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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 15, 2007

School District's Forum?

Regarding 'Student Safety Paramount At King High' (Other Views, Oct. 8):

I found this article from a Hillsborough County schools official interesting. The school superintendent has also used the newspaper op-ed page as a forum to air views. It seems to me that an interview with a newspaper employee with other viewpoints discussed would be more appropriate.

I was educated in the Hillsborough public school system, as were my two daughters. I am happy with the overall experience but always believe things can be improved. The method of teaching elementary math is one example, and the continuing problem of delivering students to school on time is another of the things that need to be improved. In both cases the school system appears to be defensive of their position instead of looking for a good solution. This way of thinking seems to come from the top down. The lack of respect for other opinions in the school board meetings has been well documented recently. The treatment of Doug Erwin as a whistleblower on waste in the school system was also found unreasonable by outside experts.

People will not give their points of view if they believe they will be dismissed out of hand. Solutions to problems are hard to find when viewpoints of others are not considered. Perhaps the school administration needs to ask what is good and right instead of how they could possibly be wrong.

MARTIN BEARSS

Tampa

Take Care With Internet

Regarding 'Police Catch Sex Offender' (Metro, Oct. 7):

I am a 16-year-old Alonso High School junior, and like most teenagers I, too, have a MySpace page. This event made me realize how dangerous the Internet really can be. This happened right here in our area. Many kids make poor decisions that can affect their lives forever. Most teens don't think about the consequences of talking to people they truly don't know.

If the Internet is used the right way it can be a great social tool, like finding a friend you haven't seen in years. We should use the Internet in a more positive way and be informed about the potential dangers of our actions.

MICHELLE DEAL

Tampa

Thanks To Leonard Pitts

Hugs! I've always loved them and always will. I give plenty of them and am on the receiving end of them many times. Hugging runs in our family. When I write letters to my family and friends and mail them, a 'hug' card is almost always included.

So it was with much pleasure I read columnist Leonard Pitts on Oct. 6. It was for a sad reason that he wanted a hug - he wanted a human touch, he wrote. He had seen the holocaust victims' graves in Poland, and he sought out one of his bus mates and opened his arms.

Some of his column was devoted to the banning of hugs in many U.S. schools and in Cornwall, England. I've had a pen pal in Cornwall since the early 1960s - I surely will write about that in my next letter to her! Thank you to Pitts for reminding us that we all need that 'human touch' and, down deep inside, we all love it.

PEARL L. MURRAY

Tampa

First Line Of Defense

Regarding 'Sheriff should Hold Line On Raises' (Our Opinion, Oct. 10):

Are you out of your mind? When are the politicians and administrators going to realize that our first line of defense against the bad guys and girls needs to make an excellent wage for putting their lives on the line every day? If this system fails to attract the best we have because of poor pay and working conditions, picture what the consequences could be to our community. Raises of 1 or 2 percent for the most experienced officers is a disgrace.

Come on, Hillsborough County commissioners, tell the sheriff he needs to change his mind. We need to pay for the best first line of defense, and this includes firemen, too.

I am sure all taxpayers would rather pay taxes for their law enforcement officers and firemen rather then give deals to the Glazers and the Bucs, but that is another story. VINCE BENTIVEGNA

Tampa

Message For Americans

Regarding 'The Bonds Of Dissent' by Anouar Majid (Other Views, Oct 11):

Majid is absolutely correct in his statement, 'it is the failure of the United States to safeguard the principles that made it great in the first place.' The idea that Americans made this country great has been lost. They wrote a document, the Constitution, for its citizens to enjoy the privileges thereof.

Peoples from other countries came here to be Americans and to work - remember that word - for a better life for themselves and their children. They did this because they saw that they really would be given the opportunity to excel on their merits. Again, Americans are what made and make this country as great as it is or will be. Majid is not the one who should be blaring this across the nation. It should be the Americans.

DON MILLIGAN

Lakeland

Kudos On Correction

Kudos to Cloe Cabrera and the Tribune for running 'No Bras Burned, But They Did Revolt' (BayLife, Oct. 9). This was an important follow-up (and correction) to a Sept. 27 piece in which bra-maker Maidenform provided inaccurate details about the history of the bra, including the widely debunked myth that feminists 'burned bras' in the 1960s.

There's an important lesson here: When capable reporters like Cabrera do their own investigation, fact-checking and writing - and when they seek out their own expert sources, such as Jacqui Ceballos of Veteran Feminists of America, quoted in the story - the result is solid journalism that informs and educates readers. But when newspapers rely on self-interested corporations and advertisers for journalistic legwork, the end result is often specious and biased.

Stick to your own research and reject company-provided content, Ms. Cabrera, because this story was stellar.

JENNIFER L. POZNER

Brooklyn, N.Y.

The writer is executive director of Women In Media & News.

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