Clean water is America’s lifeblood
Re: “Human needs should come first in environmental policy,” Editorial, Aug. 24
In response to the comments attributed to Hugh Hewitt, several points need to be clarified about the Clean Water Restoration Act — especially as amended by Minnesota Sens. Max Baucus and Amy Klobuchar in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Hewitt fails to follow his own advice and seeks to put the wants of a few well-subsidized industries and special interests before the needs of ordinary Americans by opposing the Baucus-Klobuchar amendment, which will restore the landmark 1972 Clean Water Act to its original intent: protecting the waters of America and ensuring they are clean sources for drinking, irrigation and swimming. Dozens of groups representing farmers, foresters, sportsmen, states and water-resource professionals have endorsed it
Farmers and ranchers will still be able to work their land as they have done since 1972, and the water sources that millions of Americans rely upon will be safe from pollution and destruction.
Barton James
Ducks Unlimited
Jan Goldman-Carter
National Wildlife Federation
Steve Moyer
Trout Unlimited
Health care is a different kind of fight
Health care reform is a different kind of fight than many of my fellow advocates are used to. We have known for years that the insurance industry set aside $200 to $400 million dollars to derail any meaningful reform efforts.
We must pool our efforts behind one theme: Comprehensive health care with a public option. The Obama administration must marshal all of its resources to achieve this goal. The Democratic National Committee should be in campaign mode in all states, organizing and expending its political capital on a 24/7 basis, not a reactionary once-a- week, three-hour phone bank that tries to put out fires as they arise.
Above all, we must be unified and on message, with the president of the United States leading the way.
Ernest E. Johnson
Executive director,
Obama for America
Scotland’s release of terrorist is a travesty
Re: “Lockerbie bomber freed by Scotland, returns to Libya to die,” Aug. 21
With the people and government of Libya still unrepentant about murdering 270 innocent citizens, there should have been no mercy or compassion for this murderer. Instead of dying in jail, he will live out his life in luxury surrounded by his co-conspirators.
“Terminal” is not a definite measure of time. If he has only a few months to live, why raise an international furor by releasing him? If it’s years, this is the greatest travesty of justice in recent times.
Nelson Marans
Silver Spring
Examiner opinion offerings are the best
Thank you for the superb editorials and the political insight in your paper. All your political writers are on the mark and present well-thought-out comments.
I also enjoy reading The Examiner‘s editorials versus the bigger newspapers. Keep up the good work. Your newspaper is first-class and very informative.
M. D. Ford
Burke
