United States has no place in Syrian civil war

To the editor:

As a result of President Barack Obama’s demonstrated weakness in Benghazi, we have seen opinions drop worldwide on the strength of the United States. America is now faced with another potential war in Syria.

It’s agreed that any tyrant capable of inflecting horrendous pain and death on his own people is an abomination and should be dismantled, but this is currently happening all over in Third World countries. Any action we might take in Syria should have been considered months ago. We had that much advance notice. Now, Secretary of State John Kerry, a man of great credibility, has suggested strong action at the cost of placing us into another unwinnable war. Even our greatest ally, England, declined participation in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has challenged the U.S. to present to the United Nations evidence that Syria was responsible for chemical weapons attacks, stating that if we have such evidence, it should be presented to the international committee and appropriate action should be decided upon. President Putin also mentioned numerous senseless, costly wars the U.S. has embarked upon with little or no success. Russia, China and without question Iran would denounce any military action on President Obama’s part, and such action could result in severe consequences.

I see this as a threat of retaliation. History has proved religious wars are unwinnable. We must not put our head on their chopping block just to satisfy President Obama’s ego. This is obviously an issue for the United Nations, and that’s the organization that should resolve it.

HUNTER BROWN

NORTH LAS VEGAS

Riding to the rescue?

To the editor:

Here we go again, ready to mount that white stallion and save another part of the world. Give me a break. That white horse is covered in mud. We want to go into Syria and save the children from another half-mad dictator. Do you get the feeling this planet is full of half-mad dictators and politicians?

This all reminds me of the time when I was a child living on my grandparents’ farm. For entertainment on a hot summer day, my friends and I would converge with fly swatters in hand and head for the pig enclosure. There were thousands of flies everywhere. We would swat away and kill them by the hundreds, yet go back the next day and see thousands more. This is the same situation we are in today with the dictators and terrorist movements. Where is organized religion when all this murder is going on? Safe in their plush surroundings.

Some people kill children right here in the good old USA. We need to keep the horse in our own barn clean and the mud off him.

JOHN TOMINSKY

LAS VEGAS

Bus cameras

To the editor:

The issue regarding cameras on school buses and red lights appears to be a no-brainer for the next legislative session (“Picture this, bad drivers,” Sept. 2 Review-Journal). The reasons for the safety cameras are apparent to almost all Las Vegas drivers, law-abiding citizens and pedestrians.

First, the safety of the children in our community is equal to the need for their education. Second, the number of pedestrian fatalities, fatal automobile collisions, serious injuries and general mayhem caused by runners of red lights is obvious.

Physical costs, insurance rates and repair costs in Las Vegas are ridiculously high compared with almost all other major U.S. cities. Gathering enough signatures would be an easy process, considering the nature of a properly framed petition, which could then be presented to the 2015 Legislature. Failure to pass a law would then give voters a chance to do so in the next general election, in 2016. This important issue deserves consideration by legislators and, if necessary, the voters.

JERRY BAER

LAS VEGAS

Root of the problem

To the editor:

I can relate to Nicholas Rosal’s frustration with the fact that everyone complains about ObamaCare, but no one seems capable of doing anything about it (“Supreme Court foists ObamaCare on us,” Tuesday letters). This is a much bigger issue than which party is in the White House. We cannot look to the federal government and the courts to solve the problem, because the federal government and the courts are the problem. The federal government and activist judges are trampling all over the Constitution, and we the people are standing helpless on the sidelines.

But there is a way to put the brakes on the massive overreach of the government and the activist courts. Article V of the Constitution provides a way to bypass the federal government and the courts. It involves direct application of two-thirds of the state Legislatures coming together for a convention to propose amendments, which would then require a three-fourths ratification vote by the states. It’s a long shot, and it has been tried before and failed, but it is just sitting there in the Constitution, perhaps waiting for times such as these.

Potential amendments could include: term limits on Supreme Court justices, senators and representatives; a simplified tax code, possibly even a flat tax; abolishing the IRS; and repealing ObamaCare, to throw out just a few possibilities. These are things that most Americans, Republican and Democrat alike, are concerned about. They’re also things that would get hopelessly gridlocked by going through the usual channels.

We have a way to put the power back with the people, without starting a revolution. It’s right there in the Constitution, and if we want to actually facilitate real change, we should look into this. The time is right. If not now, when?

LINDA CATERINE

HENDERSON