Army Post Road

     Here’s a few letters-to-the-editor that were published in today’s Des Moines Register:

Copperheads ride again

Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican elected president of the United States, was determined to preserve the Union and, to a lesser degree, to abolish slavery. During the first two years of the Civil War, Union forces suffered defeat after defeat, and a growing number of Democrats, including some high-ranking Union officers, felt that the North could not defeat the South and Lincoln was totally inept.

These Democratic leaders and their followers were referred to as Copperheads. They urged the government to negotiate a peace treaty with the Confederacy and allow it to secede from the Union. There was a growing amount of this Copperhead philosophy among the Northern public and media.

In spite of this, Lincoln would not flinch and stayed the course. Lincoln ran for his second term and barely defeated Gen. George McClellan, the Democratic Copperhead whom Lincoln had fired as commander of the Army of the Potomac for failing to take Richmond.

Today, we enjoy living in the United States of America. Most of us rejoice over the fact that Lincoln stayed the course despite growing criticism from fellow citizens and the media.

Is history repeating itself?

— Dudley Dowell, Cumming.

     Not much else I can add to that or this next one.

Yellow ribbons on cars do not equal patriotism

I was at a gas station and was asked if I wanted to buy one of those yellow ribbon magnets for the car. I said “no.” The follow-up question was, “So you don’t support the troops?”

There are a couple things wrong with this question.

First, buying one of these over-used symbols of Iraqi wars does not, by itself, indicate a support of troops, nor does not having one suggest disrespect.

Second, these magnets are made by some company taking advantage of the wars to make a profit. It is commercialism at the bloody expense of the young men and women fighting for American interests (regardless if people accept the reasons for the war).

There are better ways to show patriotism. Write letters to the soldiers and let them know we care; arrange to send care packages. Remind Congress and the president to take care of our soldiers during and after combat. Treasure your liberties that they have fought to preserve.

Most important, vote, because they fight for you to have that right. My humble admiration and thanks go to our brave soldiers.

— Tony Hansen, Des Moines.