Letters from Readers

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PEPCO device takes away homeowner’s control

If you enroll in PEPCO’s Rewards Program, the utility will place a device near your outside central air conditioning unit which will then be controlled by radio signals from PEPCO for the period you choose when you sign up. You get a free programmable thermostat that can be accessed through the Internet. I’m sure a lot of people are excited about the thought of programming their thermostat from their iPod, iPhone or computer. But I would think twice before jumping on this offer. Our federal government has mentioned in the past that it would like to take control of household thermostats. This program is one way of getting consumers to unknowingly hand over their control. These devices are PEPCO property and I am sure you would be fined if you tried to tamper with or remove them. I am for saving money and the planet, but I am not for giving PEPCO and the government the power to operate my heating and cooling system as they see fit.

Ed Hinkle

Silver Spring
Generals are not always right Sen. John McCain has been complaining that President Barack Obama is not listening to our military leaders concerning Afghanistan. That may be a good thing. If President Lyndon Johnson had not listened to Gen. Westmoreland back in the 1960s, we may have saved many of the 50,000-plus young men who died to “prevent the spread of communism.” No one less than Army general and former President Dwight Eisenhower warned us that the “military industrial complex” will suck up all the funds in the Treasury if no one stands up to it. Members of Congress from the right go after people programs, but when it comes to military funding, the sky’s the limit – one reason we end up with $600 toilet seats. I was drafted in 1965 and served for two full years in Viet Nam. Now that I am a 66, I would never let myself be sent overseas to fight. But if the enemy is attacking our shores, I’d be the first man to volunteer.

Jack Donner

Alexandria
Iran has become our most dangerous enemy Iran has become the most dangerous enemy we face today. Its pursuit of nuclear weapons speaks volumes about its intentions. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahadinejad, who continues to deny the Holocaust, aims to destroy the state of Israel. It’s high time President Barack Obama took stringent action against the most dangerous country in the Middle East. The possibility of a preemptive strike should not be taken off the table. There can be no appeasement or negotiations with a country like Iran.

Al Eisner

Silver Spring






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