Prevention window
Mr. Kelley hit the proverbial nail on the head last Friday. As a teacher for 35 years (and the wife of a state trooper for 44), awareness of people around me, especially the approximate 350 students I taught every year (music), was continually forefront in each day. Mr. Kelley speaks of how hard our school systems attempt to offer every opportunity to students with behavioral problems. As an institution of learning, and from much experience, I can truthfully say these students receive more attention, time and money than most students with no documented issues.
Mr. Kelley has presented a rationale that the population of teachers everywhere has known and has information and knowledge of right now. Often our local police have knowledge of these students as well because they are called in to assist with violent physical behaviors.
I appreciate very much Mr. Kelley's analysis of where so much violence comes from. His facts presented regarding changing the laws to allow known information to be used for the prevention of future horrible scenarios are smack-on. Trust your teachers to be a window into that prevention. And change the laws to allow them to help.
GWEN FULLEN
Arkadelphia
Protect our streams
Nutrient trading (Regulation 37) proposals being considered now should be firmly rejected by all Arkansans because they are far more harmful than helpful. Logically, trading nutrients will foster, even guarantee, reaches of unmitigated pollution in flowing streams within a watershed, whether for 10 feet, or 100,000 feet, etc., except and unless the mitigation is applied at or before the point where pollution first enters a stream. That is an unacceptable but certain outcome.
Furthermore, proposed language does not require progressive and continuing reduction of pollution from the source of pollution such that the source will not remain a source of impairment. That, too, is an unacceptable but certain outcome.
All Arkansas should reject nutrient trading. Let your elected representatives hear it from you ASAP. Don't let this happen to our home.
DUANE WOLTJEN
Fayetteville
On 'toxic' masculinity
How would it be if you were a young man going through puberty and your teachers were teaching you that all of the world's problems were the result of men being men? How would it be if that young man had no father to reassure him that he had worth? How would it be that, because he was a white male, he was automatically designated as the worst of the worst? How would it be if you were the last to be accepted to a college or the last to be hired because you are a white male?
What motivates the Islamic terrorists? Hopelessness. Do we want the same for our young men?
ROBERT KITTELSON
Powhatan
Editorial on 08/16/2019