Where is all the liberal indignation? The new Obama policy in Afghanistan is to court local tribes to join our fight against the Taliban. For a relatively small bribe, the Shinwari tribe has decided to fight the Taliban, and tribal elders have issued an edict that any tribal member who aids the enemy will be punished by heavy fines, banishment and, if caught offering shelter, will have his/her house burnt down.

Wow, tough stuff. Can you imagine the outcry that would arise if the American army even thought about such a solution. They would be crucified by all the civil rights members who seem to think it is not an issue worth mentioning when such action is proposed by the Afghanis themselves. No wonder we are having trouble making progress in this "winless" war.


Poised for success

Like this thinning newspaper and other businesses, the convention center has faced the challenges of today's economy. Wisely, your recent story acknowledged that this is not a phenomenon limited to Santa Fe. The movement for a new convention center arose in the mid-1980s and finally came to fruition. To blame this temporary challenge on Mayor David Coss is short-sighted and not fair.

The good news is that our convention center positions our community to reap rewards as the economy recovers. More good news is that in Keith Toler, we have a talented Convention and Visitors Bureau director who knows how to attract events to fill this facility. The SOFA show is a prime example. They could have chosen many other communities, but through Mr. Toler's and others' efforts, they chose Santa Fe. We should be proud of this facility and of the leadership that positions us for a promising future.


Kepler was right

Asenath Kepler's the only mayoral candidate with integrity. Last week, multibillion-dollar Laureate Education, which now operates the College of Santa Fe, sent $500 checks to mayoral candidates Kepler, David Coss and Miguel Chavez. Kepler sent her check back immediately, citing a public perception of a conflict of interest because the college is "in negotiations with the city of Santa Fe regarding funding for proposed capital improvements."

Three days later, at the request of the mayor, the City Council, now operating Santa Fe at a deficit and furloughing workers to save money, voted to spend $1 million to renovate a cafeteria for use by Laureate Education, which is doing so well it needs additional space! Like they say: "If it smells bad, it probably is."


Be business-friendly

I am a real estate broker and a small-business owner. I support mayoral candidate Asenath Kepler. I would like to see an administration that is easier for businesses to work with. Many of us in the field have seen prospective buyers decide against Santa Fe because they sensed that the city is not business-friendly. It should be a reasonable and logical process to start a business here. We should welcome new business, not discourage it.

I have listened to all three mayoral candidates many times. I believe that Kepler is the right candidate to create a climate that is not only positive to business, but that nurtures business. Asenath is genuinely interested in making Santa Fe fun, and safe again, as well as welcoming to sustainable businesses. These will be the ones actually creating jobs and stimulating economic growth at all levels.


Teach humanity

I realized after reading a recent edition of the newspaper that what most people are working toward is a Band-Aid. To fix our nation's attitude toward food, prairie dogs, health care, animal rescue and everything in between, we must mandate Humane Education in our classrooms. How can we standardize character programs without humane issues?

Instead of blaming and looking for scapegoats, we should start teaching our children from the time they enter preschool that the food they eat and daily decisions they make effect us all. Individual food choices not only take a toll on a singular body but cause insurance rates to rise, water quality to plummet and violence against one another to continue. For if you eat what has been abused, you perpetuate not only animal abuse but domestic as well. Join me, as I learn about something so obvious at www.manestreeteducation.com


Finally, the truth

In a strange twist of fate, the federal trial of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has the potential to bring justice to the victims of 9/11 and clarity to the American people. Years of cover-up by leading government officials and agencies, including the 9/11 Commission, may finally be exposed — the changing of timelines, removal of key players from events and deliberate destruction of vital information leading up to the attacks, submitted as public fact.

The people, who have for too long evaded responsibility, and in many cases gone on to prosper since 9/11, may be brought out into the light. A military trial would ensure that the truth of 9/11 remains buried beneath the shattered concrete and lives of that fateful day. Justice works in mysterious ways.


What about overhead?

Regarding "An open letter to Sens. Bingaman and Udall," Gregg Bemis' Jan. 31 column on health care: His proposals are nothing more than talking points from a conservative pundit. Nowhere did he mention universal coverage. How do people who lose their job afford access to health care? The idea of deregulation lowering costs reminds me of the bill of goods we were sold with deregulation of the credit card industry and the banking industry.

Consumers have gotten the short end of the stick. The easiest way to reduce costs and provide universal access to health care is a single-payer option. Thirty percent of the health care dollars spent in this country is on overhead costs. Much of the cost is associated with medical billing. Duke University Hospitals have more billing clerks than hospital beds. I want to hear how Gregg would address the overhead costs.


No more nukes

The Obama administration plans to ask Congress to increase spending on the U.S. nuclear arsenal by more than $5 billion in the next five years. This, he claims, is part of the strategy to halt the spread of nuclear weapons and to eventually rid the world of them. Huh? What kind of double speak is this?

The way to rid the world of nuclear weapons is to reduce spending on weapons. Our tax dollars should be spent on monitoring nuclear proliferation and demonstrating to the world that the U.S., the only country to detonate a nuclear bomb, understands the necessity of reducing and ridding the world of nuclear weapons.

Please write to Mr. Obama and let him know that developing more nuclear weapons cannot achieve nuclear disarmament.


Forgot to tip?

I witnessed an unbelievable sight at a popular Canyon Road establishment last Tuesday night around 10. The bartender, for no apparent reason, beat an older man on the front porch in the presence of a dozen or more witnesses. Santa Fe now competes with Orlando for being the most angry city in the nation.


Scrabble over space

For the past three years, the Santa Fe Scrabble Club has been meeting in an office space in Century Plaza. About a month ago, the Coss for Mayor re-election campaign moved into this partitioned office space. This week the landlord informed us that he would be evicting the Scrabble Club per the directive of the Coss campaigners because they felt there was an Asenath Kepler spy among the Scrabblers!

On one hand, this is laughable because of the six regular Scrabble Club members, only one resides in Santa Fe. And competitive Scrabble players have only one thing on their mind —- figuring out a way to win the game they're playing. Politics is the furthest thing from their mind. But this mean-spirited and paranoid action by Mayor David Coss and his campaigners is probably just one more reason not to vote for him March 2. In the meantime, anyone with available space where the Scrabble Club could meet until this election is over, please call 471-9170.