Last modified: Tuesday, April 3, 2007 10:26 AM PDT Letters to the Editor Thoughts on global warming Editor, Man-caused global warming is a myth! Globalists are using Al Gore's movie and one-sided United Nation reports to force us into world government. Their chicken-little allies in the media and government are promoting these lies. Remember the Global Cooling headlines of the mid-seventies in Time, Newsweek, Science and National Geographic? The death and suffering caused by efforts to solve the mythical global warming or cooling “crisis” is deliberate. They want to reduce world population by 90 percent (see the Agenda 21, Biodiversity Assessment) and are the means to an end for the global power elite. Implementation of the Kyoto Treaty would greatly reduce our standard of living and consolidate more power into world government elitists. The earth has been going through periods of warming and cooling for millions of years. Ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica show sudden warming of 1 to 2 degrees every 1,500 years followed by rapid cooling. In 1996, researchers discovered the Pacific Decadal Oscillation cycle, which may explain why we had global warming from 1916 to 1940 and then a cooling period ending in 1976. Also, it has been found that global warming produces more CO2 in the atmosphere. Not the other way around. Thousands of scientists with impressive academic credentials oppose the theory of catastrophic global warming, but are ignored by the major media that largely favors a United Nations world government. Check out www.chickenlittleagenda.com and www.thenewamerican.com for more information on how the global warming fraud is being used to destroy our economy and independence! Adrian L. Arp Twin Falls Only one side presented on uniform issue Editor, I am writing to express my opinion regarding the issue of school uniforms at Fruitland schools. There was a meeting held last Tuesday (March 6) which was covered briefly in an article by the Argus. I was truly disappointed that there was only one side of the issue being presented by the school board. All the information given by the school board was in favor of uniforms. I have done some research online and found that the jury is still out on whether or not school uniforms provide any benefit. Some of the research even shows that uniforms may have a negative effect on attendance, behavior and academic achievement. Any positive effect uniforms have may only be temporary. In a study of Houston, Texas, middle schools, it was shown that the first year uniforms were instituted, student behavior did improve, but the following year, behavior was even worse than before uniforms! The point the school board seemed to be making was that uniforms would protect our children from gangs. I realize gangs are in our community and are a problem, but forcing gang members to wear certain clothing will not change the fact that they are gang members. Nor is there any evidence to suggest that it will change their behavior. That would be like suggesting if you painted a zebra all black he wouldn't have his stripes; once a zebra, always a zebra. I believe that forcing uniforms on the school district penalizes all kids (and parents) and quite probably would not have the desired result. Benjamin Franklin said it well, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither Liberty nor safety.” Cindy M. Stice Fruitland A proud Marine Mom Editor, In a few days, I will send my beloved son to war. My significant trepidation about that fact has put me somewhat out of sync with the rest of the world. For thousands of years mothers have kissed their sons goodbye and sent them to fight the battles of the world, and I expect that my feelings are both similar and quite different from the mothers whose armor-clad sons fought with lances and spears in the 16th century. It's so easy to ignore what doesn't affect us today with the bombardment of instantaneous news, embedded reporters and the Internet replacing person-to-person information. Everyone has an opinion about the war, but only a chosen few moms, dads, spouses and children have the honor and terror of our unique perspective. My son goes to war with the belief that he is keeping his country free, regardless of the headlines and politicians. He goes to war believing that he is the most well-trained and highly prepared fighting military man that the world can produce. He has felt, from the beginning, that he was led by God to serve as a United States Marine. My son goes to war both willing and prepared not to come home, or, if he comes home, it may be with parts missing. Whenever you have the opportunity, please thank those who have served, say a prayer for those who are serving or at least give a thought to those who serve. As we begin the fifth year of putting young men and women in harm's way, make your thoughts visible by tying a yellow ribbon around the tree in your front yard, or around your mailbox post. Show us that this end of Treasure Valley has not forgotten those who have fought and are fighting still. Regardless of how you feel about the war, someone's son or daughter is fighting on your behalf, because they are sent by our country to do so, and they do their duty selflessly, wholeheartedly and with a patriotic spirit unparalleled since before my generation became adults. Let's see those ribbons! It would do this mom's fearful heart more good than you would ever know. Dana Armstrong, PMM (Proud Marine Mom) Ontario Strip Poker anybody? Editor, Strip our veterans of good health care. Strip our Army Reserves of their military armourments. Strip our National Guard of their military armourments. (Leave over there and come home with nothing.) Strip our youth, 18 to 20 years (25,000), they go over again and again to fill replacements. Some have been there four to five times before the age of 25. (Has to be a cost to mind and body.) Strip our military bases in many ways for added equipment and men, and then send over less armourment for their vehicles to patrol in. (My God, we have such great technology with modern equipment that is supposed to see and do so many things, so they tell us.) My greatest concern is over the military coming home and in a lot of cases not being taken care of (mostly by paperwork, and some people who don't know what they are doing or cannot because of policy of a few people in charge. Live next door and not see it? Commanding General Walter Reed.) Old saying, “take a number and wait or sit for hours, or hurry up and wait.” Tired of waiting? Be your own doctor and do the bad things to ease the pain and depression. Strip power to pay for all the mistakes. Who is going to pay? We are trillions in debt, and a lot of companies have charged billions in overruns and neglect by taking the money/profits and moving it out of the country to save on taxes and other things. I don't know about “Who's paying for it?” Seems like we have a tax for everything lately, everybody wants a piece of it or me. I'm just an old veteran, now 77, that served in the Korean War with eight years service active and reserve (E-7), but we knew when we came home it was on a point system. Now I have a grandchild, just turned 19 and joined the Navy Seebees for her to help build things and is leaving for Iraq. She wants to make it better for people to live over there. (Not after this go back three or four times to fill a quota.) According to our president, where is he going to get the personnel? Once is enough to see the hell of war and the people who are suffering over there. Takes a lot of trying to forget to continue life at home. Once is enough for a teenager, less than a year out of school. I'm not a very good writer, but this brought out some old things that I deliberately forgot about the war. So let's stop playing “Strip Poker” and stop being a nation that so many countries in the world are hating. We should set an example and not the problem. There are millions of Americans here that we sent so few so many times over there. It's not right for the few. We are a nation of convenience that we made for ourselves, to improve the way we live, but some other people use our inventions to promote their old ways when their history began. Maybe “Strip Poker” is just a slang word. Urban Schmidt E-7 Grandfather and Veteran Nyssa