Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 7 · column 3 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
the welfare of my children and those of others is offensive to him.
Unlike Mr. Tieckelmann who must be applauded for sharing his views, Mr. Etchells had nothing to say about the issues. I can only assume that what offended him was the implication that we, as citizens, are accountable for the stand we take on this issue.
Well, as Mr. Tieckelmann has so eloquently stated, Columbine is what happens if there is no “accountability”. Vouchers give parents the right to choose where to send their children to school and puts accountability in the hands of parents, where it belongs.
If we as a people refuse to give parents the right to choose where to send their kids to school, we as a people -must assume “responsibility” for the safety of those children. We, as a people, must be held accountable for the decisions we make at the voting booth.
Where accountability is required but not accepted, those refusing to accept their responsibilities may take offense. However, my intention is not to offend but to provoke citizens to take responsibility fof their positions on issues such as this.
Mr. Etchells also criticized my “crude and garbled analogy about Federal Express.” It was not my analogy. I was responding to a letter written by Ms. Gorfein in which she employed that analogy. We are in agreement that Ms. Gorfein’s analogy was not a good one.
I will explain briefly my reference to the “altar of someone’s political agenda.” An altar is a reference point for focusing on the “God” that a person serves, whether that God is a Spiritual Being, money, or one’s political ambitions.
Professional politicians use political issues to garner votes. Their “political agenda” is to get elected, solving people’s problems is at best secondary. You could see that in the debate in Harlem. VicePresident Gore went to private schools and attended Harvard College. He supports Black issues to get their vote, but he would not commit himself to vouchers which would give Black people an equal educational opportunity to the one he enjoyed, because it is a “Republican” issue. Professional politicians today will not cross “party lines” unless it will garner them votes.
As citizens, we must not let professional politicians, whether Republican or Democrat, control the debate on what is best for our children. That debate should be controlled solely by our desire to see that our children receive what is best for them.
Jim Oyster
Castleton
96.3%