Speak Out

Re "Save our history" (Speak Out, April 18):

I would like to thank writer Billy E. Price for his letter about the Alabama Welsh Association's efforts to save the Madoc Plaque at Fort Morgan. The story is not just a part of another county's history; it is a part of American history.

Although Wales is one of the smallest countries in Europe, it has played an unusually large role in the history of the United States. Sixteen of us signed the Declaration of Independence (even the steel for the White House roof was made in Pontardawe in South Wales).

Many of America's greatest talents have come from Welsh backgrounds: James Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Button Gwinnett, Robert Morris, William Penn, J.P. Morgan, Howard Hughes, Jasper Newton (Jack Daniel's), Meriwether Lewis, Jesse James, Frank Lloyd Wright, Murray The Hump, Bob Evans, Bob Hope, Robin Williams, Susan Sarandon, Tom Cruise, Donny Osmond, Bo Derek, Denise Richards, Tommy Lee Jones, Kelly Clarkson and Seth MacFarlane are just some of them.

I applaud the efforts of the Alabama Welsh and wish them the best of luck in their mission to restore the plaque paying homage to what were possibly the first Welsh Americans.

Dave Parry
The Chicago Tafia Welsh Society
Homewood, Ill.

National Day of Prayer

This year's National Day of Prayer theme is "Prayer! America's Strength and Shield." This is from Psalm 28:7. On Thursday, May 1, millions of Americans will join us in giving thanks to God for the bounty, beauty and blessings of our country — from sea to shining sea — on this 58th consecutive National Day of Prayer.

As early as the First Continental Congress in 1775, national days of prayer have been observed by millions of Americans from all walks of life. In 1952, a joint resolution of Congress signed by President Harry Truman established an annual National Day of Prayer. The law was amended in 1988 and signed by President Ronald Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday in May.

Students in Calhoun County high schools will conduct a prayer time that morning before school. It will be led by the Youth Leadership of Calhoun County on a voluntary basis.

Joby Walker
Chairman, National Day of Prayer
Anniston

Correcting the problem

Rising fuel costs are driving this country toward bankruptcy. Don't let the experts lead you astray about the reasons or solutions. It is not the falling dollar or the "credit crisis," and alternative fuels won't help.

Fuel is out of control because we do not have an adequate, sustained and low-cost domestic supply, which is a direct result of the actions or inactions of Congress. If ever there was a time when the U.S. House and Senate have proven to be the pinnacle of laziness, ineptitude and corruption, it is now.

Fuel is a national security and economic necessity. The military will not be able to function without an adequate, sustained and low-cost domestic fuel supply. Closer to my home, the ability to maintain a job or put food on the table is directly tied to an adequate, sustained and low-cost domestic fuel supply.

Regardless of party, both houses of Congress have failed us in a colossal manner. Democrats and Republicans are equally culpable for refusing to act aggressively. Neither group is allowing the expansion of domestic drilling; my family, friends and country are more important to me than any caribou or seagull ever will be. Neither group has made it feasible or cost-effective to build new refineries through appropriate legislation. And neither group has made it a point to suspend the onerous federal tax on fuel.

All should be removed from office for their criminal actions or neglect. Unfortunately, not all are up for re-election this fall. Think about your family, your friends and your country when you go to the polls in November. If your senator or representative has not taken immediate, aggressive steps to correct this catastrophe, vote them out without regard to party. Hopefully, you will not have to walk to the voting booth on an empty stomach.

James Nolin
Anniston