scrutinized and questioned to the utmost? The mainstream media and many Americans don't want to be accused of not honoring this man's heroic past. But let us gently and deliberately put that issue aside and ask him all the tough questions we would want asked of our candidates.

I am the mother of a son serving in the Army, and I am so very proud of our troops. For the country of Iraq, for who they so courageously fought to achieve freedom to be saying "Thank you, you can leave now" is a great victory in itself. Do we really want to elect a new president who is so affected by past heroism that he must always keep fighting, in this war and in wars to come, no matter what?

Let's pick the best one, let's question them all equally, let's be brave and not be afraid to speak our minds. Do we really want the next president of our great country that we love to get there on a free pass?

JANET APONTE

Palm Harbor

Hard To 'Buy American'

Regarding "What's For Sale Next?" (Letters, July 23):

Anheuser-Busch's beverages will still be produced in this country. Only a change in ownership will take place. That being said, let's carry this letter writer's mindset a little further.

He is boycotting Anheuser-Busch. So let's look into his wardrobe and discard all foreign-made clothing.

Let's examine his pantry with food produced in this country from millions of agricultural acres owned and operated by foreign investors.

Take away all electronics made in foreign countries. Remove any means of transportation with foreign-made components. These items were all produced here at one time, but now are produced by American companies on foreign soil.

Sad to say, but if the writer is to boycott all of the industries that have left this country, then he will most likely end up living out his life as a hermit.

DAVID PARKS

Sebring

Bad Move By GOP

Regarding "Bill To Curb Speculation On Oil Fails" (Nation/World, July 31):

The Republicans have put the last nail in their coffin by blocking the House and Senate bills aimed at curbing abuses in the oil futures speculation markets because they can't get agreement on their offshore oil drilling measures. The curbs on speculators are the only way to provide immediate relief from high oil prices.

WILLARD OTTMAN

Apollo Beach

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