All Readers Respond

Letters to the Editor for the February 18, 2013 weekly print issue: To speak of gun ownership as a privilege that can be given up ignores history and the philosophical basis of the right to self-protection. Findley's op-ed was a voice of reason in the hyperbolic discussion on gun control.

Letters to the Editor for the February 11, 2012 weekly print issue: I'd rather have a gun and never need to use it than desperately need to use one and not have it. Findley says that he is giving up his guns, but will continue to hunt using other weapons. Is he not just continuing the barbarity?

Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of February 4, 2013: US actions in Afghanistan have not matched our words; we must push for better governance and offer more development aid. And on gun control: Should the US also outlaw box cutters since they were instrumental in the murder of nearly 3,000 people on 9/11?

Letters to the Editor for the Jan. 28 weekly print issue: There is no easy answer to the question about how to protect America's Second Amendment rights but also prevent gun violence. Fear sells, and the media and lobbyists on both sides have capitalized on our latest fear of gun violence. Legislating gun control would set a dangerous precedent for altering the Bill of Rights.

Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of January 21, 2013: Films like Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty should take a better moral stand on torture. America's Founding Fathers knew the art of compromise – even on issues of faith.

Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of Dec. 31, 2012: The religious exemption to Obamacare's contraceptive mandate should remain narrow, so few groups have the right to deny employees insurance coverage for contraception. President Obama should stop support for Israel's West Bank takeover and bring US foreign policy in line with American democratic principles.

Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of December 24, 2012: Government shouldn't privilege the teachings of one religion over another on any part of health-care access. And equating women's access to health care with an impingement on religious liberty is a distraction.

Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of December 17, 2012: The media needs to do a better job providing citizens with dependable, unbiased information. Regarding the latest conflict in Gaza, Israel only decided to fight back after Hamas attacks became unbearable.

Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of December 10, 2012: Local news gives citizens the information to get involved and affect their immediate environment and the political decisions that shape it. Japan's problem is that is has no viable energy options other than nuclear power.

Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of December 3, 2012:  Inconsistency and outside influence have been prevalent ever since Congress passed the Wilderness Preservation Act 25 years ago. Paper protections rarely bring with them consistent and adequate enforcement.

Letters to the Editor for the November 19, 2012 weekly print issue: Affirmative action helps eliminate the ignorance of racial bigotry and animosity. It is needed as much today as it was in 1968. The notion that the races are fighting over a scarce number of places is a shallow argument.

Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of November 11, 2012: The US military entered Afghanistan in 2001 in order to bring democracy, gender equality, and security to that nation, but many would argue that they have failed on all counts; The Quran must be discussed with reason and intelligence, as an International Quranic Studies Association would hopefully accomplish.

Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of November 5, 2012: Poverty is American hardly compares to poverty in Africa – in attitude and in hardship. The real cause of poverty in the US is job-killing free trade and oligarchic rule that widens the gap between rich and poor.

Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of October 29, 2012: In response to voter ID laws (blatant attempts at disenfranchisement) communities should band together and pull off the greatest voter registration drive in history. The US and its allies should step up support for legitimate democracy movements in Iran with the goal of destabilizing and replacing the regime.

Letters to the Editor for the October 22, 2012 weekly print issue: Instead of spending toward depletion and scarcity, collaborative consumption adds value to our lives. It allows us to work and live in harmony, without competition and struggle.

Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of October 15, 2012: More volunteers – especially men – are need to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and guardians ad litem (GAL) for foster children. One of the best ways to fight world hunger is to combat population growth through empowering women with family planning and contraception resources.

Letters to the Editor for the October 8, 2012 weekly print issue: When we create artificial intelligence, will we create artificial 'ethicators,' too? The potential for 'cognitive decision-making skills' in computers is both challenging and exciting.

Letters to the Editor for the October 1, 2012 weekly print issue: Only 12 percent of workers are in unions now, but we should remember how unions have improved our lives and thank the many laborers around us today. In driving accidents, alcohol – not marijuana – is the deadliest drug.

Letters for the Editor for the September 24 weekly print issue: When done with teacher buy-in, multiple measures, and meaningful professional development, teacher evaluation benefits entires school systems. Should teachers be graded? Yes. And so should parents, administrators, school boards, communities, and students. Evaluation shouldn't begin and end with teachers.

Letters to the Editor for the weekly print issue of September 17, 2012: Many schools no longer teach civics – or even much history – leaving students without the lessons that create informed, engaged citizens. A teacher's goals – shaping human lives, as well as imparting specific knowledge and skills in the process – can't fully be measured by numbers on a year-end test.