Letters to the editor: U.S. needs to move ahead with replacing fossil fuels

U.S. needs to move ahead with replacing fossil fuels

The following is the oath Mr. Chiroux took upon leaving Auburn High in 2002:

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

What part of this was unclear? And if he lied about this oath, what else is he conveniently lying about now?

I cannot believe you featured this guy on your front page. Why does the Opelika-Auburn News seemingly give so much credence to his opinion? He was a quitter, choosing to abandon his oath. I would be more sympathetic to his difference of opinion if he had chosen to fight from within.

Put his story on the church page if he (and the OA News) thinks he has some special insight into our nation’s moral compass. But do not make him out to be some moral leader for the rest of us.
He offends me.

Ken Lunsford
Auburn

U.S. needs to move ahead with replacing fossil fuels

Reference Malcolm Cutchins’ column of July 2 concerning climate change and clean energy:

Since it was established in 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has involved hundreds of scientists worldwide in preparing four major assessments and other reports that provide judgments on the climate of planet earth.  These reports have raised serious questions about “business as usual” in the burning of fossil fuels.

From ice cores, we know the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the highest it has been in hundreds of thousands of years.  More CO2 makes oceans acidic, leading to a disruption of the food chain and the destruction of coral.  With few exceptions, land (Antarctica, Greenland, Tibetan Plateau) and sea (Arctic Ocean) ice are shrinking worldwide.  Globally, the temperature and the ocean level are rising.

Replacing fossil fuels would: 1.) reduce levels of mercury in the fish we eat; 2.) reduce concentrations of oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, small airborne particles, and arsenic in the air we breathe; 3.) avoid spending treasure and spilling blood in protecting global oil supplies; 4.) avoid huge transfers of wealth to foreign sources of oil.

Regarding the “cap and trade” program proposed for lowering CO2 emissions, knowledgeable economists report that such programs were successful in removing tetraethyl lead from our gasoline and in reducing acidification of our lakes and rivers.  The European Union is now successfully using cap and trade to reduce their CO2 emissions.

We urgently need the new jobs, cleaner environment, economic opportunities, international stability, and moral leadership that alternative energy will provide.  We must get on with it.

David Newton
Auburn