Letters to the Editor 09-18-2000
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Protect The Children - Met Chocola - Hate Crimes - What's Wrong With Education - Thanks To Miller's
Protect The Children
Editor, Times-Union:How many times have you been in a public place and have heard harsh, vulgar and obscene words being spoken and then look to find the source and realize it's a parent talking to their child? I have seen this several times in the past but during the last three days, I have seen it once every day. Wal-Mart - a mother screaming and yelling in her young child's face as the child sits in the cart; Owen's - a father dragging his 3-year-old child out of the car by one arm and then proceeding to drag him by the arm across the parking lot until they reach the store (yelling very mean and hurtful words all the way). The latest, most horrendous one, happened in front of Dollar Store. A mother is physically restraining her young child in the car as she raises her fist high up into the air (hand clutched tightly) and proceeds to pound up and down several times while cursing at him with words that a child should never hear. (Yes, the police were called and they are working on finding her ... they have been very helpful.)
Not only physically painful, but how demeaning, embarrassing and humiliating for these children. Yes, children misbehave, some very badly, but I cannot even begin to imagine what a child could do to deserve such injustice by their parents, the ones who are supposed to love them unconditionally. The ones God entrusted their lives with. We, as citizens and human beings, MUST DO OUR PART to protect these children.
We need to start making the ones doing this to their children in public, answer in public. What can we lose if we approach them, in a kind and civil manner, in a store while they are doing this? Maybe, most likely, we'll get a few choice words yelled at us, even be accused of sticking our noses in where they don't belong ... ohhhh well ... at least the one being humiliated is not the child. Hopefully the abuser will get a little taste of how they are making their child feel in public. It might even make the parent doing this realize for the first time that doing this to their child is not acceptable, let alone humane. Chances are, if this is happening in public, it is happening 10 times worse at home.
If we see children being struck in a violent manner, call 911. Let's save our children and make the abusive parents start answering. Yes, it usually takes physical scars or bruises to file charges and not much can be done, criminally, for verbal abuse, but if we, the public, can intervene before it gets to the physical beating then maybe, just maybe, we have saved one precious child from getting beat one more time.
Deb Pennington
Winona Lake
via e-mail
Met Chocola
Editor, Times-Union:I recently had the pleasure to visit with Chris Chocola, who is the Republican candidate running for the U.S. House of Representatives from the Third District of Indiana. It became evident to me during this meeting why Chris Chocola is indeed the right type of individual to represent us in Congress.
As a successful businessman, Chris Chocola understands important issues facing our country today: job creation, education and health care. But perhaps more importantly, he understands what these issues mean to the people of the Third District because he lives here, works here and is raising his family here.
Northern Indiana is one of the most entrepreneurial areas in the United States. This entrepreneurial spirit is what creates jobs as well as drives education, formal and informal, and works to make our citizens more responsible. The incumbent, Tim Roemer, has chosen to be a resident of the Washington area since being elected 10 years ago and is not "in-touch" with the needs, wants and desires of the Third District. He also has no real-life experience outside of government, having spent his entire adult life working for politicians and wanting to become one.
Roemer recently indicated that being a good father was more important than living in the district he represents. Certainly most of us would agree that being a good father is one of the most important duties in life. But Congress is in session only about 140 days per year and normally starts their week on Tuesday and ends it on Thursday. It would seem that the Third District would not be that much of an obstacle. Two other Congressmen from northern Indiana, Steve Buyer and Mark Souder, return home to Indiana almost every weekend.
Public records show that in 1999, Roemer spent approximately 45 days in the district, including travel time. Yet Congress was in session just 137 days. The other 228 could have been spent with us.
After 10 years of being our Congressman, Roemer has no leadership position in his party and has a voting record that shows his willingness to flip-flop on virtually every issue in an effort to protect his own political career.
Indiana's Third District deserves representation that understands our needs and spends his time listening to those he represents. Chris Chocola has dedicated himself to this cause and has agreed to abide by self-imposed term limits if elected, because he believes in public service - not public careers.
Chris Chocola is the right person for us to elect and now is the right time.
