MCNAIR ACADEMY
Response to "School's close call kindles debate" News, Aug. 25
The near-tragic situation at an area school is an opportunity to again consider the U.S. problem of mental illness. To focus only on adding police officers and more guns misses the lesson that Antoinette Tuff and Michael Hill offer us. This incident ended with no one hurt. What was different?
Tuff realized that Hill needed a good listener, and compassion. A better mental health system in the U.S. would have offered him the opportunity to have his needs met another way. Better opportunities for help would have not left the lives of Tuff and others at the school at risk.
This incident is a cry for help — a cry for better mental health care in the U.S. We need to talk honestly about why the mentally ill cannot get the help they need. Can we find a way to use this incident to spur a conversation about what is really needed: better mental health care, to help prevent a gunman from looking for a gun and a place to take it? I hope so.
AMY DURRELL, ATLANTA
COMMENTARY
Writer overreaches
by playing race card
As usual, Maureen Dowd overreaches in her latest opinion column (“Impeach Obama? Maybe lawmakers should leave,” Opinion, Aug. 25).
Ms. Dowd made plenty of excellent and valid points in her assessment of Republicans and their inane efforts to impeach President Obama. She had me until the last line.
To inject race into her argument cheapens its validity. In a country where we cannot even discuss race in a rational manner, it is irresponsible to throw around race as the reason some lawmakers want to impeach the president. Ms. Dowd presented no such evidence or argument here. By playing the race card, she shows herself to be no better than the lawmakers she wishes would leave. Maybe she should do the same.
SHERYL WILLIAMS, DOUGLASVILLE
GOOD SAMARITAN
Thanks to stranger
who stopped to help
I would like to express my thanks to the young lady who came to my rescue recently, as I lay with my bicycle on top of me and large areas of skin scraped away. My biking accident was the result of a hole near the Carter Center (and, possibly, my slower reflexes).
She stopped her bike and asked me if she could help. She called my wife on my cell to let her know my status, and she waited until I was up and moving before she continued with her ride.
I did not get her name, but she is a wonderful example of the kind and caring people one meets in Atlanta.
HOWARD STACY, Atlanta
EDUCATION
Common Core means
standards all agree on
The argument that current state standards are more rigorous than Common Core misses the point.
The goal is not to have the most rigorous standards possible. The goal is to give teachers across the nation a common framework that allows them to collaborate and share resources. As a Georgia public high school teacher, I can attest that nationwide collaboration is basically nonexistent.
Imagine if Coca-Cola was not allowed to be a nationwide company, but had to run separately in each state or each county. There might be a separate formula, separate marketing and separate bottling. Imagine how inefficient and pointless that would be. This is essentially where we are with education. Common Core is a step in the right direction.
PHINIZY SPALDING, MCDONOUGH
