The Bible Changes
Inbox writer M. Sanders maintains you can’t change the Bible, but you most certainly can (LEO Weekly, April 23). The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament both started as oral stories handed down and most certainly altered for decades before they were written. Once in writing and in the absence of photocopiers, scribes made quite literally hundreds of thousands of copying errors — some minor, some quite material but all nonetheless changes. In the case of the New Testament, it took 400 years to decide what to include and exclude from the final book. I would submit that anyone who maintains God carefully orchestrated the entire process hasn’t actually read the Bible to note its numerous irreconcilable differences.
James Clark, Harrods Creek
Defending Veterans
Quite a few of us in the city are still scratching our heads, wondering why no one is defending our veterans from a huge rip-off. The information is out there, published and public. But it seems to have been forgotten, swept under the rug along with our wounded veterans. What would make taxpayers and veterans just clam up about an $8 million theft?
The absence of continuing discussion may actually provide quite revealing insight as to the crime and the perpetrator. If the influence of wealth can provide a platform for thievery, it can also provide a platform for a cover-up. It would not be the first time a wealthy boor paid off enemies in order to protect his vicious self-interest — and paid off friends to bolster the social wall that protects him from the unwashed masses.
Sadly, the unwashed masses disparaged by this robber baron include our veterans, the very people who make the boor’s wealth possible. To blatantly and publicly steal from them cannot be justified by “what the market will bear,” the banner phrase of all craven money-grubbers. The circular logic demonstrated so clearly is that wealthy people are better because they are wealthy, and so are above the moral structures of common decency. But it seems to prove the exact opposite of what they imagine. The attitude proves that they are far beneath any twinge of consciousness. Thick as thieves, laughing all the way to the bank.
What threats were whispered over sumptuously laden tables? What bribes quietly paid in richly appointed offices? There is no doubt these things were done. The only question is why there is no hue and cry (read “lawsuit”) over this brazen theft of the Veteran’s Administration.
Some instant karma is long overdue in this ugly and public demonstration of shameless arrogance and unbridled greed.
Elizabeth Clements, Highlands
Safety First
In the first three months of 2014, Kentucky has lost 33 of its residents to the ravages of fire. These numbers are among the highest in the nation during that time period and reflect the real dangers that face each of Kentucky’s residents when it comes to fire safety. Fire does not discriminate and can strike at any time and in any type of home.
In the United States, there have been 909 reported civilian fatalities due to fire incidents between Jan. 1 and April 1. There have also been 33 reported on-duty firefighter fatalities in 2014. In 2012, the latest year for which we have official data, property loss was estimated at $9.8 billion in structure fires alone.
Despite all of this loss across the country, states including Kentucky are still resisting the concept of installing residential fire sprinkler systems in newly constructed one- and two-family homes and rely solely on smoke alarms to keep their constituents safe.
While working smoke alarms are an effective way to alert residents to a fire, they require residents to take action and can do nothing to prevent the spread of fire. Our most vulnerable citizens, including children, the elderly and the disabled, may not be able to respond to alarms as others might. Fire sprinklers are the only form of proactive fire protection and can protect lives and property by immediately reacting, controlling and even extinguishing a fire.
We urge all citizens to check the batteries in their smoke alarms, educate themselves on the current fire protection requirements in their own cities and states, and learn how to protect themselves and their loved ones from the dangers of fire.
Russell Fleming, President of National Fire Sprinkler Association