Gregg Fore
Middlebury
Hate Crimes
Editor, Times-Union:July 4, 1999, in Bloomington, was an excellent time for me, a real trip. On my way home in the wee morning, I grinned at the police cars in the church parking lot on Third Street. "Criminal mischief," I thought. Only after eight hours of sleep did I learn that what happened there wasn't mere mischief. It was murder. A hate crime. My fellow Bloomington resident, Won-Joon Yoon, was gunned down on his way to worship by a notorious white supremacist who had been distributing literature in Bloomington for months. The motive for the crime was Yoon's Asian-American appearance and heritage. Yoon was the second to last of Benjamin Nathaniel Smith's victims. The last ... himself.
Sound familiar? It does but it shouldn't. In 1996, 8,759 hate crimes were committed in the U.S. All of us should be acutely aware that crimes of this nature, committed for no other reason than the victim's physical appearance or private beliefs, make absolutely no sense. We hear stories on the news, we shake our heads and life for us goes on. We wonder at our nation's bloody state and we fear for the youth of today. We complain that things get worse and worse. We are loath to hear that songs can carry titles such as "Cop Killer." We hear the profanity in rap music but ignore the bitter truth in the next line, "... the streets got our babies."
We are for the most part much too apathetic. We may think that the 8,759 hate crimes during 1996 had nothing to do with us. Think about that. If just half of those beaten or killed for their race, religion or sexual orientation have two living parents, that means that 13,138 people grieved for victims of hate crimes in that year alone. This assumes that each victim was a grandparentless and only child who had no friends and whose parents were both only children. We forget that hate crimes are dangerously close, for it may be our child, brother or sister who walks down the street with an acquaintance whose background or lifestyle is "wrong." Perhaps it is our own child, brother or sister who is "wrong." In 1997, the number of hate-inspired acts of violence rose to 10,255, including eight murders; one is too many. 10,225 is appalling and unacceptable.
This past June, the U.S. Senate passed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act as an amendment to the FY01 Department of Defense Authorization Bill. The fate of the amendment in the House of Representatives is still uncertain. Laws that offer recourse for individuals victimized solely on the basis of race, ethnicity or religious affiliation are already in place. If passed into law, the HCPA will expand this legislation so that criminals are held accountable for violent acts motivated by disability, gender and sexual orientation. In short, it would take us one step closer to safety and security for ALL citizens of the United States.
It doesn't take a Ph.D. to realize the importance of not only passing legislation like the HCPA, but of voicing strong support and vehement desire for it. The common-sense truth is that hate affects everyone. It can no longer be allowed to spread into destructive action. Richard Lugar, our Republican senator, had enough courage and integrity to reach across partisan lines to register his support for the HCPA. For the sake of our families, our physical safety and our piece of mind, it is vital that Rep. Stephen Buyer follow Lugar's lead. It is my sincere hope that when the Hate Crimes Prevention Act comes to a vote in the House, the Fifth Indiana Congressional District (including Kosciusko and Wabash counties) will be visibly, vocally, undoubtedly behind it.
Statistics quoted from: www.fbi.gov
Tiffany L. Hendrix
North Manchester
What's Wrong With Education
Editor, Times-Union:Bobby Knight is a perfect example of what's wrong with education in Indiana.
An educated person should have command of the English language so that he doesn't need to lower his vocabulary to the gutter and curse to express himself.
His tantrums and lack of self-control should NOT be acceptable adult behavior. Hoosiers have elevated sports to such an important place; the winning is more important than anything else. Bad manners, bad language, egotistical bullying, demanding respect (but not being respectful)--are these attributes what Hoosiers want to be known for? Is this uncouth, ignorant example what we consider acceptable?
It is time our leaders and citizens reassess our priorities and teach our children higher standards.
Myra Lackey
Warsaw
Thanks To Miller's
Editor, Times-Union:To the management of Miller's Merry Manor: a great big thank you for last Saturday's picnic. It seems to me the tables extended from one end of the dining room to the other. We had grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, mountains of potato salad, chips and homemade baked beans, finished off with watermelon and homemade ice cream. Truly an achievement.
