Praise for writer’s storytelling abilities
I have decided that reporter Mark Davis belongs in the classroom. His excellent ability to communicate, engaging interest immediately in his subject, and his clear sympathetic temperament make him an excellent candidate, preferably in an elementary school classroom. Perhaps I would not have viewed science so negatively had I had a different 3rd grade science teacher.
That aside, I think we are fortunate to be able to read him in your paper — whatever his topic. That piece he wrote last summer on the path of the Confederate soldiers to the Battle of Atlanta site (“Long march back in time,” Go Guide, July 18) remains a powerful example, and should be an impetus to creating an historic trail.
ALIDA C. SILVERMAN, ATLANTA
We should hold parents responsible
Governor Deal has gone on record as saying grandparents should step up with the raising of children, but isn’t this just another example of the blame game that permeates our society? It is the parents’ responsibility for raising their children, but the breakdown of the family unit and the acceptance of that are creating our problems with youth. Rather than holding parents responsible, we blame the schools for not educating. We blame the government for not providing enough subsidies, including food and housing. And now, we blame the grandparents for not stepping up. Put the blame where it belongs: on the parents and their decisions and priorities.
LEE BAKER, LILBURN
Don’t forget girls abducted in Nigeria
I caught the Grammy Awards the other night. There were more than a few references made about “Hands up, don’t shoot” and ” I can’t breathe,” but not a single mention of the almost 300 teenage girls in Nigeria brutally kidnapped, converted to Islam and forced into sexual slavery. I thought, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.). Evidently not. There was no mention of it by any of the big-name celebrities. Astonishing.
PAT MURPHY, FAYETTEVILLE
Public safety vs. choice on vaccines
In 1955, my brother and sister died of polio. My sister was 20, and my brother was 17. The polio vaccine had been developed that year but was not widely available. If my siblings had been able to receive the vaccine, they most likely would be alive today. Politicians and parents who view vaccination as an option based on individual rights are misguided. Public health safety trumps individual choices. Rather than use magical thinking to direct their actions, I advise them to use scientific research.
MARY R. MOORE, ATLANTA
