INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
Response to "The river warrior," Living, April 14
Against a daily backdrop of bad news, it is a breath of fresh air to read this piece. Robert Fuller’s inspirational journey is the stuff that makes a memorable documentary. The AJC did a great job bringing this story to life. Despite having cancer, Fuller not only completed this journey by canoe, but collected water samples from Georgia’s waterways that can provide a snapshot of the health of our rivers and streams.
Fuller didn’t let illness or exhaustion deter him from completing his trip. He performed an iron man marathon to complete that long trip. Kudos to him for making this incredible journey.
Yes, he is one of my heroes. His story inspires hope. One day, I hope that a documentary will be made of his trip. Thank you, AJC for running this wonderful story.
WILLIAM MCKEE JR., FLOWERY BRANCH
SECOND AMENDMENT
Senator’s gun remark
betrays voter disdain
In “Young, new senator’s first target? NRA, gun safety” (Opinion, April 14), the senator utilized a metaphor to make a legitimate point about the need for some level of constraint on gun purchases through improved background checks and, implicitly, that we should be content with a reduction in some freedoms for the greater good.
It’s the way he worded it that’s so creepy: “When my 4-year-old asks for two scoops of ice cream and he gets one and a half, he still eats the one and a half.”
That sort of statement conveys a clear message: “We — your representatives — are the parents. You citizens are the children. It’s our job to train you, constrain you, admonish you, comfort you and take care of your every need, because you are simply unable to do so without our deep involvement in your lives.”
It’s nauseating.
When month after month, we observe the antics of our legislative and executive representatives, there’s little doubt that it is the other way around. Mr. and Ms. Representative, we are your employers — not your kids or underlings.
ALAN FOSTER, ACWORTH
BOSTON BOMBINGS
Children must learn to
love, value human life
The headlines about the Boston attacks are focused on unveiling the culprit. However, we have a much larger issue at hand than this. The more pressing question is, “Where is the humanity?”
The humanity that we are lacking needs to be taught in our homes and in our classrooms. Children, the next generation, must learn to love regardless of race, religion, or class. After all, we are all humans.
In the country I am originally from, Pakistan, incidents like this occur regularly. I am devastated to see that now, America has also fallen victim to such violence. I solemnly condemn any form or kind of terrorism, and pray that the culprit will brought to justice. My heart goes out to the victims of this incident.
KHOLA HUMAYUN, TUNNEL HILL
Don’t dignify terror act
by linking it to a cause
Why do terrorists kill? It is not because they believe so strongly in a cause that they are willing to murder for it. They are murderers who wrap themselves in a cause to justify themselves. They murder not because they are true believers, but because they like the experience, the thrill, the power and the publicity and inflicting pain and suffering on others. The cause is not crucially important. In fact, they are largely interchangeable.
Our focus should be less on “the cause” and more on how to deal with the sociopaths in our midst. The emphasis on “the cause” tends to make them folk heroes and, ultimately, martyrs.
DOUGLAS CLARK, SNELLVILLE
