Editor,

I am disgusted with a so called statesman ex-general Colin Powell. His latest statement was to defend Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s handling of the incident in Benghazi where four Americans needlessly lost their lives due to lack of adequate security.

This is the same Colin Powell who backed a novice, Barack Obama, against a true American hero (John McCain) for president in 2008. Now Colin Powell has the audacity to suggest that the Republican Party has an identity crisis. I beg to differ!

Colin Powell is the one who has problems with his own identity. He has pretended to be a Republican for years. But his public statements clearly tell us that he needs to be in the liberal wing of the democratic party.

Mathias Williams

Evarts

Editor,

Four children aged 5, 4, 2 and 6 months and their father tragically lost their lives in a fire in Jonancy on Jan. 8. Neighbors awoke to the mother of the children banging on the window and pleading for help, but the house was fully engulfed in flames. The mother was the only survivor and is currently in critical condition with severe burns. A space heater in the living room is believed to be the cause of the fire.

In a similarly devastating story, four children aged 9, 7, 3 and 8 months perished in a fire in Conyers, Ga., on the same night. These tragedies unfortunately happen far too often, with fire claiming an average of nine lives every day in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Fire does not discriminate and can strike at any time and in any type of home, but working smoke detectors and fire sprinklers can help to avoid potential injuries and tragedies from occurring. Properly installed and maintained fire sprinklers control and typically extinguish a fire before the fire department even arrives on the scene. More importantly, the presence of fire sprinklers mitigates the risk to individuals affected by the blaze, including firefighters and other first responders.

I urge you to check the batteries in your smoke alarms, educate yourself on the current fire protection requirements in your own city and state, and learn how to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community from the ravages of fire. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their family during this tragedy.

Russell Fleming

President, National Fire Sprinkler Association

Patterson, N.Y.