Anchorage Daily News

Honor spirit of Mother's Day

After witnessing the horror of the Civil War and writing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," Julia Ward Howe wrote her Mother's Day Proclamation in 1870, calling for an international day of peace and celebration of motherhood. She wrote, "We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says, 'Disarm, Disarm!' The sword of murder is not the balance of justice!"

Anna Jarvis dedicated her life to the creation of a national holiday and fighting the commercialization of it. She was so vehemently against the misuse of the holiday for commercial gain, she sued to stop an event and was arrested for protesting the sale of flowers in the 1930s.

This year I challenge you to put away your credit card, and talk to your mom about how we can become a peaceful nation. My son's generation will become economic slaves as a result of war. I struggle daily to find some spark of optimism for his future.

Remember being told to listen to your mother? Mothers have been calling for peace for thousands of years. It's time to start listening.

- Katy Parrish

Anchorage

Live and let live

I saw the first letter on religion versus science and wondered when the next letter refuting this would come in. Didn't have to wait long. Any time religion comes up, you can expect a fight on who believes, and how they believe and why. Wars and deaths of our human population have been done over religion.

Why not let all have their own, and let each one keep it as his own and just get on with our own lives. I have friends of all religions and creeds, and that is their right. I have my own, and if someone doesn't like me for that, then they can find other friends. No fights or arguing.

-- Ann Whipple

Anchorage

Thoughts with flood victims

We are writing from London just to say how sorry we are to hear about the flooding in Eagle. We traveled North America in 2005 for a year in a motor home reaching Fairbanks and Denali and met some good friends from Oklahoma who have been building cabins in Eagle -- our thoughts are so with you all and our friends Judy and Don, and I have been tracking the news daily.

It's hard for us to comprehend the size of this disaster.

-- Lorraine and Steve Day

London

May nonbelievers see light

I have seen the opinion of Clyde Baxley several times in your newspaper. I'm glad to see he is getting support in his views from his fellow "nonbelievers." ("World is beginning to refute the indoctrination of religion," May 5.)

I just wanted to offer a bit of advice. Be careful that you and your "nonbelievers" do not form any groups that could be mistaken as "an organization of people with similar beliefs or values." You see where I'm going.

I happen to be a Catholic Christian who very much believes in Jesus, but I can respect your right to disagree. I just hope when the time comes for us to determine who is right and who is foolish, your preaching on finally "seeing the light" takes on a whole new meaning.

-- Kristina Blackadar

Anchorage

Thanks to those cleaning up

I wanted to extend a thank you to those people cleaning up our community. Before and after work each day, I see a variety of people on walks picking up trash as they go. They don't get every piece but are willing to bring along a bag and collect some garbage while they're out. I have seen one person in particular three days in a row!

Thanks to all of you for doing a good deed without expectation of anything in return -- your kindness and thoughtfulness toward your community are to be commended.

-- Toni Mercer

Anchorage

Religion letter off base

Re: Letter, "Religion not worthy of support," May 4 .

Ms. Johnson says that irrationality has plagued Islam, Judaism and Christianity. She furthers her thought by calling upon the example of the Catholic church during the Middle Ages as well as the Protestant Reformation. If Ms. Johnson were to know any lick of history she would readily know that the Protestant Reformation was spurred to fight the abuses of the Catholic church, not to perpetuate them nor to create others. Even the most biased books on the matter reveal this. Her ineptitude on this one aspect has compromised her argument, rendering her point null and void.

I cannot fathom how any competent editor let this piece get published.

-- Ron Yeager

Anchorage

Stolen flag had meaning

I would like to thank the heartless person who ripped down and stole the American flag from the front of my house in Eagle River Friday night; you single- handedly ruined our weekend. You see, that flag was special. It was purchased when my wife's oldest son left for Iraq. It has flown in its place every day since then and was going to continue flying until every one of our troops came home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

My wife and I spent quite a bit of time and effort to fly that flag, from locating a flag made in America by Americans to building the flagpole itself. What took us hours only took you 10 seconds to ruin. My wife and I now have to buy a new flag and build a new pole as we take pride in flying the flag to honor our country and to honor the people who have and are currently protecting our freedom and way of life.

With our next-oldest son leaving in September to join the Marines at Camp Pendleton you can also count on him to protect your freedom while you run around stealing other people's property and ruining their days.

-- John Rathert

Eagle River

Everything God made is good

We are asked ("Quandary of death penalty", May 5) hard questions regarding the administration of justice and the origin of evil. Indeed, deep is the mystery of iniquity.

Here's what we do know: Everything God made was "very good." He is all love; his commands are perfect, upright, and pure.

Every form of violence and hate and self-centeredness is like the unspeakable practice of sacrificing children in the fire, of which God said, "I never commanded this, nor did it enter my mind." Jeremiah 32:35 Rather, the enemy has done it, for in God "there is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5

-- Judith James

Homer

Religion provides stability

Whoa, Mr. Baxley! Although I am not religious, I do know that some people would not be fit for society without a belief in something. Religion fills that something for many and it is very personal. So please don't try to kick that stability out from under those who don't have anything else.

-- Lynn Godden

Anchorage

What's up with Murkowski?

How is it that Don Young and Mark Begich see eye to eye on the Employee Free Choice Act, but Lisa is nowhere to be seen? EFCA will bring better-paying jobs to Alaska and increase people's access to health care. Why then is Lisa opposing this effort?

Is it because she is not a supporter of unions? This was never a stance she took while in the state Legislature.

Have unions done her wrong recently? If I remember correctly she was elected by all sectors of Alaska in 2004.

Could it be her new leadership positions in the party? As she is taking leads now from Mitch McConnell, among others, she is growing distant from the state that put her there.

Lisa is a smart and savvy politician and I respect her for moving up quickly in the Senate. However I have to take issue with the fact that she is taking her cues from the party and not her state.

We just elected an independent senator. Maybe if things don't change we will have to do it again in 2010.

-- Elizabeth Andres

Anchorage

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