Schools Safer Than Homes
Dear Editor,
Youthful exuberence can result in a severe lack of objectivity. After the extremely rare but recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, there were several student protests. In one, a young woman carried a sign reading, “Kids should be as safe in school as they are in their homes.” Really? If that young lady had done any research she wouldn’t have made and carried that sign.
There are roughly 51 million children enrolled in schools throughout the US. The number of children killed in school by any means, whether it be shootings, stabbings, beatings, falls, transporation accidents (the leading killer), etc., is about 150 per year (0.00003 percent). Conversely, the number of school children killed in the home by any means is much higher, at about 2,300 per year (0.005 percent). In reality, we should be more concerned about making children as safe in the home as they are in school.
Activism and engagement are important. But so, too, is credibility. Emotion and a rush to judgment based on media misinformation often discredit otherwise well-intentioned activism. Statements must be backed by facts if they are to have any value to those attempting to improve a given situation.
For anyone truly interested in making schools safer, the following should be required reading: http://safehavensinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Relative_Risks_of_Death_in_US_K-12_Schools.pdf
Tom Kirkman III
Seeking Ears To Hear
Dear Editor,
This is my country. This is your country. Welcome to America.
It has been over two weeks since that horrible school massacre in Florida. Since then we have had all types of regular folks and professional people offering their opinions.
Do you think we might have one qualified person, with an obvious recorder in a relaxed atmosphere, sit down and listen to the perpetrator’s story? We might learn something from it to eliminate future tragedies of this type. In the past, his “story” fell on “qualified deaf ears.” Also, in the past, it seems like it took years of legal fees to reach some type of conclusion.
Thank you, Rhino Times, for this “freedom of the press.”
Alexander Peter Kohanowich Jr.
Deck to Cost More
Dear Editor,
Well, it appears that John Brown was right about the parking decks costing the city more money then it claimed; it will have to pay Rocky Scarfone his share. The fact is he has a case and delays cost money, so pay the man and let’s move on.
There are other issues that are going to hit the taxpayer this year. The city is short money, so guess what is coming, property tax increase. I get the city made money from property taxes last year without an increase, but when you spend more then you have then you get empty pockets.
The city is growing and downtown is booming but you have to pay for all of that. The arts center is already over cost from what they said it would cost and that bill will increase. The city needs to buy the News & Record property because if downtown is to grow then you need land. I see a sports complex coming and maybe that’s what all the hotels see because you don’t need all those hotels downtown right now. What is coming is probably more important then what we have. Either way, you, the taxpayer, will pay for all of this.
Sal Leone
Sharing Disbelief
Dear Editor,
I would like to see all our elected representatives stop taking donations from the NRA. They should consider the safety of their constituents rather than the interests of the big gun lobby.
The NRA is an arm of the firearms industry, including manufacturers and sellers, and it twists and exploits the Second Amendment to scare people into buying more guns than they need. Thus it is easy to purchase deadly weapons, and even kids of 18 can buy them.
The Second Amendment calls for a well-regulated militia, and we already have one called the National Guard, who are not expected to provide their own weapons.
I think President Trump is talking sense (for a change) when he calls for
- Better background checks
- Banning bump stocks
- Raising the age limit for gun purchases
- More attention to mental health issues.
However, I do not support arming teachers nor high-capacity magazines for semiautomatic weapons.
People of other developed nations shake their heads in disbelief when they learn of the US obsession with firearms.
Stan Gilliam
Kudos to Hylton
Dear Editor,
My sincere compliments to you for publishing the excellent letter to the editor from Mr. Ray Hylton.
I respectfully submit that I have long felt that good ideas can come from both liberals and conservatives, and that good results can be achieved through negotiation, moderation and compromise.
There is also the consideration that we can learn much from the study of accurately reported history. As I believe Winston Churchill once thoughtfully said something to the effect that “Those who don’t study (or learn from) history may be doomed to repeat it.”
John Maier
Message of Love
Dear Editor,
Obviously, one size does not suit all in regard to what we are able to understand from the religious messages we hear. But, from Rev. Billy Graham, I heard only one message – his love for his God man, Jesus Christ. In this regard, I can think of no one who better represents the Protestant version to St. Francis, of Christianity, than this man of God.
His life is now over but his aura lingers on. Thank you, Billy Graham, for showing us what peace and harmony, a life lived for Christ Jesus, can be. You truly must have been as close to a twin-soul as the life you lived for Christ Jesus manifests itself to be. When your mind failed to understand, your heart spoke loud and clear and your message continues to speak to those who are able to hear.
Ray Hylton
