Letters To The Editor
Community Colleges Merit Coverage, Too
Editor, Times-Dispatch: A recent Metro section front had a great article and photo of the VCU graduation. Inside, additional graduations were mentioned, including those at Virginia Tech, VMI, and Richard Bland College.
The Monday Metro front page had articles and pictures of the UVa and VSU graduations, which also continued inside with additional articles and photos of William and Mary and Randolph College graduations.
Of the eight college graduations featured in the articles, only three -- VCU, Richard Bland, and VSU -- are actually in the Richmond-Tri-cities area. The paper neglected to include the other two local colleges that also held commencement ceremonies over the weekend: John Tyler Community College and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.
Reynolds and Tyler are the third and fifth largest community colleges in the state, and combined have seven local campus locations. I am disappointed to see other colleges noted while our two local community colleges are not acknowledged.
In addition to terminal degrees and degrees for transfer, our community colleges provide career studies certificates and other educational opportunities that directly benefit our community. Tyler and Reynolds and local employers have partnered to provide programs and services that directly benefit our community by providing workforce training that is tailored to the specific needs of the employers.
John Tyler served 11,575 students in the 2007-08 year, while Reynolds provided training to 12,000 through the Community College Workforce Alliance. Both schools graduate nurses and other professionals who are trained and ready to enter the workforce.
With such large numbers of local students, these colleges deserve recognition alongside VCU, Richard Bland, and VSU.
Cynthia Martin.
Richmond.
Richmond Needs Henrico's Jail Expertise
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Richmond voters have a great choice for sheriff. Antoinette Irving is a proven leader who can turn the atmosphere in the Richmond jail into one of hope, education, and respect. All anyone has to do is look at what Irving has achieved as a leader at Henrico's jails.
She had led both jails while they were inspected by the American Correctional Association (ACA) -- the most respected corrections body in the U.S. Henrico received very high scores: Jail East received a 100 percent and Jail West received a 96.96 percent.
There are more than 3,000 jails in the United States and only 129 of them are accredited by the ACA. Two of the 129 are Henrico's jails. Maj. Irving is a major reason why Henrico's jails are the best. Richmond would be very fortunate to have someone of Irving's caliber as sheriff. Vote for her on June 9. J.D. Hendrick. Chesterfield.
Waterboard Suspects? Sure, Right After Meals
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Quite frankly, I want our intelligence agencies to do everything legally possible to extract information from known or suspected terrorists in order to keep our country safe.
If waterboarding has been determined to be legal, then by all means use it, and use it often.
If Nancy Pelosi has her way, she won't allow waterboarding on suspects until an hour after they eat, to prevent them from getting cramps.
Andy Benheim.
Richmond.
Let's Keep Virginia For Liberty Lovers
Editor, Times-Dispatch: A simple refresher course in genuine common sense to all Virginia voters: Throw out and keep from office those politicians who would drag us along with the likes of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, etc.
Why in the world would we want to emulate bankrupt, program-laden, nanny-state failures?
Now is the perfect time to better contrast Virginia against miserable socialist-leaning states. Thank those in the legislature who voted not to take "stimulus" bribes and extend unemployment benefits. Let's join and outdo Texas and Montana. Cut spending and eliminate services that individuals, charities, and localities can handle themselves. Lower income and business taxes. Keep the feds' nose out and conserve our right-to-work law so businesses big and small will beat a path to our door.
With the commonwealth as a beacon, productive, free-enterprise real jobs will begin materializing before you can say "Virginia Is for Liberty Lovers."
Everett Mish.
Manakin.
Reader Reactions
Yawn… the ad hominem attack, your go-to defense. Later, Randy. I’ve got better things to do than engage in a peeing match with you.
You’ve got a REALLY short memory for an overpaid history teacher.
Well, that’s still one more than you’ve got in your tally, Randy.
Congratulations 12step, you got a historical fact correct.
In 1791, Randy, we ratified 8th Amendment. You know… the Constitution, the foundation of American government?
Waterboarding is anathema to what this country was founded on? Really? Anybody wanna google “Dunking or Ducking Stool”? We used to use it on women who gossiped too much in the 1700s. We used to put people in public stocks. I dunno, I’ll take being waterboarded over being mutilated for information any day of the week.
The problem with the waterboarding/torture question is that the idea of it goes against the foundations of what our country was founded on. If we justify that it is ok for our interests, then so can our enemies with our solders. Thus the importance of the Geneva Convention. It also means that we have morals and believe in the best of mankind and do not sink to the level of terrorists that wouldn’t think twice about killing thousands of women and children (David Koresh, Tim Mcvey, Osama bin Laden).
The other problem is that are we ok selling our morals and sense of human dignity for information that is predominately false. I wonder how much information that came directly from waterboarding actually stopped attacks? How many false leads did the CIA spend thousands of man hours tracking down? Do you really think that individuals who have no problem strapping bombs to them are going to be physically scared into providing information that could hinder their efforts?
If I did believe that waterboarding and other torture did provide direct and valuable information then I might really need to investigate my moral compass. Just as every US soldier swears an oath to the US and many have had that oath tested by being tortured and not giving information, so too have the terrorists sworn an oath to their cause. Even outside of the Taliban, do you think if the FBI, CIA had captured Tim McVey before the OKC bombing, and transported him to Gitmo (outside of the due process issues guaranteed in the Constitution) he would have given up information via torture that would have prevented the bombing? Maybe I view these individuals as more sinister than most, but I feel that for many of them the suffering is to them the “cost” of their belief. To the terrorists providing this information is equal to denouncing their God and how many priests, ministers, or pastors have refused to do so in the past and lost their lives?
While it pains me to compare these terrorists with priests, ministers, pastors and soldiers, as their actions and morals are so very different, the passion that they hold to the beliefs are unfortunately very similar.
All the armchair warriors and fireside moralizers would not think twice about sanctioning any and all methods of “torture” if it meant rescuing their families from danger.
Water mboarding might be the least of it.
It would take too long to say “enhanced techniques.“
How soon we have all forgotten the atmosphere after 9/11 when we thought another attack was imminent.
We acted just like real living breathing human beings. We were outraged, grieving and howling for revenge.
We wanted something done and done right then.
We wanted the terrorists caught and punished and Gitmo would have been too good for them then.
Most countries can’t stop that kind of attack on their shores.
Ours can and did. And now we look back and question how….
Great letter Andy. If Michelle Obama were being held hostage and we had one of the kidnappers, you know Chairman Barry would be the first one running to set up the see-saw and water tub. But see, that’s O.K., he’s better than everyone else.
“Why in the world would we want to emulate bankrupt, program-laden, nanny state failures?“
Why indeed?
Well said Everett Mish.
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