DAVIS EXECUTION
Don’t call justice work a ‘public relations war’
Is there really a public relations war going on between Troy Davis supporters and the prosecuting attorneys (“Davis supporters try to win PR war,” Metro, Sept. 23)? Since when are efforts to persuade people to do the right thing considered public relations battles? It is wrong to say that people working for justice are a “mega public relations machine” — implying what they are doing is wrong.
Amnesty International and the NAACP are two examples of organizations working for justice. As long as there is injustice, there will be people standing up to be counted on that side — but don’t call it a “public relations war.”
Alberta Irwin, Atlanta
ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT
Palestinians to blame for rejecting solution
The core issue in the Arab-Israeli conflict is not a Palestinian state, but the obsession with destroying Israel. The Palestinians could have had a state many times. They have consistently rejected any solution allowing a permanent Israel. Palestinian President Abbas has refused to negotiate for years and now seeks unilateral statehood. His strategy is to accelerate the conflict after statehood.
One-sided pressure on Israel and Israeli concessions have led only to more rocket attacks and demands. Progress toward peace can only come when the Palestinians make reciprocal compromises and accept the principle of two states for two peoples.
Doron Lubinsky, Atlanta
LOW WAGES
Washington’s answer again will be austerity
If nearly everyone is working for low wages, how can a consumer-based economy ever be restored? How is a broad recovery mathematically possible? If politicians were to address this (assuming they could take a break from heeding their corporate bosses), the next question would be: Will you tax the wealthy to compensate the general population for its inability to provide for itself, or is this a simple case of “let the poor die in the snow”? Washington’s answer to this, as everything, will be: Austerity.
Dean Poirier, Duluth
SPLOST
Provincial attitudes fill forum discussions
SPLOST forums, as reflected in recent AJC coverage, seem to attract provincial attitude. All that the SPLOST planners might learn from them is that transportation improvements anywhere other than where a forum attendee lives or commutes are a pointless expenditure.
If some folks in north Fulton (for example) feel that the Beltline or an Emory line do not fall within the parameters of needed metro transit improvements, it should be noted that north Fulton improvements are an equally dubious use of money for in-towners. Perhaps the majority of metro Atlanta folks would be best satisfied with more rail within I-285 — and more road outside I-285.
Bob Eberwein, Atlanta
