Mothers have all sorts of occupations outside the home, and they have the power to influence in so many ways, in so many lives.
This is a short tribute to Sonia, a devoted mother of two who is absent from her family today on Mother's Day. She will no doubt shed some tears, feel isolated and alone, and long for her children's arms about her.
She is just one of the dedicated female soldiers, many mothers among their ranks, who have been deployed to the Persian Gulf region. They are competent, well trained and brave, and will complete the job that has been assigned to them.
In their moments of doubt and uncertainty, all should realize that although they are separated from loved ones, their choice of occupations will have a resounding effect. They will give their children, their nation of children and the families of these children the greatest gift of all: freedom.
Future years will become their affirmation, as their children will announce, "My mom was a soldier."
-- Norma McCulliss, Palm Harbor
Use, don't abuse, library rights
Re: Tarpon library has a tiger by the tail, Diane Steinle column, May 4.
Once again, you have given us a clear picture of the library in Tarpon Springs and its "problem" with the community room's being open to all.
However, you also gave them the answer to their problem at the same time. I have met John Szabo, president of the Florida Library Association, and he has the right idea when it comes to people and groups using the library meeting room. As he said, it is a community library and thus it should be open to all in the community, as long as they use the room for the right reason and leave it in the condition they found it. If any group misuses the room or leaves it in an untidy condition, then those groups should be excluded in the future.
Because the Tarpon Springs Library is a community library, it should be available for public use, when possible.
-- Fran Glaros, Clearwater
An open door to ideas
Re: Tarpon library has a tiger by the tail, Diane Steinle column, May 4.
The Tarpon Springs Public Library is more than just a city department. It was built with the help of the federal, state and local governments and the generous donations of individuals. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were contributed by local residents and their families for the construction of the current building.
But the library does not contain only books and materials that reflect the views of the donors. It has opposing viewpoint materials and access to, for example, religious books to help people understand all religions, including Islam. There are books about all the political views and arguments, as well as help in caring for children in trouble and aging parents. How is it that we can come and read and learn about the diversity of our culture, but we can't have a group in the meeting room talking about those same issues?
I have been a public library board chairman, a regional board member and an elected member of the governing council of the American Library Association. Even though I am not a librarian, I love and respect freedom. Although we live in the unincorporated county and not the city, we still pay the same taxes for the use of the library and have contributed thousands of dollars ourselves, over and above the tax we pay.
Andrew Carnegie called libraries "the people's university" because it was the lowest cost place in America where everyone had an open door to the wealth of ideas only free people could have.
Perhaps Tarpon Springs city Commissioner Peter Nehr, who was not born in this country, appreciates our freedoms more than we homegrown Americans do.
-- Tony Leisner, Tarpon Springs area
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