Obama didn’t accuse Romney of felony
Re: “Obama meets the press and makes stuff up,” Editorial, Aug. 21
Your editorial was totally wrong. You suggested that President Obama accused Mitt Romney of committing a felony, and then pointed to the words of Stephanie Cutter.
Cutter is not Barack Obama. And her statement was a conditional statement, not an accusation. She said that if Romney signed Securities and Exchange Commission documents as president of Bain Capital when he was not president at the time, that would mean he lied to the government.
That is by law a felony. This is the condition, reinforced by Romney’s retroactive resignation. The point is that as CEO of Bain Capital, Romney would be responsible for all that happened during a time he denies being responsible. The fact is that he signed these documents, which means he was responsible.
Otherwise you’re just making stuff up.
Carrington B. Davis
Washington
Editor’s note: Fortune magazine recently uncovered “new evidence that supports Romney’s version of events.”
Divulging classified info endangered military personnel
Re: “More media attention needed in Manning trial,” From Readers, Aug. 19
I agree that it would be interesting to see additional media coverage of the Bradley Manning trial.But I strongly disagree with Patrick McCann’s assertion that a conviction could have a significant impact onwhistleblowing, journalism or activism.
Pfc. Manning violated his militaryorders, his oath to uphold the Constitution and place the good of the nation above his personal beliefs, and possibly endangered the lives of U.S. military personnel.The fact that he served in the intelligence field only compounds his transgression.His actions might be considered espionage.
Pfc. Manning violated the good order and discipline required of all military personnel in order to defend the nation. He deserves to be severely punished. Personally, I am glad he is being tried in the military court system, which usually does not play around when adjudicating cases, unlike some liberal courts in the civilian system. I am also sure that if he is convicted, if will be far from “reckless.”
You may disagree with our government’s behavior in classifying the information leaked by Pfc. Manning, but not everything can be free and open to the public. Information and activities are classified for a reason.
Whether any individual personally agrees or not is irrelevant. If the greater good is served by the classification process, then classified information should not be divulged.
Keith Falcetti
Centreville
FRC mischaracterized as a ‘hateful’ group
Having attended several public family-issue seminars at the Family Research Council in the past, I can say first-hand that FRC folks are among the most decent and civil I have ever met. The Southern Poverty Law Center is dead wrong to characterize them as hateful.
There is no comparison between the black African-American experience and that of gays, who were not forcibly transported to America on slave ships and subjected to the cruel rigors of slavery. Black African-Americans should not let them jump onto their civil rights bandwagon.
Unlike American blacks, gays as a class have never experienced economic deprivation and want of basic life necessities. They have never had to take “literacy tests” designed to stop them from voting or endured the indignity of discriminatory “separate but equal” public accommodations.
Gays may have been made targets of physical violence as a political statement, but never by anybody working for the FRC.
Lawrence K. Marsh
Gaithersburg
