Obama stays silent in face of threats
Consider the difference in the reaction of the Obama Administration to the killing of a young black man in Ferguson, Mo., and that of a white, middle-aged grandmother in Moore, Okla. In Ferguson, a teen is shot dead after he provokes an altercation with a white police officer. Immediately, cries of racism are levied against the police, President Obama weighs in, Eric Holder pays a visit and the Justice Department opens a civil rights investigation.
In Moore, an innocent woman is beheaded in an obvious terror attack by an Islamic extremist, and the reaction from the White House is complete silence. Unfortunately, there is no political gain and lots of political downside to calling the killing in Moore what it is: an act of terror committed in our homeland. Until the president stops playing politics and starts acting like a protector of all the people, we cannot begin to address the real threats this county faces.
DOUG LOCKER, DECATUR
Cobb lags others on teacher salaries
I read the article by Rose French about the Cobb County school superintendent (“Debate on who gets school chief title,” News, Sept. 29) and was very puzzled why the Cobb superintendent’s salary is $185,000 versus the $361,966 average for the APS, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett superintendents. My wife is a teacher in Cobb Count,y and I have watched her W-2 shrink each year. Am I missing something? How about giving the Cobb County teachers a much-deserved raise and change the direction of the W-2s?
MATT LOHLEIN, ATLANTA
Cap emissions for a healthier planet
Suppose your doctor told you that you had contracted a fatal disease. You had a short window to make changes that would be beneficial in the long run, like cutting back on alcohol, making better food choices and exercising more. If you didn’t do these things, then in a very short time, your health would begin to degrade exponentially and irreversibly. You then went to 98 more doctors who gave you the identical diagnosis. Finally, you found one doctor who said you were fine, and you didn’t need to change anything. Who would you believe?
This is climate change. Ninety-nine percent of scientists and researchers say the earth’s climate is changing. The things we can do to prevent further damage to the earth’s climate are all things that would make the planet healthier in the long run, whether you believe the 99 doctors or not. The prescription cannot harm the patient either way. Just because Al Gore and Barack Obama believe the 99 percent of scientists doesn’t mean they are wrong. But even if they are wrong — which is highly unlikely, given the overwhelming support of independent scientists and researchers — capping carbon emissions will only make the planet healthier in the long run. So why are we still having this argument?
CAROLINE KNIGHT, ATLANTA
