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Re: Can't critic see camp is nude, but not lewd?, June 22 Jan Glidewell column. After reading Glidewell's column, I pondered what he said in regard to a nudist camp for children ages 11-18. While I find nothing wrong with nudist camps for adults, I do question why children at that age need to be exposed to that sort of situation.
Granted, at 18 you're an adult and you can basically do what you want, but the big question here is maturity. Children, especially young children, are not mature enough to deal with an extreme situation. It's like leaving a firecracker near a hot coal; one way or another something is going to happen.
I don't know if anything has happened or will happen at this nudist camp for children, but I know there is something wrong about it, and this makes me wonder what sort of parents are comfortable with it.
Maybe I have a strong sense of morality, or maybe I'm just a prude, but I find the whole idea of a nudist camp for children objectionable and would like to see the law changed.
Re: Judge dismisses dancer cases, June 20. What's the point of this ongoing crusade? I have never been in one of these strip clubs. Not because it might not be fun with a bunch of buddies once in a while. It's because I don't care to spend what I suspect it costs to buy a beer there.
If you don't care for that kind of entertainment, you should never ever go in there. How hard is that?
Or maybe we could take some of the money we've wasted over the years trying to run them out of business and buy crawler-type signs to tell people they might be offended if they don't like strip clubs.
Or maybe collect a little ticket money to buy the signs on U.S. 19 from folks who endanger us all with atrocious driving and relentless speeding. I traveled U.S. 19 from Hudson to Port Richey recently. I set my cruise at exactly 5 mph over the limit for the whole trip. Nobody, but nobody did not pass me. When will we get our priorities straight?
I have been puzzled ever since Pasco County Schools superintendent John Long announced his retirement this spring and anointed his chief financial officer, Chuck Rushe, as his successor. I was further astonished to learn that Rushe is a Republican.
The highly suspicious activity occurring in Land O'Lakes this spring has left me with several questions. Why would John Long, a longtime Democratic leader in our county and state, endorse someone from the Republican Party? Since when do Republicans allow Democratic leaders to hand-pick their party's candidate? Is Chuck Rushe a Democrat in disguise? Is this a plot by John Long and the Democrats to run their candidate without opposition? If elected, will Rushe be anything more than a puppet pulled by his Democratic masters?
Another thing that perplexes me is, why is Chuck Rushe constantly being quoted in the paper? Chuck Rushe is the chief financial officer for the Pasco County School District. What business does he have commenting on FCAT scores? This is simply John Long's manipulation.
Re: Rewarding schools' grades is punishment for the budget, June 22 editorial. As usual, the editorial regarding the school recognition program was loaded with grossly slanted liberal ideology. The only thing left out of the carefully crafted piece of political propaganda was the facts.
An accountant should not need a crystal ball to figure a mathematical equation when he or she has the variables and knows the formula. I was surprised to hear that Pasco County school officials claim they were financially unprepared for the impressive scores their schools earned.
Pasco County Schools received a $22.4-million increase from the state of Florida, yet officials claim it is still not enough because $10-million of those dollars would be tied up in class size reduction. Funny, the school officials failed to mention that Pasco County was already close to meeting state requirements for the class size mandate and will need only about $3-million of that $10-million to comply. Yet, no one mentioned what will be done with the remaining $7-million, which the Legislature made flexible. It is also funny that no one mentioned the additional funds Pasco County will receive from the state to help pay for construction costs (on top of the $22.4-million increase).
What is also not funny is that this paper serves as an open forum for superintendent John Long to parade his so-called Republican candidate for school superintendent without questioning the merit of his comments or the facts behind his complaints. So much for an unbiased media!
Re: Pup hurt after haul behind Chevy, June 7. On behalf of the Humane Society of the United States, I applaud the efforts of two teens who risked their lives to stop a man from intentionally dragging a 7-month-old puppy behind his car.
The teens not only placed themselves in harm's way by stepping in front of the moving car, they also confronted the man about his malicious actions. Fortunately, the puppy survived and is on her way to recovery.
All too often we learn about cases where people could have made a difference in an animal's life if they were more observant. The truth is public involvement is key to preventing animal cruelty and other forms of violence. We don't have to risk our own safety to make a difference for animals. One way is to team up with fellow neighbors to watch out for animals in our communities. Some ideas include creating a roster of pets and pet owners, paying attention to abused, neglected, and abandoned pets, and looking out for our "wild neighbors."
The Humane Society of the United States offers a tip sheet for anyone interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch for Animals. For more information, call 1-888-213-0956 or visit www.hsus.org/firststrike