City’s increasing crime mirrors deteriorating society

The prevailing mindset around Atlanta has deteriorated until Atlanta now feels like it’s surpassed Chicago for the highest crime rate of all American cities.

This is the opposite of “a badge of honor.” An Aug. 15 AJC news story told that Atlanta homicides for 2022 (so far) had reached 100.

Anger management is sometimes nonexistent. Hatred and violence are promoted in entertainment, including movies, video games, and especially rap music.

Some people want to greatly reduce (or eliminate?) consequences for crimes. Public safety is disappearing. Defund the police? How backward. That further disables civilization; by encouraging criminal behavior.

People have been taught greed and selfishness. Road rage is increasingly common. The “anything goes” mindset is devouring us, bite by bite.

Better logic is severely needed, including compassion, loyalty to good principles and integrity in character. Otherwise, we become incrementally destroyed, like Detroit, Minneapolis and Seattle!

It is a choice, Atlanta. Our current direction needs to change. Your very life may depend upon it!

TOM STREETS, ATLANTA

Georgia Republicans bent on giving civil rights to the unborn

The Georgia legislature proclaims through its divine Republican right that an embryo is a person and can be claimed on one’s taxes. Probably, our Republican-dominated legislature won’t stop there. It will give fetuses the right to vote, but since they have no consciousness, the legislature will provide that these fetuses shall be registered as Republicans by default. During elections, votes will be cast for them for a straight Republican ticket.

For the sake of fairness, the Republican legislature will provide an opt-out for the fetuses if they fill out exception forms and provide three documents that establish that they are Georgia citizens. One document must be an up-to-date U.S. passport. The legislature believes that such procedures will guarantee the fairness of elections, and any who might disagree will be subject to detainment and incarceration without trial for some arbitrary term without limit.

WILLIAM B. SPILLMAN JR., SAVANNAH

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Mathew Palmer, a former Delta Air Lines employee, at his home in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.  Palmer was fired less than two weeks after writing a post on social media about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Natrice Miller/AJC)