Letters from the Readers

Rand Paul stands up to race-baiting socialists
Re:”Letting Rand Paul twist in the wind,” May 28

Larry Elder beat me to the punch by defending Rand Paul’s rational,
not racist, criticism of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Paul is correct
that private business owners have the constitutional right to not
serve black customers, including myself.
It is also the right of tolerant customers like Paul to take their
business elsewhere. Racist business owners would not last long in an
America that has elected a black president. This vindicates Paul’s
argument that free market principles, not big government, are more
effective in ending racism in society.
Thus, many conservatives, including the editors of the Washington
Examiner, owe Rand Paul a huge apology for hastily painting him as a
bigot. We need more Republicans like Paul who will boldly stand
against the race-baiting socialists who are destroying America.
Frederick D. Weaver
Washington
Editor’s Note: The Examiner has nowhere accused Rand Paul of being a racist.
Cement is not humanitarian aid

Re: “Eight ships with supplies, activists head for blockaded Gaza,” May 25

Where were these bleeding hearts during the nine years when over 10,000 rockets were launched against southern Israel by the “innocent” Fatah and Hamas? After many of these Israeli border towns and cities were partially evacuated and the remaining inhabitants traumatized, the Israeli Defense Forces entered Gaza and made every effort to spare civilians, despite Hamas’ use of human shields and civilian buildings.
This so-called innocuous shipment of cement provides the necessary material to build tunnels to smuggle in long-range rockets to reach major population centers in Israel. Food and medicine have not been denied to the citizens of Gaza as long convoys enter from Israel.
When asked if they would deliver food and similar aid to Gilad Shalit, the soldier seized in a cross border rail by Hamas, these so-called humanitarians responded with a resounding, “No!”
Nelson Marans
Silver Spring
HHS caters to non-English speakers

Have you ever seen the e-mail cartoon of John Wayne with a phone to his ear and the caption: “I have to press one for what?”.
That is how I felt when the brochure from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius concerning Obamacare arrived in the mail. Above our address in an official HHS envelope were two phrases: “1) Important Information from Medicare. 2) Informacion Importante Medicare.”
I am offended that our government has sunk so low as to assume that we are a bilingual country. Do you think that official correspondence in France also has a phrase in English or German?
Our government is so concerned that they may step on someone’s toes that they step on the toes of the majority all of the time. I’ll bet that I’m not the only one who misses the Duke.
George J. Pitonyak
Kitty Hawk, N.C.