Do facts back up the opinions?

Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from responsibility.

Beck, O’Reilly, Olberman, Maddow, FOX, MSNBC and others all proclaim freedom of speech and rightly so. We should all enjoy our freedoms, but we should accept the responsibilities that these fredoms demand. Everyone has a right to his or her opinions, but not to his or her own facts. We must defend our opinions on facts, especially the commentators who have access to the media — and , yes, that includes Rush Limbaugh.

Since many of these self-proclaimed “experts” seem to think that every word they utter is a pearl before the swine, they have no duty to justify their words with facts. Therefore, it is left up to us, the viewers, listeners and readers, to discern for ourselves whether what they say or write is true or propaganda for the right or from the left.

It is an undaunting responsibility for us but one we must accept before putting any faith or credence to what we hear or read. Those who “blow hot air” without factual foundation should be ignored for the well-being of the country. We must also remember how quickly “rumor” becomes “fact” (i.e. Obama is not a native-born citizen of the United States.)

Machiavelli taught us in 1500 that if you are going to tell a lie, make it a big one, repeat it often enough, and eventually the people will believe it.

In most of the debates — mostly uncivil — now raging in this country, we, the citizens, must hold the speakers’ feet to the fire by checking the truthfulness of his or her words, accepting those of the truth teller and calling out and ignoring those who deal in lies and rumors.

Douglas S. Mitchell, Greenup



Experience shows need for reform

All of us can have different opinions on health care. I sure hope our president can do something for the good of all our citizens.

Listen to this if you think nothing should be done: We took our granddaughter to one of the local doctors and a hospital to remove a wart from the outer side of her foot at the base of the baby toe. They didn’t get it all the first time, so she had to have it done again.

Between all the care givers, surgeon, anesthesia, labs and pathology, the hospital bill was over $19,000.

Kip Slauson, Greenup



Accident witnesses are being sought

Between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, my granddaughter, who is 8 1/2 months pregnant, was stopped at the traffic light on U.S. 23 at Raceland.

She was yielding to a fire truck crossing the intersection when a silver Dodge Ram truck with a chrome bar on the front hit her car from behind. The driver backed up, pulled around her car and left the scene of the accident.

I am asking anyone who witnessed this accident to please contact Delmar R. Hewlett by writing P.O. Box 56, Worthington, KY, 41183 or calling (606) 836-2204.

Delmar R. Hewlett, Worthington