AIRLINE SAFETY
Knee-jerk reaction is both typical, absurd
A sleeping air traffic controller is certainly an unacceptable situation. Corrective action is clearly warranted, but the typical government knee-jerk reaction to immediately hire more personnel is absurd.
I have a simpler and cheaper solution: at the controllers’ stations, install a little box with a button on it that, if not pressed every 10 minutes, a loud alarm sounds. A person would soon be conditioned to remember to hit the button before the 10 minutes are up. This solution would be very inexpensive, and not subject to the possibility of two controllers sleeping.
Bryan Carl, Marietta
RELIGION
A woman should be free to cover her face
There was much coverage recently on the ‘burqa ban’ in France. As a Muslim woman who covers her head, who is living in the West, I was disturbed by this curtailment of religious freedom. Then, I saw the images of some of these so-called oppressed women who showed up in London to protest this discriminatory ban. One wonders who was letting these poor souls out of their homes to stand up for something they were allegedly forced to do. They seemed confident in that they were not scared to stand up for their basic rights.
Muslim women have a moral obligation to abide by the injunctions related to the veil, but there is no specific attire prescribed. This is why there are so many ways Muslim women choose to practice modesty. If a woman is comfortable covering her face, she should be free to do so. Freedom of religion is a cornerstone of democracy, and should not be denied.
Saima Ahmad, Suwanee
POLITICS
Congressional members’ goal is to get re-elected
The federal budget battles have focused on our current and future financial health, yet have ignored a cause of the problem: every Congress person doing what they believe gets them re-elected.
Members of Congress faithfully attend any public event where they can get face time for the government’s funding. This could include ribbon-cuttings, official dedications, and any event (regardless of the size), so they can brag about being the politician who got the money. They are all in a race with each other to see who can get the most for their home state or district. To get re-elected is the goal. Whoever gets the credit for spending gets re-elected.
This race needs to end. As long as members of Congress believe spending is how to get re-elected, they will. If we do not reward them, they will be thrifty like never before.
Luke Laurent, Atlanta
HEALTH
For full picture, doctors need all the information
If more adults are taking vitamins and supplements, then that calls for an examination of how doctors diagnose their patients. Most doctors do want to know the list of medications that one takes; however, it would appear that vitamins and supplements should also be considered when dispensing prescriptions to a patient, as there may be a harmful conflict that could ensue from improper warnings given by the doctor. David Clarke, Buford
