NFL players’ irresponsibility contributes to problem they protest
Children raised in a fatherless home, especially black children, are more likely to engage in criminal behavior and therefore have more contact with police. When football players father a child with a woman to whom they are not married – or living with – they are contributing to the problem against which these players are taking a knee. These names are in the news and can be Googled to confirm. Antonio Cromartie has 13 kids with many women. Travis Henry has nine kids with nine women. Willis McGahee has 10 kids with eight different women. Marshall Faulk has six kids with four women. These are just a few of the athletes, and any information you need is there to be found. It seems the knee is not the problem.
MARY LOU BROOKS, ATLANTA
Can’t argue fact that Trump indeed lost popular vote
A letter writer recently repeated right-wing claims about what Democrats want and Obama/Clinton promised in “Democrats can’t deliver on promise” (Readers Write, Aug. 7). Rather than argue the questionable truth of those points, and foregoing an opportunity to detail the failed promises by Republican administrations, I would simply point out that his claims of the progressive policies that “the people” didn’t want any more in choosing our current president are emphatically contradicted by the fact that in 2016, “the people” chose Hillary Clinton by a majority of 3 million votes. They were overruled by 304 of the 538 unelected, unaccountable political party appointees to the Electoral College. I am constantly amazed at how often Republicans blithely overlook these simple facts as they claim a national mandate for their beliefs, and how seldom they are reminded by the “mainstream media” that is accused of being so liberal.
J. KURT OHBERG, ATLANTA
Safer neighborhoods start with honesty about violent crime
In a recent opinion piece, the Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR) disputed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ statement that, from 2014 to 2016, “violent crime [in Georgia] went up nearly eight percent.” SCHR claimed that violent crime actually went down.
Unfortunately, that isn’t true. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting database — which the Attorney General was citing — showed an increase in violent crime between 2014 and 2016 of 7.59 percent — or “nearly eight percent.” The GBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program data for 2014 to 2016 — which SCHR cites — also showed that violent crime went up. Indeed, the murder rate increased over 14 percent. Rape and aggravated assault rates also increased by double digits. SCHR is entitled to its own opinion, but it is not entitled to its own version of the facts.
For those thousands of violent crime victims, one incident is too high!
BJAY PAK, U.S. ATTORNEY, ATLANTA
Time to recall importance of 1st Amendment’s key rights
The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” When I was a student, a simple explanation of freedom of speech was that someone can’t just yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater; a person must be a purveyor of truth and facts. We currently have someone who is constantly creating a chaotic scene. He speaks derogatorily about members of Congress, the press, athletes, and people of different sex and nationalities. This figuratively equates to yelling fire in a crowded theater. The press from the very beginning of our country has been considered the Fourth Estate, behind Congress, the executive and the judiciary. The importance of the press is to record, hold a spotlight on any governmental actions that occur outside the dictates of the Constitution, and alert the citizenry of said actions.
SUZETTE GOOLSBY, COLLEGE PARK
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