Letters: A Marine discharged over his anti-Obama remarks; questions about a fracking law

Orders are orders

Re “Marine who criticized Obama to be discharged,” April 26

When I entered basic training, my drill instructor opened the proceedings with the ever-famous words, “Your soul may belong to God, but your [expletive] belongs to me!” I was quickly taught that officers were to be saluted and that orders were to be obeyed.

We knew that by taking our oath, we had given up certain rights, including my right to tell my sergeant where I thought his order should be deposited, much less an order from the commander in chief. In my chats with a number of vets, we have shaken our heads in wonder that a Marine didn’t get that message and criticized President Obama online.

I’d recommend that the ACLU and the U.S. Justice Foundation, which have questioned the Marine’s discharge, spend a little time learning the consequences of not following the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

David Strauss

Arcadia

Upset about fracking law

Re “New law on fracking worries physicians,”April 22

How can it possibly be constitutional for Pennsylvania to pass a law requiring doctors to sign an oath of silence (euphemistically called confidentiality) to know which potentially harmful chemicals are being introduced into the environment? Why should they be prevented from letting patients know the reason for their illnesses? Have we come to the point at which the Constitution is just another pesky regulation that corporations can ignore in their quest for a bigger bottom line?

Shame on the legislators whose affections are being bought by campaign contributions. How naive it is to believe that these legislators are working for the people who elected them. Or, now that corporations are persons, perhaps it’s OK to pass laws for their benefit rather than the people’s.

Cathy Colloff

Toluca Lake

The gas industry must have listened to my dad when he said, “If you can’t help your friends, who can you help?”

Roger Newell

San Diego

The silver screen

Re “Big picture brighter for movie theater owners,” Business, April 25

The movie industry wonders how it can bring people back to the theaters. I have a few suggestions:

How about eliminating the commercials we’re forced to see before movies start? I thought the idea of paying for a ticket was to avoid commercials. Likewise, how about decreasing the number of previews? Moviegoers are often forced to sit through half an hour of coming attractions. There’s also the ridiculous price of concessions.

And don’t forget the rude, inconsiderate people who talk throughout the movie — you know who you are.

Herman Wong

Alhambra

So greedy

Re “TSA screeners face bribery, drug charges,” April 26

I guess I don’t understand stupidity, and I guess I never will. I can understand someone betting his future, his life, his everything hoping to get a future free from financial worries, but the Transportation Security Administration screeners who allowed drugs to pass into a terminal were betting their lives against a $1,200 bribe.

You can’t buy a decent used car for that sort of money. How greedy can you get?

John Waugen

Anaheim

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