Jay Swick
Chairman of the Residents' Council
Warsaw
[[In-content Ad]]
- Protect The Children - Met Chocola - Hate Crimes - What's Wrong With Education - Thanks To Miller's
Protect The Children
Editor, Times-Union:How many times have you been in a public place and have heard harsh, vulgar and obscene words being spoken and then look to find the source and realize it's a parent talking to their child? I have seen this several times in the past but during the last three days, I have seen it once every day. Wal-Mart - a mother screaming and yelling in her young child's face as the child sits in the cart; Owen's - a father dragging his 3-year-old child out of the car by one arm and then proceeding to drag him by the arm across the parking lot until they reach the store (yelling very mean and hurtful words all the way). The latest, most horrendous one, happened in front of Dollar Store. A mother is physically restraining her young child in the car as she raises her fist high up into the air (hand clutched tightly) and proceeds to pound up and down several times while cursing at him with words that a child should never hear. (Yes, the police were called and they are working on finding her ... they have been very helpful.)
Not only physically painful, but how demeaning, embarrassing and humiliating for these children. Yes, children misbehave, some very badly, but I cannot even begin to imagine what a child could do to deserve such injustice by their parents, the ones who are supposed to love them unconditionally. The ones God entrusted their lives with. We, as citizens and human beings, MUST DO OUR PART to protect these children.
We need to start making the ones doing this to their children in public, answer in public. What can we lose if we approach them, in a kind and civil manner, in a store while they are doing this? Maybe, most likely, we'll get a few choice words yelled at us, even be accused of sticking our noses in where they don't belong ... ohhhh well ... at least the one being humiliated is not the child. Hopefully the abuser will get a little taste of how they are making their child feel in public. It might even make the parent doing this realize for the first time that doing this to their child is not acceptable, let alone humane. Chances are, if this is happening in public, it is happening 10 times worse at home.
If we see children being struck in a violent manner, call 911. Let's save our children and make the abusive parents start answering. Yes, it usually takes physical scars or bruises to file charges and not much can be done, criminally, for verbal abuse, but if we, the public, can intervene before it gets to the physical beating then maybe, just maybe, we have saved one precious child from getting beat one more time.
Deb Pennington
Winona Lake
via e-mail
Met Chocola
Editor, Times-Union:I recently had the pleasure to visit with Chris Chocola, who is the Republican candidate running for the U.S. House of Representatives from the Third District of Indiana. It became evident to me during this meeting why Chris Chocola is indeed the right type of individual to represent us in Congress.
As a successful businessman, Chris Chocola understands important issues facing our country today: job creation, education and health care. But perhaps more importantly, he understands what these issues mean to the people of the Third District because he lives here, works here and is raising his family here.
Northern Indiana is one of the most entrepreneurial areas in the United States. This entrepreneurial spirit is what creates jobs as well as drives education, formal and informal, and works to make our citizens more responsible. The incumbent, Tim Roemer, has chosen to be a resident of the Washington area since being elected 10 years ago and is not "in-touch" with the needs, wants and desires of the Third District. He also has no real-life experience outside of government, having spent his entire adult life working for politicians and wanting to become one.
Roemer recently indicated that being a good father was more important than living in the district he represents. Certainly most of us would agree that being a good father is one of the most important duties in life. But Congress is in session only about 140 days per year and normally starts their week on Tuesday and ends it on Thursday. It would seem that the Third District would not be that much of an obstacle. Two other Congressmen from northern Indiana, Steve Buyer and Mark Souder, return home to Indiana almost every weekend.
Public records show that in 1999, Roemer spent approximately 45 days in the district, including travel time. Yet Congress was in session just 137 days. The other 228 could have been spent with us.
After 10 years of being our Congressman, Roemer has no leadership position in his party and has a voting record that shows his willingness to flip-flop on virtually every issue in an effort to protect his own political career.
Indiana's Third District deserves representation that understands our needs and spends his time listening to those he represents. Chris Chocola has dedicated himself to this cause and has agreed to abide by self-imposed term limits if elected, because he believes in public service - not public careers.
Chris Chocola is the right person for us to elect and now is the right time.
