The dangers of censorship to young minds | Letters to the editor
The ultimate responsibility for the kinds of people our children turn out to be rests not with teachers or legislators.
It rests with us, their parents. We can never prevent them from exposure to the ugliness and hate that exists in the real world; we can only provide them with the caring environment, compassion and understanding to develop the comprehension and judgment with which to confront the realities they experience.
Isn’t that what education is all about? What better vehicle to experience the world vicariously than literature? To explore faraway places, to understand diverse cultures? To expand our minds? To learn?
Banning books is closing minds. Experiencing literature is opening minds. It is our responsibility, as parents, to help their fertile minds weigh, judge and assimilate that to which they are exposed, not to block them from exposure. And certainly not to block other children from exposure to that which their parents might wish to discuss with them.
Censorship teaches hate. Openness conveys respect. Which one do you want your kids to learn?
Joel Speiser, Delray Beach
Bible-based values
It disappointed me to read that Wilton Manors Elementary school will not allow a First Priority Game Day for third- to fifth-graders, simply because it maintains Bible-based values.
Wow! How ironic that kids could be taught kindness, to tell the truth and not lie, be compassionate and have fun at the same time in fellowship with their classmates. The key to this after-school program is that parents must consent. This should be left up to the parents to decide if they want their child to attend or not, not the school principal and PTA making the decision for the parents since it is an after-school program.
Let parents decide what they want for their children. If parents don’t grant permission, then so be it, it will not take place. Furthermore, all children are invited into this program.
Darlene C. Sacks, Fort Lauderdale
The Las Olas garage
The city parking garage on Las Olas Boulevard is just another example of questionable judgment and incompetence of our city commissioners, engineers and planners. Except for a few days a year when there are major events on the beach, this $21 million garage debacle sits nearly empty every day.
The bar-restaurant that was planned for the top level of the structure never happened, and even the two special tram vehicles purchased for transporting people from the garage to the beach have long since ceased operation and disappeared.
The section of State Road A1A adjacent to the Las Olas Beach Park property should have been split up with half used as a smaller beachside park and half for a smaller, multi-level garage where people could park and walk directly into the park or beach. This would have made better use of the property the garage is on. The city also could have sold it to pay for a smaller park and garage.
Regarding the lighting and the rusting façade that supports it, though very beautiful at first, it was not prudent to spend $7 million for such a lavish display. Who were the engineers that reviewed and approved the lighting design and building materials now rusting away in this salt air environment? How did we get in a situation where we need to decide on whether to spend $2.1 million to repair this ill-designed luxury? It’s poor judgement and incompetence.
George Mulhorn, Fort Lauderdale
Harper Valley hypocrites
How ironic that the chairman of the Florida Republican Party, Christian Ziegler, is being accused sexual assault and his wife Bridget, a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, participated in three-way sex. All this while recommending the banning of books and limiting sex education in public schools in Florida.
Perhaps this would be a fitting time to re-release the 1968 hit record, “Harper Valley PTA.”
Jack Miller, Parkland