The News Courier encourages letters to the editor. Submissions should be no more than 400 words and include name, address and telephone number for verification. Submissions that do not meet requirements are subject to editing. Writers are limited to one published letter every 30 days. Send letters to P.O. Box 670, Athens AL 35613 or email to adam@athensnews-courier.com.

‘Hysterical hogwash’

Dear Editor:

In a letter published Sept. 6, Rex Davis stated authoritatively that Iran is a “nuclear terrorist radical Islamic” state. I was curious as to why Davis would state such a thing as though it were factual.

Granted, Iran’s majority religion is Islam, but nuclear terrorist? How so? What country or people did Iran attack with nuclear weapons? Should such an event have happened, surely it would have made the news headlines. Is there any proof that Iran even possesses a nuclear weapon? Not to my knowledge.

Once I reached the closing of the letter, my curiosity was satisfied. Davis indicated he served in some branch of the armed services. I learned through friends who have served in the military that young inductees are subjected to harsh brain washing techniques in order to produce lean, mean killing machines.

Those in the military learn quickly they are not allowed the option of questioning their government masters. Our government propaganda machine has been busy for some years dissimulating tales of the possibility of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon and the possibility Iran might use that nuclear weapon to harm Americans.

Now, having never endured brainwashing that is perpetrated on service men and women, I have the ability to reject such speculative assertions and recognize them as attempts to control the populace through fear and intimidation.

One irrefutable piece of factual information I can offer is that the U.S.A is the only country that has ever employed nuclear weapons to decimate a country or people. According to reports from several different agencies, our Christian nation killed between 190,000 and 200,000 Japanese men, women and children when our leaders chose to drop two nuclear bombs on Japan. Does anyone refer to this country as a “nuclear terrorist radical Christian” state?

Considering the facts, not speculation, can’t we logically conclude that even if Iran had a nuclear weapon that country would be no more likely to use it for harmful purposes just because Islam is the majority religion in that country?

I imagine these politically incorrect observations will inflame many who read them. But I do not feel compelled to swallow the hysterical hogwash that our propaganda ministers thrust upon us.

James Madison said, “If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”

Sincerely,

Robert Farrell

Athens

Egg pledge a small step

Dear Editor:

McDonald’s pledge last week to start using cage-free eggs is only a small step in preventing staggering suffering endured by millions of birds.

Hatcheries that annually supply 200 million female hens for U.S. egg production, including cage-free, also kill the same number of male chicks at birth by grinding them up alive in industrial macerators or suffocating them slowly in plastic garbage bags. The female laying hens endure a lifetime of misery, crammed with 5-6 others, in small wire-mesh cages that cut into their feet and tear out their feathers.

Eggs are common carriers of food-borne bacteria, including Salmonella, Campylobacter. Listeria, and Staphylococcus. USDA estimates that Salmonella alone accounts for 1.3 million U.S. illnesses and 500 deaths annually.

Eggs contain saturated fat and cholesterol, key factors in incidence of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. They are a common cause of allergies in children.

Waste from millions of egg-laying hens ends up in waterways, rendering vast areas unsuited for recreation or water supply.

The good news for compassionate, health-conscious, eco-friendly consumers is that our local supermarket offers a number of delicious egg substitutes and egg-free food products. Entering “egg-free” in a search engine returns tons of recipes.

Sincerely,

Anthony Nooks

Athens

Reasons to vote for me

Editor’s note: The following is in response to an Aug. 25 letter from John W. Davis, which asked State House District 5 candidates to explain why they would be the best choice. The following letter is from candidate Jerry Hill.

Dear Editor:

• I will be a strong advocate to take back our representative democratic system from special interest groups.

• I will be fully transparent in all actions taken here at home and in the legislative body.

• I will not receive any funding or special treatment from any special interest groups.

• My experience while serving in the U.S. Army Special Forces for more than 20 years and my experiences while serving as a contracting officer and supervisor for more than 28 years gives me a broad range of experience and common sense that will serve me well to represent you in the Legislature.

• My education which includes a bachelor of arts in business administration, masters degree in administrative science and many more professional-related courses that are too extensive to be listed; and

• The promises that I will not seek more than two terms as your representative and I will do my best to serve you make me the best candidate to serve District 5 .

Sincerely,

Jerry W. Hill

Athens