RESPONSIBILITY
Follow doctor’s advice on fixing family values
You can save all your marches, rallies and inspiring speeches.
All you need for success is to follow the principles in Dr. Melody T. McCloud’s excellent column, “Fixing black families” (Opinion, Sept. 5). It is concise and practical advice that can be applied to any family, regardless of creed or color.
The question is this: Will anybody actually follow Dr. McCloud’s prescription, or will we remain in the same self-destructive cycle in perpetuity?
CRAIG COCHRAN, KENNESAW
COMMENTARY
Appreciate columnist who thinks for himself
Contrary to what a letter writer stated recently, Thomas Sowell is one of the best journalists to write on your editorial pages (“Better conservative voices are available,” Readers write, Opinion, Sept. 5).
He is honest and open-minded. He doesn’t go along with the crowd. He thinks for himself. We need more like him.
BOB BRUCE, MCDONOUGH
WILDLIFE
Steel-jawed traps kill, maim family pets, too
I found it most depressing to read that the trapping of wild animals is on the increase in Georgia, as they are often caught in the most gruesome way with steel-jawed leghold traps (“Georgia’s trapping community seeing growth,” Metro, Sept. 3).
Several U.S. states and 88 countries have banned these cruel devices. Since these traps are indiscriminate, they are responsible each year for killing or crippling many dogs, cats and birds.
Trappers have urged parents to get their children involved to keep this barbaric practice alive and well. I suggest that a trip to the local library would be far more beneficial, as children could then learn about the wonderful wild animals that inhabit this state.
COLIN MASON, ATLANTA
PRIVACY
Corporate snooping exceeds government’s
In this time of uproar over government overreach, I find the passivity over corporate overreach to be puzzling. Were governments to engage in the now-routine business practices of some companies, the citizenry would revolt.
For example, government secrets are published by WikiLeaks, but not the formula used to calculate our credit scores. Companies can place “cookies” on my computer that track my browsing in detail. Were a government to engage in this practice, people would be rightly outraged. Companies “mine” not just my browsing habits but also purchases to create a profile about me in order to sell goods and services — a profile I cannot review, edit or delete.
For my part, I would be much more receptive to the outrage over government overreach if there was corresponding outrage over corporation overreach. Rights need to be protected — regardless of where the threat comes from.
JERRY SEUFERT, ALPHARETTA