Gregg Fore
Middlebury
Hate Crimes
Editor, Times-Union:July 4, 1999, in Bloomington, was an excellent time for me, a real trip. On my way home in the wee morning, I grinned at the police cars in the church parking lot on Third Street. "Criminal mischief," I thought. Only after eight hours of sleep did I learn that what happened there wasn't mere mischief. It was murder. A hate crime. My fellow Bloomington resident, Won-Joon Yoon, was gunned down on his way to worship by a notorious white supremacist who had been distributing literature in Bloomington for months. The motive for the crime was Yoon's Asian-American appearance and heritage. Yoon was the second to last of Benjamin Nathaniel Smith's victims. The last ... himself.
Sound familiar? It does but it shouldn't. In 1996, 8,759 hate crimes were committed in the U.S. All of us should be acutely aware that crimes of this nature, committed for no other reason than the victim's physical appearance or private beliefs, make absolutely no sense. We hear stories on the news, we shake our heads and life for us goes on. We wonder at our nation's bloody state and we fear for the youth of today. We complain that things get worse and worse. We are loath to hear that songs can carry titles such as "Cop Killer." We hear the profanity in rap music but ignore the bitter truth in the next line, "... the streets got our babies."
We are for the most part much too apathetic. We may think that the 8,759 hate crimes during 1996 had nothing to do with us. Think about that. If just half of those beaten or killed for their race, religion or sexual orientation have two living parents, that means that 13,138 people grieved for victims of hate crimes in that year alone. This assumes that each victim was a grandparentless and only child who had no friends and whose parents were both only children. We forget that hate crimes are dangerously close, for it may be our child, brother or sister who walks down the street with an acquaintance whose background or lifestyle is "wrong." Perhaps it is our own child, brother or sister who is "wrong." In 1997, the number of hate-inspired acts of violence rose to 10,255, including eight murders; one is too many. 10,225 is appalling and unacceptable.
This past June, the U.S. Senate passed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act as an amendment to the FY01 Department of Defense Authorization Bill. The fate of the amendment in the House of Representatives is still uncertain. Laws that offer recourse for individuals victimized solely on the basis of race, ethnicity or religious affiliation are already in place. If passed into law, the HCPA will expand this legislation so that criminals are held accountable for violent acts motivated by disability, gender and sexual orientation. In short, it would take us one step closer to safety and security for ALL citizens of the United States.
It doesn't take a Ph.D. to realize the importance of not only passing legislation like the HCPA, but of voicing strong support and vehement desire for it. The common-sense truth is that hate affects everyone. It can no longer be allowed to spread into destructive action. Richard Lugar, our Republican senator, had enough courage and integrity to reach across partisan lines to register his support for the HCPA. For the sake of our families, our physical safety and our piece of mind, it is vital that Rep. Stephen Buyer follow Lugar's lead. It is my sincere hope that when the Hate Crimes Prevention Act comes to a vote in the House, the Fifth Indiana Congressional District (including Kosciusko and Wabash counties) will be visibly, vocally, undoubtedly behind it.
Statistics quoted from: www.fbi.gov
Tiffany L. Hendrix
North Manchester
What's Wrong With Education
Editor, Times-Union:Bobby Knight is a perfect example of what's wrong with education in Indiana.
An educated person should have command of the English language so that he doesn't need to lower his vocabulary to the gutter and curse to express himself.
His tantrums and lack of self-control should NOT be acceptable adult behavior. Hoosiers have elevated sports to such an important place; the winning is more important than anything else. Bad manners, bad language, egotistical bullying, demanding respect (but not being respectful)--are these attributes what Hoosiers want to be known for? Is this uncouth, ignorant example what we consider acceptable?
It is time our leaders and citizens reassess our priorities and teach our children higher standards.
Myra Lackey
Warsaw
Thanks To Miller's
Editor, Times-Union:To the management of Miller's Merry Manor: a great big thank you for last Saturday's picnic. It seems to me the tables extended from one end of the dining room to the other. We had grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, mountains of potato salad, chips and homemade baked beans, finished off with watermelon and homemade ice cream. Truly an achievement.
Jay Swick
Chairman of the Residents' Council
Warsaw
[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092