YOUR VIEWS: President needs prayers

Special reports

GLASGOW — Dear Editor,

It seems Editor James Brown stated the obvious in his column concerning why our military forces are in Afghanistan. Many people though continue to speculate as to why we have not been able to capture or kill those who were the masterminds behind 9/11.

For many years I have heard that we have the capability to read someone’s license plate by satellite from space. If that is true, then one would think that in the eight years that we have been hunting Bin Laden and his associates, we would have found them by now. Especially when you have the president’s national security adviser, James Jones, saying he believes that the terrorist chief could be hiding in the mountainous area of western Pakistan and may be periodically slipping back into Afghanistan. Some U.S. senators, who may be privy to intelligence sources say much the same.

A conclusion that we can draw from this is that there is evidently a lot more to the story than we are being told.

Besides looking for terrorists in the region we are also in the process of nation building in Afghanistan. Here are some facts that I looked up about the country and the enormous challenges we are dealing with in bringing change there. It is landlocked and much of it is mountainous, being bordered by Iran to the west, Pakistan to the south, China to the east, and Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan to the north, of which the latter three were all formerly part of the old Soviet Union. A tough neighborhood to say the least.

More than 99 percent of Afghans are Muslim. There are three major languages and over 30 minor languages spoken in the country. The population is estimated at 29 million although no one knows the exact number because a census has never been taken. The population consists of a wide number of ethic groups. Each takes great pride in their past and holds clanish loyality to the point of fighting to the death.

No foreign invader has held the country for very long. In 1980, Russia invaded Afghanistan with over 100,000 soldiers but left before the decade was out. Casualities during the Soviet occupation are believed to total nearly two million Afghans killed. The country is one of the world's poorest and making a living is hard. Over three million Afghans are currently involved in the opium trade. In the future there is hope for economic opportunities as some reports show that Afghanistan has large reserves of gold, copper, iron ore, coal, and other valuable minerals.

The editor's column also brought out some of the politics involved in the president’s war effort. Can anyone think of a president who has entered office in modern times with more on his plate than President Obama had? Personally I can’t, I think you would have to go back to Lincoln’s election, just before the Civil War began to find such perplexing problems that had to be resolved.

When the president was inaugurated he was immediately facing at least three major areas of crisis: war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the most severe economic recession our nation has seen since the depression of the 1930s. And today, all three of these problems continue and remain uncertain, possibly to the point that each could still take a turn for the worse.

Another obstacle the president has had to face is that he is the first black person to hold that office. One would hope that in the day and age that we live in his race would be much less of an issue than the great difficulties we currently face together as a nation. The Bible tells us to pray for those in authority and President Obama certainly needs our prayers.

David N. Keith

Smiths Grove



Ad for device says it will prevent exploding vehicle gas tanks

Dear Editor,

Several years ago, I heard an interview on the radio with this product’s inventor. At the time, I thought that by now everyone was seeing this product put to use.

At that time, Ford was having a real problem with rear-end collision fires and fuel explosions. Aircraft had also had some crashes with fuel explosions around that time frame. I’m sure that almost everyone remembers the church bus fire and fuel explosion that cost so many lives. Many people die each year due to fuel tank explosions. The next person to suffer such a loss could very well be you.

This person on the radio explained that his product would stop almost all fuel tank explosions, save numerous lives each year, and cost almost nothing. This would be done by filling the tank at the time of manufacture with a honeycomb type material. The cells would drink up the fuel and prevent the oxygen rush and explosion that occurs in this type accident.

The fuel would spill out and burn if ignited, but no explosion, scattering burning fuel and debris in the area. People would have time to exit whatever type of vehicle that was involved.

The material he had invented was a honeycombed aluminum block. Very low cost and very easy to make.

Yes, it’s a long shot that you will ever be in a rear-end collision accident, and especially one with fire; but what if you were? Would it be worth the few dollars this device would cost to protect you, or perhaps your family? As the old saying goes, better safe than sorry. I know of no other device that has the potential to save lives with so little cost as this.

Please, heightened awareness has brought to the attention the danger of second hand smoke and is seeing action taken against it. This situation, should you be involved in a rear-end collision is far more deadly than second-hand smoke. If you breathe second-hand smoke, you may or may not experience health effects. The rear-end collision with fire is far more deadly, and dead people don’t get better, or come back for another chance.

Please, if you have never contacted a person in a political office, or if you do all the time; now is the time to do it. Ask lawmakers, major auto dealers, perhaps the manufacturing company to take action to see this safety device is installed in every auto, truck, bus and aircraft that might experience a fuel explosion in an accident. Once again, remember the life that you may save could very well be yours or your family.

Joe Grimsley

Glasgow



Thanks given for youth fundraising opportunity

I would like to thank the Barren County Judge Executive and the Barren County Fiscal Court for offering the roadside cleanup fundraiser program for youth organizations. I also owe a great debt of gratitude to my parents and grandparents who helped with this activity to provide funds for their children to participate in scouting activities. Thank you to Susan, Kim and Marty, Becky and Tony, Jeannie, Vicki and David, and to my son, Ryan.

It seems that there are parts of the road that are worse than others. We cleaned up Oil Well Road and the trash in the creeks made those parts of the road much worse. The homeowners help by keeping the property around them clean. Thank you to them.

We were talking about people thoughtlessly throwing out their cups and bottles and cans and other food wrappers and one of my parents commented that they used to never think about it before they tossed something out their vehicle window and then they became home owners and it really aggravated them when they had to clean up after other people.

Now they never throw anything out.

Please think about how you would feel cleaning up after other people before you toss that piece of trash out. Carry a plastic bag in your car and take your trash home and dispose of it properly. We also ask that you think about your family and other families and please drink at home and stay there after you have started drinking. We love our families and want to keep them with us.

Please help us keep Barren County the No. 1 place in Kentucky to raise our children. We want it to be safe, beautiful and healthy.

Laura Irwin

Webelos 2 Scout Den Leader

Cub Scout Pack 586



Barren County Area Technology Center does good work

It was my pleasure to participate in the KY Tech-Barren County Area Technology Center’s annual fall steering committee meeting led by Principal Hal Toms. I want to thank businesses and school leaders who support career and technical education programs offered at the school.

We are working through some tough economic times affecting funding. The Kentucky Tech-Barren County ATC budget is set by the general assembly and managed by the office of Career and Technical Education. It is the leanest in the history of our KY Tech system of schools.

I appreciate Representative Johnny Bell, Dr. Jerry Ralston, Barren County Schools superintendent; Kathy Goff, Glasgow Independent Schools superintendent; Barren County Judge Executive Davie Greer and other educational professionals who took time from their busy schedules to attend the meeting and offer their support. We were able to briefly talk about how difficult it is to manage in tough economic times with limited state budget resources.

Representative Bell, Dr. Ralston, Ms. Goff, Judge Davie Greer and all of us understand the value of offering high-level technical skills to students and its economic impact on Barren County, Kentucky and the nation.

The very sharp and highly skilled students taught at the KY Tech-Barren County ATC represent the seeds of recovery for our nation.

Michael L. Kindred

Deputy Executive Director

Office of Career and Technical Education

Kentucky Tech System of Schools

Frankfort

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