Afghanistan culture

Presentation open to the public

The United States has many huge challenges in the complex country of Afghanistan. The people are suffering extreme poverty and desperate living conditions. They honor and value endurance and survival. They take pride in being tough.

Come to a free presentation and learn more about Afghanistan: Its Culture and Diversity on Saturday, March 8, 2 p.m. at North Kitsap Auditorium, 1881 NE Hostmark Street across from North Kitsap High. Presenter Walter Yeager will share slides illustrating his experiences gained as a member of a Teachers College, Columbia University Team that established Kabul University’s first Faculty of Education beginning in 1967. Viewers will gain increased appreciation of the many challenges confronting the U.S. forces today in Afghanistan. These challenges arise from the dramatically diverse ethnic, tribal, and religious beliefs of a tenaciously independent people. This event is co-sponsored by North Kitsap School District Equity Committee, Kiwanis of Greater Poulsbo and the League of Women Voters of Kitsap. For more information call (360) 297-5727.

Helen Hoover,

Kingston

Former Gov. Locke

Comments were out of line

Ex-governor Locke’s address to the BSA fundraising breakfast (Kitsap County article Bermant Feb. 9) revealed Locke’s “Hate-America” agitprop and bad history lesson that insulted the Scouts, attendees and citizens. Locke, claiming BSA Eagle Rank, foreswore the Scout Oath of “duty to God and Country … to keep oneself morally straight” in his irresponsible claims that FDR and the American People operated “concentration camps” and that Japanese Americans were subject to unconstitutional civil rights violation. Mr. Locke: Don’t insult FDR and your guests with left-wing conjuring. FDR’s actions were and remain constitutional and a military necessity. Apparently Ex-Gov Locke was using FDR’s 1941 Executive Order 9066 to get to his real target: President Bush and a USA war against terrorism and Islamic fanaticism. No, Mr. Locke, President Bush has obeyed US law in his war on terrorism and to state otherwise is both seditious and a supreme insult to the young Scout leaders at that worthy fundraiser breakfast.

Save your left-wing diatribes and disinformation for a deserving crowd such as ACLU, Move.on.org or a George Soros soiree. Our Scouts deserve more than warmed-over Bush Derangement Syndrome from the guest speaker. Furthermore your Hate-America shtick was originally presented at the Bainbridge Japanese Memorial event on March 30, 2007. Given that audience, perhaps your distortions were well received — perhaps.

You owe the Scouts an apology for falsely and maliciously defaming FDR, President Bush and the american people. I say to you about your lies: Let it never happen again.

James M. Olsen,

Bainbridge Island

Kitsap Primary

All for one, one for Barack Obama

As elected officials you have a responsibility to represent your constituents views. Every county in Washington state overwhelmingly voted for Barack Obama. This is more than a fluke; it is a movement away from the status quo. People showed up to the caucuses in record numbers. So far, before the Obama phenomenon, we were mostly disgusted with congress and the senate’s performance and your polling numbers (lower than Bush’s) reflect it.

Your pledge of super delegate to Clinton against the wishes of the majority will disenfranchise and demoralize us. Many who are grasping hope again like a life preserver will simply let go of the whole party and give up.

These are monumental times and we need you to represent us. Change your vote or do away with super delegation all together. While you’re at it, get rid of the Electoral College. We are the best-informed, most educated populaces in history. I think we can be trusted to make wise decisions without the help of convoluted mathematical formulas that guarantee insiders have the last say in the matter.

Hallette Salazar,

Kingston

Iraq War

Doing nothing is the wrong thing

If you Mr. Nicks, and others who would have us pull out of Iraq before the job was completed, heard angry sounds and cries of pain coming from a house in your neighborhood and you later saw that the woman that lived there had a broken arm and black eyes, plus the children with her had bruises and a fearful look to them, would you turn and look the other way? When the police arrived at the door to stop the domestic violence, would you call them back and let the beating continue? Would you ignore violence and do nothing?

If you were walking through your neighborhood park and heard the screams of a woman being raped, would you walk the other way? And when the police arrived and were stopping the rape, would you stop them and tell them to go back to the station? Would you ignore the rape and do nothing?

If you knew of a people who were systematically being intimidated, beaten, raped and murdered by their government, as they were in Iraq and are being in Africa, and knew that the suppressive government in Iraq has been replaced and outsiders are trying to continue the suppression of the people of Iraq, would you disregard it? Would you ignore the suppression and do nothing?

In any situation in life, including Iraq, the wrong thing to do is nothing.

Max Ashton,

Poulsbo