TERRORISM
Pray that we wake up, wise up, right for real
I am angry about the same narrative I heard this Sept. 11. The familiar words “patriotism” and “resolve” continue to be parroted without any deeper look at what creates terrorists and what prevents this creation.
We blindly salute the military as “protecting our freedom” without even considering the appropriateness of our response to Sept. 11. We won’t stop terrorism by killing innocents and torturing people. This emboldens and legitimizes terrorists.
We fight terrorism by showing the world the good in America: by doing our fair share to fight extreme poverty (as we have promised); by following international law; and by recognizing our common humanity.
I cry for innocent lives lost in America, Iraq, Afghanistan and everywhere — and I pray we wake up, wise up and fight terrorism for real.
MISTY NOVITCH, ATLANTA
COMPLIANCE PANEL
Slanderous attacks about Kent are wrong
Gov. Nathan Deal is to be commended for naming Phil Kent to the compliance panel over the immigration control law.
As rector of the church he attends and where he is senior warden, I know him to be a principled person who would evaluate decisions without fear or favor.
He fervently believes everyone is equal in the eyes of God and under the law.
Kent is also a longtime defender of the Judeo-Christian culture that made this country great — an unpardonable sin in the eyes of vocal, leftist “multiculturalists” who seek to change the United States into a secular, socialist country.
I pray that people who don’t know this fine patriot will not be deceived by the slanderous attacks against him by his enemies.THE REV. JOHN RODDY, MARIETTA
Kent’s assault proves Bookman was right
I would like to thank the AJC for publishing Phil Kent’s rebuttal (“Attacks on Georgia’s new law and me reveal intolerance,” Opinion, Sept. 8) to Jay Bookman’s column about him (“Remove bigot from enforcement panel,” Opinion, Sept. 7).
Kent’s acerbic and largely irrelevant assault on the reporting of what was mostly quotations from him and his organization jumped from unsubstantiated conclusions to baseless accusations.
Kent was the only member of the panel written about because he’s the extremist and endorses that point himself when he questions why Bookman attacked him but didn’t repudiate Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan and other “real extremists” (which he may have, in fact).
In effect, he places himself in that group and proved Bookman’s point. Well done all around! KURT OHBERG, ATLANTA
