THE WASHINGTON TIMES

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Chris Christie Cowboys furor not news

People need to get over the fact that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is a Cowboys fan ("Christie attends Cowboys game as guest, hugs owner," web, Jan. 5). So are people from all over the United States.

January 8, 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: ATSC TV standard protects consumers

In "TV digital streaming technology speeds past FCC License rule" (Web, Jan. 1) it is not clear whether op-ed writer Andrew Langer's intention is to argue for a change in law or to malign MPEG LA with incorrect and misleading information. Although the former — whether over-the-air broadcast TV services should be freely accessible through every TV set sold in the United States — may be a subject of fair debate, the latter is deceitful and irresponsible.

January 8, 2015

EDITORIAL: Massacre in Paris

The boldness and the brutality of the Islamist terrorists know no bounds, and neither, until now, has the reluctance of the West to confront evil in whatever guise it presents itself.

January 7, 2015

EDITORIAL: California chicken kindness steals eggs from the poor

You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, as the Marxists are fond of saying to explain their brutal "persuasion," but if you can't afford breakfast you won't have to worry about the litter of the eggshells.

January 7, 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Republican CRomnibus’ supporters deserve firing

I have come to the conclusion that not only am I an "extremist" in the eyes of the mainstream media and some politicians, but so, too, are 90-plus-percent of Americans, since most would never support voting for legislation they have not read. Yet both Democrats and Republicans believe this is an acceptable practice.

January 7, 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: ‘Gitmo’ more dangerous open

Your recent editorial "Guantanamo terrorists leave, threat to America grows" (Web, Jan. 4) exaggerates the risk of releasing prisoners from Guantanamo and ignores the threat of keeping them there. The recidivism rate for Guantanamo detainees released under President Obama is not 30 percent, but 6.4 percent. Further, detainees are not released at random. They must be cleared unanimously for release by the agencies and departments in charge of our national security: the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice and State, as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

January 7, 2015

EDITORIAL: John Boehner wins new speaker term by slim margin

John Boehner kept his speakership Tuesday, but not by enough to quiet the rebellion on a slow bubble in the ranks. His victory was much like that of the country preacher who wins a congregational vote of confidence by a margin of 38 to 37 and declares the church united.

January 6, 2015

EDITORIAL: Iran’s nuclear charade

When Ronald Reagan famously said "a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth," he could have been talking about the endless negotiations over how to spike Iran's nuclear program. The talks have been going on for 12 years, and no end is in sight. The talks have not quite covered eternity, but they have taken a long time to produce nothing but hot air.

January 6, 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Democrats transferring legacy of racism

There goes the White House again, stoking the flames of racial hatred. This time it's saying that the post for the selection of the new House whip, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, defines the GOP ("Democrats try, fail to burn Steve Scalise," Web, Jan. 5). Yet it is President Obama and his cronies Al Sharpton and Eric Holder who stir up racial division.

January 6, 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Uganda not alone in LGBT offenses

In some ancient cultures a person or animal was ostracized and forced to suffer undeserved scorn in the belief that the casting-out would heal a particular community. This suffering by one was thought to replace the suffering of others, and in so doing somehow salve the wrath of punitive gods. Today we are witnessing the scapegoating of Uganda on the issue of LGBT discrimination.

January 6, 2015

EDITORIAL: Francois Hollande’s failing economic plan in France

President Francois Hollande, buoyed by the euphoria of his election in 2012, when everything good seemed possible and even probable, promised to resign if he failed to turn the struggling economy around. Frenchmen, like the Americans, swallowed whole the empty but clever marketing message of "Hope and Change," excited that a politician was willing to put his job on the line.

January 5, 2015

EDITORIAL: PETA kills animals, slams Sarah Palin for dog photos

Pity the noble dog. With friends like the fanatics at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals pretending to be its best friends, the noble dog needs no enemies. PETA is the great pretender in the animal world.

January 5, 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Current ‘communists’ are charlatans

One of the quiet players that wants to bring down America is communism. Everyone thought the communist threat to our country was mostly a thing of the past, especially after the Berlin Wall came down, but it is becoming more obvious that is not the case.

January 5, 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: To a productive 2015

Last year seemed to have been filled with tragedies and difficulties both within our country and internationally. The rise of the Islamic State, the recent shootings of young Americans and police officers, and the deadly school attack in Peshawar, Afghanistan, are just some of the difficulties the global community faced. But it does not mean that all was bad and all was lost.

January 5, 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Race debate not healthy when police killed, property destroyed

President Obama is off base if he thinks that the race debate has surfaced in a healthy way ("Obama: Police protests a 'healthy' display in race debate," A3, Dec. 30). The protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and other localities, as well as the destruction of property and individual attacks, have not fueled productive discourse. Instead, they have produced an incendiary outcome with problematic undertones.

January 4, 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: William Bratton, New York police commissioner, favors politics over officers

New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton remonstrated against the New York police officers turning their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio's eulogy at the funeral for Officer Rafael Ramos. He said: "I think it was very inappropriate at that event. That funeral was held to honor Officer Ramos."

January 4, 2015

EDITORIAL: Guantanamo terrorists leave, threat to America grows

The legend (and it's only a legend) is that George Washington could not tell a lie, even when his father confronted him as he stood over the stump of his father's favorite cherry tree, hatchet in hand. The cherry tree story was a bit of Parson Weems' harmless hyperbole. The hyperbole about Barack Obama is not likely to be flattering or harmless. He has established himself as the president of deception, with one important exception: his words and deeds about the American prison for terrorists at Guantanamo.

January 4, 2015

EDITORIAL: States lower taxes in new year to improve economy

Taxpayers in a dozen states rang in the new year with more enthusiasm than usual. Thanks to the work of the wise in the state houses, residents of Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Wisconsin will get lower tax bills in 2015. There's a message here for the new Congress.

January 4, 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Obama, Redskins failed in 2014

When Barack Obama was elected in 2008, many if not all of his supporters must have felt a great sense of relief. Their savior had arrived. President Obama was going to fix all things wrong with the Bush presidency, end the "wrong war" in Iraq, close Guantanamo Bay and, most triumphantly, rebuild America's image around the world.

January 1, 2015

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: God is source of rights proclaimed by Founding Fathers

In "Why America is exceptional" (Web, Dec. 29) David Deming covers many good and true thoughts but misses an essential fact. He states that people are born with inalienable rights, but he neglects to mention the fact that the source of these rights is Almighty God as fully expressed in the Declaration of Independence. From any other source they would not be universal or permanent, as shown by the history of many other states. Mr. Deming himself references this, from the Greeks and Romans to the writings of John Locke and others, and from the Magna Carta onward.

January 1, 2015