to the Editor:
Re “Armed. And Ready to Teach Kindergarten” (front page, July 31):
As both a parent of school children and a US citizen with common sense values, I am deeply disturbed by this article. Creating a school rapid response force of poorly trained and most likely underprepared and timid teachers, administrators and janitors to do what the roughly 400 law enforcement officers armed with automatic high-capacity rifles could not do in Uvalde was rather ridiculous. and seems misguided.
It is as if the adage “a good man with a gun” is now the new strategy for taking action where trained officers have so clearly and tragically failed.
Evidence shows that successful results of such tactics are extremely rare in mass shooting incidents. And so, again we ignore the elephant in the room (hundreds of guns, loose gun laws, NRA lobby) and instead of legislating safeguards for the innocent, we humbly and quietly give a teacher a 24-hour certificate And a Glock, unless it’s in the hands of an expert weapon handler, becomes essentially a pea shooter against a maniac armed with an automatic rifle.
The insane gun laws allowing such frequent mass shootings are now being seen as the stupid and poorly done “solution” in this great country.
Timothy Painter
Media, p.
to the Editor:
As a retired elementary school teacher, I felt a mixture of disbelief and dread after reading this article! What is wrong with our country that makes it acceptable for teachers to carry and possibly use a loaded weapon?
Classrooms are places where the environment should be safe and comfortable for learning. Will getting teachers ready to shoot create the environment we want for our kids?
Barbara Segalu
Berkeley, Calif.
to the Editor:
Instead of fearful teachers feeling compelled to learn to fire a gun for their own safety and the safety of the children in their care, why don’t teachers refuse to go to school until these semi-automatic rifles are completely banned and off the streets? would have been done?
Teachers taught on Zoom during a plague; They can do it again during this current plague.
Lisbeth S. fried
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Giving firearms to civilians with minimal training and experience is a nationwide disaster. The lives of our children, young adults, teachers and administrators deserve a more thoughtful, careful response to the epidemic of school shootings. No reckless, shoot-from-the-hip policies.
Victor Calliman
Kings Park, NY
The author is a former teacher and principal.
Russia’s Analysis, and the Man Who Runs It
to the Editor:
Re: “Putin performs for Russia, and Ukraine is the stage,” by Peter Pomerantsev (Sunday Opinion, July 31):
Mr. Pomerantsev’s excellent analysis of President Vladimir Putin’s manipulation of the Russian “circle of humiliation and aggression” reminded me of the Russian people “never take the trash out of the hut.”
Russians will never accept or remember their own pain as they refuse to present their failures and shortcomings to the outside world. The Russians believe that doing so would put foreigners at risk of taking advantage of such vulnerabilities.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, is infamous in Russian society for adopting glasnost, which would have allowed public debate and scrutiny of Russian failures over the years and which was opposed by conservatives.
Melvin A. Goodman
Bethesda, MD
The author, a former CIA Russia analyst, is a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington and an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University.
to the Editor:
When will media label Vladimir Putin for who he is: Hitler of the 21st century? As soon as this identity can reach the Russian citizens being promoted.
CJ Hoppin
Peaks Island, Maine
Republican Governors: A Look at the Record
to the Editor:
In “Republican Governors Are Quietly Delivering Results” (Sunday Opinion, July 31), Liz Maier attempts to prove Republican competence by cherry-picking economic data she says favors Republican-run states. But Democrats can likewise point to data to support the ability of a Democratic-government.
Just one example: Among the states with the highest rates of COVID deaths, the top six are led by Republican governors.
Governor’s effectiveness is measured by much more than just some cherry-picked data.
Richie Fedor
philadelphia
to the Editor:
This essay offers an interesting contrast with an upshot article from a day earlier, “The Ragged Safety Net Is Weaker in States That Ban abortions.” The three Republican governors of whom Liz Meier is most admired — Greg Abbott, Doug Ducey and Asa Hutchinson — preside over states that have some of the worst records in the nation on things like child poverty and maternal deaths.
Is the price paid for the low taxes and other policies implemented by him worth it?
Ellen S. hirsho
New York
to the Editor:
Re “‘The Final Straw’: Flooding Wash Away Kentucky Coal Country Stalwarts” (news article, August 5):
It’s heartbreaking to read this story about Kentuckians. Living this story must be beyond heartbreak. Death, destruction and depletion of resources are a living nightmare.
It is insidious that coal production which adversely affected people’s health and the surrounding countryside contributed to an unstable climate that causes such heavy rains and severe flooding. Unfortunately, these climate events will continue to destabilize communities if global warming is left to subside.
Lives and livelihoods in Eastern Kentucky need to be saved. Apart from sanitation, these people need jobs, housing, medical services and good schools. Land damaged by coal mining should be saved.
Our fellow Americans need help, and we as a nation need to answer their call. And we need to pass legislation to mitigate the climate crisis. We have a lot on our plate, but we can do it!
Sally Courtwright
Albany, NY
The author is a retired science teacher.
Mixed Martial Arts: Is It A ‘Sport’?
to the Editor:
Re: “The Fight Doctors” (Science Times, Aug 2):
Opposing the expansion of mixed martial arts, Senator John McCain – hardly the squeamish type – equated his bouts with “human cockfights”. The current ubiquity of this “sport” is yet another sign of the moral degradation of our society.
doug brin
Brooklyn