TNT letters to the editor, 8/26/2021

Religious differences

Why would thousands of people flee the country they love, some in fear for their lives?

As the world watches the panicked mass at the Kabul airport, desperately trying to get away as a band of armed Muslims successfully takes over their country a second time, the question is: What drives the fear? Are they not also Muslims?

The fear is rooted in very different interpretations of their common faith, especially its basic book and doctrines.

Christians are not strangers to such differences and related fears. Our nation’s political fabric has become shredded in a similar way in recent years.

All of this happens because every one of us is a finite, imperfect human being.

Of course we see and interpret things differently! We are designed by our Maker to be passionate about things that are most important to us.

We are also designed with the capacity to respect those who are different. The trouble arises when we falsely claim the right and use our power to force the other to do what we think is right.

I know of no Holy Scripture that says our Maker gives us authority to do that!

Vincent S. Hart Jr.,University Place

Afghanistan mistakes

If Afghanistan has taught us anything, it is that we learned nothing from Vietnam. We went headlong into a country we knew nothing about with blinders on and ended with years of wasted lives and money.

Our military did not lose a battle, but military victories were immaterial to success. We jumped into the middle of a civil war with one side corrupt and the other ruthless.

Thanks to our military-industrial complex economic system, we sided with corruption, as we did in Vietnam.

Will we ever learn that people will not support corrupt, incompetent leaders over hope for reform, even if when promised by a ruthless law-and-order force?

Afghanistan is a country of warlords, not a nation with a central government. The Taliban know this, and US hubris refused to see it. The Taliban negotiated surrender with these warlords and simply walked back into power.

Will we finally learn to stop being the world’s bully policeman and let people choose their own future?

We have enough problems at home that need solving!

William F. Johnston, Tacoma

Critical race theory

Critical race theory concepts ought to be taught in our high school history and government classrooms.

Just like a shot teaches your body to fight a disease, introducing the principles of CRT and related concepts can stimulate the necessary antibodies of constitutional principles to fight ideological disease.

And make no mistake, CRT principles are an ideological disease, no less damaging to the health of a society than marxism, communism, fascism and socialism.

The disease has already advanced in our schools as can be seen in the mantra of “equity” everywhere in school district communications.

But it is not too late for a counter attack by parents and educators with the necessary common sense and knowledge to lead the charge, which we see happening in many school districts across the country.

Michael Jankanish, Tacoma

(Jankanish is a retired teacher and former chair of the Wilson High School history department)

This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 12:50 PM with the headline "TNT letters to the editor, 8/26/2021."