Dear editor:
This new year will be a pivotal point in our country to test our ability, in lieu of the "change" we have seen by our president, of whether we want to continue down the path of lies, deception and secret one-party meetings, or a return to the greatness for which we had been the envy of the world. It will take years for our country to regain the trust and respect of other nations.
Now the liberal left has two candidates seeking the nomination of their party for president of the United States. One is a staunch socialist (communist) and the other is a habitual liar. As secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in collusion with President Obama, lied to the American people when they blamed an anti-Muslim video as the cause for the Benghazi attack which killed four brave U.S. citizens, including our ambassador. Later it was found that Clinton texted her daughter that the story was not true. On many occasions, Mrs. Clinton has claimed that she did not mishandle classified material on her server, but in a recent interview she admitted that she may have inadvertently done so, and "was truly sorry for that." So that's supposed to satisfy everyone and we can just sweep it under the proverbial rug?
When I entered the military I had to swear by almost the same oath as does the president and those in all departments of the government. It is a verbal oath of a solemn promise to administer our respective positions by proclaiming, with right hand raised, allegiance to our country and its flag, to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and to "protect and defend our nation from all enemies, both foreign and domestic." Mrs. Clinton and her staff broke that promise when top secret documents were displayed on her personal server for our enemies to see.
During my years in the military, I was issued a top-secret clearance due to my handling of weapons of mass destruction and their technical manuals. If I had shared any part of the information I possessed with anyone without a clearance or a need to know, I would have been court-martialed, stripped of rank and sentenced by a military court to life in Fort Leavenworth Prison. But where is the justice when we have an ex-secretary of state, running for president, who has committed high treason by her mishandling of classified information? Obviously, those in government positions are considered by a different standard than the average GI or citizen.
It has been reported that President Obama plans to close the GuantƔnamo Bay military prison by the time his tenure ends and relocate half of the remaining terrorists to the U.S. and the rest to other countries. I have heard that he will also issue presidential pardons to many hardened drug dealers and at least 40 prisoners scheduled for execution.
I wonder if our president has reassured Hillary on this matter!
Donald Cunningham
Hot Springs
Editorial on 02/03/2016