First Amendment is being misused

To the editor:

I read this newspaper, a reliable government organ, and wonder:

' What lies, half-truths and propaganda are we being fed? (Al Sharpton, Dan Rather, rape allegations against any eastern fraternity, global warming, global cooling, unemployment is down, no inflation, Ferguson, New York, Cuba …)

' What government news release is the paper reprinting without question? Our federal government has always planted stories to generate support for 'operations.” (Vietnam, Ukraine, Noriega, Castro, Iran, Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda, Taliban …)

' Which government program is the taxpaying class being conditioned to pay for with new taxes and fees? (Water quality in Iowa, no-lead ammunition, more road construction, flood control …)

' Which government crimes or political scandals are not covered? Operation Choke Point (an illegal attempt to target entire industries by denying them access to the federally controlled banking system); Fast and Furious (gunrunning on a national scale conducted by the justice department);

Like Lynda Waddington's article on why non-police with guns make her nervous, I am nervous about the misuse of the First Amendment, its lack of regulation and the freewheeling way columnists and bloggers wield their weapons. What training do columnists have to use the pen? Must they buy a license to write as gun owners must in order to carry? Must they attend continuing education like gun carriers? Does state and federal government create a paper trail to effectively register columnists as they do gun owners?

No, Waddington, we carry to protect our own at our expense. You write for employment.

Ed Dolan

Central City