Military payments for biofuels flagrant
In his commentary July 29, Lt. Gen. John Castellaw lauds the efforts of the military to convert to new biofuels. Imagine how much fuel an aircraft fighter wing unit would use in a month. Planes are constantly training, taking off and landing on carrier warships, training pilots for wartime. Thousands of gallons?
What the general selectively failed to mention is how much this new biofuel costs. In 2009, the service paid $425/gallon for 20,000 gallons of algae-based fuel ($8.5 million). Later that year, the service paid $67.50/gallon for 40,000 gallons of fuel from the camelina plant ($2.7 million). The Navy is now paying $26.60/gallon for 450,000 gallons of biofuel ($12 million) to power a carrier strike group off the coast of Hawaii this year. Are you kidding me? If the economy was booming, maybe. But with a $1.2 trillion deficit, these people are nuts.
People in this country had better educate themselves about what's going on in our government. It has been hijacked by a group of people who have an agenda that they will perpetrate at any cost. They care less about the plight of the country or the American citizens. We can't afford four more.
TAYLOR E. CAVIN, Hixson
Think about where food comes from
Just pondering - Chick-fil-A is being punished for its values and beliefs. Think about this ... my husband grows chicken. Chicken that is served at Chick-fil-A and many more restaurants. We do not support gay marriage. Does that mean folks who do support it shouldn't eat our chicken? If anyone is boycotting Chick-fil-A then why not boycott every restaurant that serves chicken raised on our farm?
I believe in God and the Bible. I believe in traditional family values, but I don't care if conservatives, liberals, heterosexuals, homosexuals, Christians, Muslims or Hindus want to eat the chicken we grow. If Chick-fil-A's beliefs bother you then you should think about where your food really comes from. Most farmers are God-loving people with very traditional family values.
If you are concerned about supporting Chick-fil-A then you should buy some chickens, cows and pigs and brush up on your gardening skills because I can assure you that each time you pull through that drive-through or go to a dine-in restaurant, you are supporting a farmer and his family and he will likely be in church Sunday, tithing (money made from you) to support traditional family values!
ALICIA MORRISON
Political correctness goes both ways
Clay Bennett's Aug. 1 editorial cartoon shows the word "INTOLERANCE" spelled in cutout letters, including Chick-fil-A's trademark "C."
Obviously it was in reference to Dan Cathy, CEO of the privately-held, family-owned restaurant chain who affirmed his personal belief that "the biblical definition of the family unit" includes marriage between a man and a woman.
When are the politically correct police going to admit that intolerance also applies to people like themselves who cannot - or are unwilling to - tolerate others whose beliefs and worldviews differ from their own?
ROBERT J. TAMASY, Hixson