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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 14, 2008

Leadership Is In

McCain's Genes

What incredible gall your John Nash has? For a man who never spent a day in the military service of his country, he glibly condemns the leaders of our armed forces and those who serve under them. He "exposes" the means and manners by which all of our military forces operate. Whom did Nash read or what movie did he see to get his information? Or what disappointed U.S. Navy captain or Army lieutenant colonel shared with Nash why he didn't command the Navy or Army?

I had the honor of serving the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, for four years during the closing chapters of the Vietnam War. Previously, I had the distinct pleasure of serving him for two years as Chief of Naval Operations. Whenever someone mentioned the mining of Haiphong Harbor or getting serious about retrieving our POWs, a cacophony of political spinsters argued against it. Tom Moorer is the man who single handedly convinced President Nixon in 1972 to not only mine Haiphong's harbor complex (which took all of 90 seconds as Moorer predicted) but to also launch the massive B-52 bombing campaign of Hanoi. Result: The North Vietnamese immediately signaled a need to return to the Paris peace talks. Within three months, our captives were back home. And what was my assignment in those six years. I was the officer on his personal staff whom he expected to tell him what others opted not to. Why? He did the same thing with our commander in chief.

The staff executive assistant to the chairman was a brilliant officer and a captain like myself. He asked me one time how I had the nerve to address certain subjects with the chairman so openly. I replied that's what he expected me to do. After I retired, this same officer had been promoted to four stars and commanded one of our two fleets. Some years later, I happened to see him at a naval ceremony. He introduced me to a Navy captain on his staff and identified him as his "Jack MacKercher." That pleased me. Not because I was so named. Rather because my former associate didn't surround himself with "yes" men.

Nash may not believe it, but there were and are scores of officers and enlisted men who serve their country and their leadership in the same capacity. "Smacking up" is questionably useful to smacker-uppers and those who look to them for such support steep themselves in mediocrity.

Incidentally, if any officer violated all the tenets of what Nash finds wrong among our military, it's John S. McCain III. It's in his genes.

And finally, it doesn't take much to spot a phony officer or a flag officer who didn't warrant his rank. Likewise, identifying a "katzenjammer" carper is equally simple.

John C. MacKercher

Weeki Wachee

Whose Yellow Journalism?

Although I do not live in Florida, I do scan the papers for news about people I know. How shameful to insinuate U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite is unfamiliar with Hispanic culture or that she is somehow prejudice. I am tired of the media telling me how Hispanics should feel and what we should re-act to and what should offend us.

As a Hispanic teenager who needed shelter, Ginny Brown-Waite was the person who took me in and helped me through those difficult teen years. Oh, and by the way, she also took my sister in for a shorter period of time. No, we were not foster kids, but she helped us through a difficult period. To see you portray her in this manner is a hatchet job and an attempt at class warfare. I pay federal income tax and am in a high income bracket. The economic stimulus package was meant to help the economy here and should not be given to the territories.

Why? Well if the media did some research they would have learned that the slowdown in the Gross Domestic Product does not include the economy of any of the territories - only the 50 states. Taxpayers in Florida and the other 49 states are irate at this billion-dollar Democrat giveaway in the form of a last minute add on earmark that very few knew about.

How low has Congress sunk that they give away my tax dollars to the nonfederal income tax paying citizens in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico? Oh, and don't whine about how the residents there pay customs fees. Yes, and those fees stay right there on the island and never does one cent go to our treasury here. Puerto Rico has no right to complain nor should we feel sorry for them. They have turned down statehood on several occasions and for the very reason that they do not want to pay federal income tax as those of us in the United States do.

I am now a successful and well-adjusted Hispanic adult and have children of my own who when they are old enough I will tell them exactly how much Ginny Brown-Waite helped me. She encouraged me through college and wanted me to always remember my Hispanic heritage. Your paper's yellow journalism is exactly why the media has such a problem with credibility among citizens and why readership is waning. You are the prejudiced group who resent someone like the congresswoman who stands up to your badgering. She is right - you are wrong but you will never admit it.

H. M. Rodriguez

San Francisco

Editor's note: I agree with U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite's opinion on the issue. While her news release reference to Puerto Ricans as "foreign citizens" instead of "territorial citizens" was a dumb error, her stand on the issue was 100 percent correct. Maybe you meant to send your letter to the "other" yellow journalism newspaper.

Thanks Tony And Joe

My husband and I would like to thank Hernando Today Sports Editor Tony Castro and photographer Joe DiCristofalo for their wonderful coverage of our daughter's soccer team, the Springstead Lady Eagles.

It is always a wonderful thing to read about the positive things that the young people our community are doing, and it's twice as nice when one of those young people is your own daughter.

As Jennifer gets older and remembers her time in high school, thanks to Tony and Joe she will always have the written word and pictures to remind her of what a very special time it was.

We think that having these two gentlemen covering our area athletes is a positive benefit to the community.

Whenever you speak with these men, you can always tell they enjoy what they do, and they enjoy watching, photographing and reporting about the area youth.

Thank you very much, Tony and Joe.

Gerrie DeFrancesco

Spring Hill

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