Climate change existed long before Obama’s term

The Jan. 10 editorial (“Rising cost of climate inaction”) would be laughable if it weren’t so infuriating. It starts with a criticism of the Obama administration and Congress for their inaction on climate change. Surely you jest. The time for this type of action was 40 years ago, when climate change was largely derided and denied. Climate change did not start in 2008.

Blaming President Obama as partly responsible for today’s current state of affairs is disingenuous at best. He is one of the most active presidents in environmental responsibility. In contrast, Indiana lawmakers, including Rep. Marlin Stutzman and Sen. Dan Coats, show a record of blocking or opposing all EPA regulatory activity.

Droughts such as the one of 2012 and storms such as Hurricane Sandy were predicted decades ago, with warnings that rich farmland would become a desert and ocean levels would rise unimaginably if nothing were done. These predictions were largely dismissed. The media failed to inform their readers of the probability that this would happen, and instead chose to remain largely neutral on the issue.

It may turn out that the national debt is not the overriding problem that our children will face, but rather climate change and its panoply of horrors. Future citizens will look back and wonder how we could have allowed it to happen. Meanwhile Congress continues to dither, oblivious to anything but party politics.

EDWARD J. FRANK Fort Wayne

War’s economic damage being felt worldwide

Americans enter 2013 with hope for positive change and a feeling of trepidation. People hope for economic improvement and the end to our war in Afghanistan, but many still don’t understand how war harms our economy.

We debate how much to cut food stamps while paying $160 million each for fighter jets that are generations ahead of possible adversaries. We use our military superiority carelessly. We justify mass murder by believing we have a superior culture, realization of God and that the resources of other countries are in our “national interest.” We are told it is unpatriotic to question the morality of war and everyone should “support the troops” who are killing and dying “for our freedom.”

War is represented as synonymous with freedom while unnecessary wars enslave us with debt and our people suffer with a lack of social services. War breeds more war. Attacking other countries ignites civil war instead of bringing peace.

Peace is patriotic – and life is too precious not to question our wars.

TIM TIERNON Fort Wayne for Peace

Paper’s anti-gun bias on display in headline

Anyone doubting The Journal Gazette’s anti-firearm bias need only read the headline of Jan. 14: “Guns take 3 from woman”.

According to this headline, guns magically acted with absolutely no input from an ill-intentioned person.

I would like to see these magic guns demonstrated; mine won’t work without manipulation from a human being.

Words such as “crime,” “criminals,” or “lawbreakers” would more accurately summarize Tina Rothgeb’s tragic losses – but those words don’t fit within the paper’s repeated attempts to demonize inanimate objects that they believe we law-abiding citizens should not possess.

BRIAN DAVIES Fort Wayne