Thursday, December 24, 1998

Letters to the Editor

Goodwill to Abilene

My family and I have lived in the Abilene area since 1970. The people of Abilene have always impressed me with their friendliness and kindness.

But the events that followed my running out of gas this afternoon on South 11th Street reinforced to me why Abilene is such a wonderful city to live in and raise a family.

Immediately upon my running out of gas, a pickup with two men in the truck stopped and the driver offered assistance if needed. I told the driver I would just walk down the street to the Wes-T-Go convenience store and get a little gasoline.

Upon arriving at the convenience store, I asked the clerk if they sold gas cans. The clerk told me she had a personal gas can she would loan me if I could bring it back.

After borrowing the gas can, I walked to the gas pump, and a customer of our auto dealership was filling his truck and asked for the gas can.

I told him I appreciated him offering to fill the gas can, but I would buy the gas. He didn’t listen and took the can from my hand.

Immediately upon filling the can, a friend of mine drove into the driveway of the Wes-T-Go and told me to get in his truck and he would drive me to my car.

In 10 short minutes, I had four different people offer to lend a helping hand.

This is the first time in my life I have ever felt good about running out of gas.

Happy holidays to all of the wonderful people of West Texas.

MIKE HANNER

Baird
 
 

Democrat ashamed

During the Watergate scandal of 1973, I came of political age. The resignation of President Nixon galvanized into my mind that not even a president is above the law.

I admired Republican leaders like Sen. Howard Baker for having the strength of character to hold their party’s president accountable instead of masking presidential wrongdoing in a veil of partisan politics.

Unfortunately, my own party, the Democratic party, failed this same test of character. President Clinton perjured himself when he lied under oath. Perjury is a crime that receives a federal punishment harsher than that of bribery.

Yet, congressional Democrats decided to place the president above the law and did great damage to our system of democracy.

Democratic congressmen like Charlie Stenholm deserve much praise for following in the statesmanlike footsteps of Sen. Baker by voting to impeach Clinton.

This was, I am sure, a difficult decision to make because it runs counter to popular public sentiment and goes against his party’s leadership. It was, however, the correct decision to make.

Conversely, Democratic congressmen like Chet Edwards deserve rebuke for standing with Clinton and protecting him against his just and proper punishment.

I served as a Democratic congressional aide for more than seven years — five years with Congressman Edwards — and I am ashamed to be associated with a national party that consciously put the interests of one powerful politician above the rule of law.

History will no doubt show that House Republicans impeached a president, but House Democrats impeached themselves.

JIM HADDOX

Coppell

Via e-mail
 
 
 
 

Support our troops

I would just like to remind everyone that in these times of government turmoil and accusations, please support our troops overseas. They are only doing their jobs.

TRUDY PRYGA

Abilene
 
 

No honor left

Our sitting president, William Jefferson Clinton, will not resign because he has no honor, accompanied by a lust for power.

The Democrat members of the House of Representatives kept whining about the “wishes and will of the American public.” I believe our wishes or desires, whatever they are supposed to be, are decided at the ballot box and not through a major TV network poll.

The Republican-controlled House is not full of “venom” and hate, they are just “derailing” an “emperor” who thought what would fly in Arkansas would work in Washington, D.C.

I guess the upside is that while the Senate is debating his fate, there will be fewer stupid bills introduced by the House to debate over, and our economy, for whatever reason, will probably continue without political changes.

R.W. WEEKS

Abilene
 
 

Time for hardball

According to each and every one of numerous polls, our president has the approval of some 60 percent to two-thirds of the American people.

According to the Declaration of Independence, our government derives its “just powers from the consent of the governed.” Those who formulated our Constitution were quite clear as to their intent on that point.

Those who declare that the opinions of Americans don’t matter and attempt to usurp and override them are committing sedition.

The sooner these traitors against America are punished, the sooner we can get about improving our country and our world.

Note that Clinton behaved as a gentleman and did not kiss and tell.

He took a gentleman’s approach and was evasive when asked about the sex life of a woman. He also refused to risk fathering an out-of-wedlock child.

If these bums like Henry “Wild Oats” Hyde want to play hardball, they will lose.

CURT HOSKINS

Cross Plains
 
 

Clear his name

Now that the highly partisan proceedings in the House have concluded, perhaps the president will get a fair, nonpartisan trial in the Senate.

Bring in all the factual witnesses and prove to the world that our president did not commit perjury, suborn perjury, tamper with and intimidate witnesses, and obstruct justice.

Bring in Linda Tripp, Monica Lewinsky, Vernon Jordan, Bettie Currie, the private investigators who worked for the White House, Kathleen Willie, Elizabeth Ward Gracen and anyone else closely associated with these incidents, and let them testify in the open.

In this way, the president will have the opportunity to let all the world know what really happened, and he can clear his good name. Otherwise, there will always be those who question his honesty and good character.

HARRY WATSON

Cisco

Via e-mail
 
 

House of Adulterers

Now that the House of Adulterers has impeached the president of the United States, and it is now passed on to the Senate, I hope there can be some type of resolution in a bipartisan agreement.

However, with the actions of the Republican Party, that hardly seems possible. After six years of Clinton haters doing anything they can to bring he and Hillary down, we now hear cries from the Republicans saying “leave our private lives out of this.”

This comes after the affairs of republicans Dan Burton, Ann Chenoweth, Henry Hyde and Robert Livingston have been made public. Remember, these are the congressmen and women who judged whether Mr. Clinton should be removed from office.

The Republicans were shocked in the Nov. 3 election, and I have no doubt that voters will remember the actions of this Congress in future elections. Furthermore, I sincerely hope our 17th District Republican wanna-be Democrat Charles Stenholm enjoys his last two years in Washington.

GARY REED

Abilene

Via e-mail