To the Editor:

I would like the opinion of the citizens of the United States and President Obama to the problem of the unnecessary killing that has been happening for too many years.

1. The recall of all the rifles that require a magazine of multiple shells and the locking up in an armory only to be used by armed forces in war time.

2. Forbid the sale of guns to families that have any issue of mental illness.

James E. Gochenour

Lebanon

To the Editor:

Do you agree that every member of the human species has inherent dignity and rights, among which is the right to life, and that these rights are inherent from the moment of conception? Do you also agree that every pregnant woman deserves the most love and life-affirming support possible?

If so, perhaps you would like to be among the hundreds of inspired men and women who will be making a public statement of solidarity to the Indianapolis area community this February and March that unborn boys and girls and their moms deserve better than abortion.

It has been 40 years since abortion became legal in this country through the Roe vs. Wade decision. Since then over 50 million babies have lost their lives. This equates to 3,200 babies per day. This is a horrific tragedy for our country, the unborn, as well as the women and men that have gone through this without having the truth and support with which to make a real choice and that is the choice for life.

So soon after the anniversary of Martin Luther King, it is very sad to report that 40.2 percent of abortions in the United States are performed on African American women, while they represent only 13 percent of the female population of the country. For more information on how abortion is decimating the African American community and what can be done to stop it, go to www.ProtectingBlackLife.org.

If you want to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves, you are invited to participate in the next 40 Days for Life campaign, taking place Feb. 13 through March 24 in front of Planned Parenthood Indianapolis, 8590 Georgetown Road, where the majority of abortions in Indiana take place. 40 Days for Life is a community-based campaign that takes a determined, peaceful approach to showing local communities that there is a better choice than abortion for a mother and her unborn child.

The campaign relies on a three-point program of prayer and fasting, peaceful vigil, and community outreach. Please visit www.40daysforlife.com/indianapolis for additional information.

Let us all stand together as people of different creeds and colors, beliefs and affiliations, and voice support for love and protection of unborn babies and their moms.

Lisa Martin

Lizton

To the Editor:

As you may know, public transportation has been brought to the forefront of debate in Central Indiana. The debate has primarily centered on the economic impact of a public transit system. It is true the economic impact of public transit can be great, but one must also consider the human impact of an inadequate, regional public transportation system.

Access to public transportation in Central Indiana is essential for people with disabilities to remain independent. We at Bosma Enterprises are dedicated to empowering people who are blind or visually impaired across Indiana to live independently and confidently - a difficult task to accomplish when there are very real challenges with the current transportation systems inside and outside of Marion County.

Many of our employees are dependent on public transportation to not only get to and from work but to conduct the daily business of life like going to the doctor, grocery store, attend church, or interact with people socially. IndyGo and other county transit organizations currently have a system for people who have disabilities to attempt to fill the gap, but those are not adequate to meet life's daily tasks.

A ride with these systems must be scheduled days in advance to have the best opportunity to reserve a trip time that correlates with your desired schedule. The transportation typically has a half hour window to arrive - so, scheduling something as simple as a trip to the grocery store can be a half-day affair. The service can be expensive with costs mounting to thousands of dollars a year.

We hope as legislators consider their agenda for this session, they keep public transit as a top priority. The economic effects of public transit are very great, but so is the human impact.

Sincerely,

Lise Pace

Public Policy Advocate

Bosma Enterprises and National Industries for the Blind

To the Editor:

Draw your own conclusions.

1. Apologies to the world, particularly the Muslim world, for the United State's actions for the past few decades.

2. Intentional refusal to protect our foreign embassy locations in the most volatile areas of the Arab world.

3. When an Embassy is attacked, lies are given to us about why it happened and every cover-up is made in hopes the public will forget about it.

4. Refusing to call the actions to defeat terrorists a War on Terror.

5. Obvious that an intentional reduction of our military forces and armaments is taking place which will weaken the security of our nation.

6. Placing our economy in an unbelievably weak condition by spending money we don't have. Once again, leaving this nation in a very vulnerable position worldwide and especially to our enemies.

7. Raising tax levels on citizens who provide jobs through their investment in industry and business centuries. This will not only dry up jobs in this country but force these investors to relocate their interests in foreign countries.

8. Making this country a "Nanny State" to assure that people on federal assistance would vote to keep his regime in power.

9. Outright attacks on Christian institutions and their beliefs, while all along showing tolerance, if not favoritism, to the Muslim institutions.

10. Attacking the Constitution of the United States with executive powers, most recently the 2nd Amendment. This, coupled with the reduction in our military capabilities and the items mentioned above, gives the terrorists every opportunity to do what we once thought impossible - the fall of this once-great country.

Bill Slykas

Avon