This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, July 22, 2015 | Macon Telegraph

A few notes

The way Americans are reacting to the South Carolina church murders, it’s as though Dylann Roof was driven to kill by the Confederate flag. Roof is mentally ill. The Confederate flag means different things to different people. For me, it’s a symbol of bad times in our nation’s history. Many Americans did not support the Vietnam conflict. Are we now going to remove Washington, D.C.’s Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial? Does Germany need to tear down all traces of German concentration camps? Does Japan need to destroy the remnants of a building’s shell from the Little Boy atomic bomb?

The Civil War, War Between the States, The Brothers War, occurred 150 years ago. I’ve read books on Andersonville and most historians agree Capt. Henry Wirz was, “Just doing his job.” He saw the horrors of the camp firsthand and worked tirelessly seeking supplies for the soldiers encamped there. He became a scapegoat and was hanged. It’s time to get over the tragedies of the past but not to remove the reminders. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” -- George Santayana

We also need to reduce the coverage of liberal drivel in TV and newsprint. Liberals changed the term liberal to progressive because of the stupid things attributed to liberalism. Global warming was proven to use falsified data, so liberals changed the name to climate change. If liberalism were declared a mental defect we might not have as many issues as we have today.

-- Mike Smith

Warner Robins

Agree with one description

In a recent single Viewpoints’ letter, Tommy Parker describes President Obama using the following descriptions: anointed, perverted, contempt of the public and Constitution, divisiveness, driven by racial hatred, an emperor, a cocktail of division, social unrest, lawlessness, homosexuality, ineptitude and a dismal failure.

I am in agreement with one term Parker used: anointed. Unlike Obama’s predecessor who was “anointed” by the Supreme Court, our current president was anointed by the majority of the electorate -- twice. Some people just can’t get over that.

Considering what Obama inherited and the obstruction he has had to deal with since, I think he has done a pretty good job.

-- Carl Pirkle

Byron

Why now?

As I read former mayor C. Jack Ellis’ open letter to Mayor Robert Reichert, I couldn’t help but wonder one thing. If removing the Confederate statues were so near and dear to him, why didn’t he do something about it during his eight year run as mayor? Things that make you go hmm.

-- Matt Renno

Perry