Letters to the editor for Aug. 5

Even I can see through Trump

Although we have sometimes worked as allies toward shared goals, Russia is not a friend to the United States. It is a totalitarian government that considers democracy, especially as displayed in the United States, an on-going threat to its own survival, and which has worked against the United States and its institutions for the better part of a century.

Donald Trump is the first president to stand beside a Russian tyrant and praise him as an individual and for his leadership of a repressive regime. He is the first president to stand beside a Russian tyrant, praise the institutions of that nation, and then express his lack of faith in our own institutions. In doing so, he further encourages that tyrant’s efforts against us. He subsequently declared that he “misspoke,” but he then again declared that he did not believe Russia continues to work against us, and he then again declared his lack of faith in our own intelligence agencies, thereby undercutting his own statements.

I am not a famous person, or a wealthy person, or celebrated person. I have no degrees from great universities. I do not work for a Fortune 500 company. But even I can compare Donald Trump's statements to his actions; even I can see the damage he does to our own nation and to our longstanding allies; even I know what it means when the leader of our hitherto free country admires and holds hands with the tyrant leader of a totalitarian regime. Donald Trump is unfit to be the leader of a free people.

Use tidelands money for schools

After reading the article in Sunday’s Sun Herald, “Changes to state reading test for third-graders could lead to fewer children passing it” had me digging deeper into this success and our public education starting with this test.

The success rate of our third-grade reading assessment appeared to be a glowing success. However, using only Level 1 in the English Language Arts to determine those that were stumbling with their reading and writing skills was wrong by giving this false sense of achievement, when in fact we still have students that were barely making it.

Now changes in the passing standard by including Level 2 students will certainly change those glowing numbers into a more realistic level.

The key words in the Level 2 are “typically struggle to independently read texts.” Why in this world would this be considered a positive when testing? Instead of raising our standards, we are lowering our expectations.

Reading is the foundation of success in school, the workplace and for your entire life.

Foundations need to be in place starting in the home and with pre-school programs and kindergarten and school funding is not there. Our children are our

tomorrow, and this starts with a solid foundation starting with sufficient funds, so teachers can teach.

Our school systems have long been underfunded. So how can we better our schools, increase teacher salaries, provide tutors and extra funds for books, tools and classroom supplies when we chronically underfund our public education.

With the amount of money generated through tidelands funds, we should be brimming with education funds.

Get up and get to work, NFL players

NFL players don’t get it. Do you really think taking a knee during the national anthem will stop law-enforcement from arresting people when they break the law?

May I offer a more novel, proactive approach to solving the problem you are trying to address.

First, how about spending some of the millions of dollars you're making playing a game to refurbish your local Boys & Girls Club, maybe even build some new playgrounds. Give the children something to do after school and during the summer other than hanging out on the street corners, or worst, joining a gang.

But don't stop there. Get out and be a role model. Teach the children the importance of respecting authority.

Teach them all, regardless of race or gender, the values of abstinence. Far too many children are having children.

This, more often than not, leads to a single-parent incapable of raising a responsible child.

Even more problematic, is the way the cycle will keep repeating itself. If you players really want to make a change, get off your knees and go to work.

The only thing your kneeling is doing is teaching our kids how to disrespect the values of the greatest nation on Earth. I know that some of you are already involved in your communities doing good things, but we need more of you to contribute. Just being different doesn't help anyone.

Haters, time to change channel

President Trump won the election by the laws of our great America. So, the haters need to put their head back in the sand and try to shake the worms out of their brain put there by fake news such as CNN. Try OANN, Channel 347, on Direct T.V. Shake the cruelty and the work of the devil that is going on today. Put God back in your life. Christians do not promote hate.

This story was originally published August 5, 2018 at 12:45 PM.