Pitts stirs unrest with racial charges
Leonard Pitts has again managed to insert his foot in his mouth once again. In “GOP base gets what it wants, good and hard” (Opinion, Nov. 29), he states, “What many Republicans want is racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia,” etc. How in heaven’s name can he get his mind so twisted as to suggest that citizens with a particular political preference are “racists”? If ever anyone displayed what might be considered racism, it most certainly would be someone like Pitts. With very few exceptions, his Sunday columns are devoted to stirring the pot of racial unrest.
BOB GRAYSON, CUMMING
Don’t pass off moderates as conservatives
So much for the AJC having a balanced editorial page. In the Nov. 27th edition, you have liberal columnist E.J. Dionne bashing Republicans as expected, while your so-called conservative columnist, David Brooks of the NY Times, spends his entire column praising Hillary Clinton. It is way past time for the AJC to ditch some of the moderate to left-of-center columnists you pass off as conservative and replace them with true conservative writers, and maybe throw in a Libertarian columnist for good measure.
CHUCK SHIFLETT, WHITE, GA.
Congressman’s push on Benghazi
As a member of the Select Committee on Benghazi, I recently visited U.S. military facilities in Italy and Germany, where aircraft and crisis response units that would have potentially mobilized during the September 11, 2012, terrorist attacks in Libya are located.
To get the whole truth, it’s important to talk directly with our military personnel on the ground and see things firsthand. During my visit to AFRICOM, radical Islamic terrorists stormed a hotel in Mali, Africa, taking hostages and killing nearly 20 people, including an American. Witnessing our military response in real time and receiving many briefings, I gained valuable insights into the logistics of our defense and intelligence operations in the region.
We must do everything we can to prevent another tragedy like Benghazi, and that’s why Republicans are conducting a thorough, fact-centered investigation into what happened. Democrats claim the committee has cost $5 million, but that includes what they’ve spent to undermine and obstruct our work. When the final report is issued, we will have interviewed more than 70 witnesses and reviewed roughly 100,000 pages of documents, most of them never before examined by a congressional committee. That’s the kind of real investigation the victims’ families deserve.
U.S. REP. LYNN WESTMORELAND, R-COWETA COUNTY
United prayers for healing, solutions
As leaders of Atlanta’s interfaith community, we offer our prayers to all the people affected by last week’s horrific mass shootings. We grieve with the families and loved ones of those who perished and we offer the hope for complete recovery of the injured.
When we hear about so many mass shootings, it brings great fear and our tendency is to immediately place blame. The rush to identify the enemy can help us feel momentarily in control of these unpredictable and horrific events. But the current trend of blaming immigrant populations will only breed more hatred and violence.
In times like these, we seek healing and strength through prayer. But our prayers must lead us to action. As a country steeped in diverse faith traditions, all of which believe in the sanctity of human life, we must address the alarming number of mass shootings and the seemingly endless stories of gun violence. We must work harder to create a society that deplores violence and seeks peaceful ways to solve conflicts.
Through this joint statement, we are committed to redoubling our efforts to erase bigotry, to provide opportunities for dialogue, and to be models of reconciliation and understanding.
THE ISLAMIC SPEAKERS BUREAU OF ATLANTA, THE INTERFAITH COMMUNITY INITIATIVES, THE FAITH ALLIANCE OF METRO ATLANTA, NESHAMA INTERFAITH CENTER, THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF ATLANTA, THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE OF ATLANTA AND COMPASSIONATE ATLANTA.
