Letters to the editor: Throw Away a Piece of Litter Every Day

Throw Away a Piece Of Litter Every Day
Editor, Times-Dispatch: There is a sign at several golf courses that suggests players repair their own ball mark on the green plus one more. With that philosophy, there should never be an untouched ball mark.

Why don't we use the same strategy with litter? Throw your trash away in the proper areas and pick up another piece of trash along the way. There are numerous opportunities during a normal week to bend over and grab the unsightly rubbish. For example, while walking into your building at work, while walking your pet or with your family through your neighborhood, while walking from your car into the mall, or while pumping gas at the gas station. Litter is prevalent in our society and this is an easy resolution to this problem.

Jeff Hanner.
Henrico.

Cantor's demagogy feels outdated, and ignores some simple historical truths. Today, America lives without the fear of nuclear annihilation simply because of our willingness to engage in bilateral arms reduction with Russia, specifically through the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties (START I & II) of the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations. We survived the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 by agreeing to remove our offensive missiles in Turkey. Sadly, this mutual de-escalation ended the day President George W. Bush unilaterally withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty in 2001, prompting Russia to cancel its plans to implement START II. President Obama has taken positive steps here to get the ball rolling again towards a peaceful coexistence with our former rivals. Why is Cantor standing in his way?

Neil Haner.
Williamsburg.

His claim is that "Reagan-era hawks" are "confused" and "out of date" and that they should understand Obama's new, modern, and sophisticated effort to achieve democracy around the world.

Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been oddly on the wrong side of democracy in at least two parts of the world: in Honduras, where Manuel Zelaya was removed from power for trying to rewrite that country's constitution and reward himself with re-election, and in Iran, where the intoxicating smell of freedom in Iraq has given those people strength to stand up against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the recent fraudulent election held there. But to recognize and support the Iranian people's courage would be to acknowledge that George Bush's efforts in deposing Saddam Hussein had led to the spread of democracy in the Mideast.

Recently, Obama cut off aid and promised further sanctions to the impoverished country of Honduras (where the corrupt Zelaya was exiled by that country's supreme court and citizens), endearing himself to and emboldening other Latin dictators like Castro and Chavez.

If Obama is serious about promoting democracy he should immediately repeal the sanctions he placed on Honduras and send a loud and clear sign of support to the people of Honduras and Iran, or run the risk of Americans questioning his motives for taking the wrong side in the fight for democracy around the world.

Catherine Hughes.
Bracey.

Now that I have returned, it seems as if Deeds' clock is stuck in that earlier time.

Has Deeds never had a change in his thoughts or beliefs? Or has he become a "Johnny One Note," incapable of moving on to subjects germane to the issues facing us today?

Morton C. Mumma III.
Richmond.