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Re: Center opts to fold 'em, not hold 'em, story, July 27.
Why do the complaints of a few make it difficult for teens to enjoy a night of playing cards? Palm Harbor Parks and Recreation has been trying very hard to find activities for teens to enjoy.
Many programs cater to the younger set, and young teens (especially those not driving yet) have no place to go and hang out.
The Texas hold'em night was a great idea, as the kids are all playing it among themselves. They see it on TV and play it on the computer. This was a safe, supervised fun night for the kids. My 13-year-old son went with the idea of not playing for money - the idea was to have fun and play the game and compete with the other kids.
When he read the article in the paper, he was upset and said, "Mom, we weren't gambling, it's just a card game. If that parent doesn't like it, why did they send their kid?" That was my reaction, too.
Why has our society become so self-righteous to demand that everyone believe the same? What about raffle tickets, church bingo, bunco, football pools, the lottery . . . kids are exposed to this and more. It is your job as a parent to teach your child moderation.
I immediately called the rec center to give my support. The wonderful people there are trying to make it fun for the teens and are not promoting gambling. If you, as a parent, believe it does promote gambling, then be a parent and tell your child no. Or maybe you can teach them that you can play games for the fun of it and not for the money.
Re: Leader makes public apology, story, Aug. 2.
Under an extraordinary amount of stress, even the best of us will sometimes act out and say things that we would ordinarily never do.
It is my understanding that Safety Harbor Mayor Pam Corbino has been under such stress due to her mother's ill health. When life delivers us hard punches, it's a tough balance trying to juggle all of our duties and obligations and still remain level-headed at all times.
After accusing City Manager Wayne Logan of funneling city funds (about $45,000) into his retirement account, Corbino has since apologized in an open letter to the St. Petersburg Times. At Monday's City Commission meeting, she apologized to Logan.
Such an effort by Corbino is indicative of her good character. Let us all give Corbino the benefit of the doubt as she tries to make amends.
Re: Police officers too often act in unprofessional ways, letter, July 21.
I am not a law enforcement officer, but I do feel a need to write this letter in support of them.
A gentleman wrote what seems to be quite a one-sided letter about a police officer who he was told verbally abused his grandmother, who was trying to drive through a road blocked due to an accident. This letter was written and printed merely on the words of the so-called victim and not of the officer involved.
This gentleman thinks law enforcement officials should purge themselves of all emotional issues before putting on their uniforms and their "killing instruments."
What a perfect world this man lives in! These men and women have a very difficult job to do and, yes, as a matter of fact, sometimes they do have a bad day. Just when they seem to have put an issue behind them, another comes up in front of them.
Can any of us put all of our problems out of our mind before we start our day? I ask anyone reading this to please try to understand who and what these law enforcement officials mean to us as a community. Through rain or shine, they wait for us to give them the nod. They are the individuals doing what we don't want to do, yet we want to tell them how to do it as we sit on our front porch and sip lemonade.
When a problem arises, the first thing we do is run and turn loose the watchdog to do his mission. He quickly is launched from a "zero" to "hero." Once the mission is accomplished, we kick and prod him back into the back yard to be ignored until we need him again.
I remember a time when Tarpon Springs wasn't really the greatest place to live, when drug dealers and prostitutes roamed around our historic district and in the shadows of our Sponge Docks. Not anymore. Do you know why? Because we cut loose the guard dog to rid the town of our rats.
What would our town be like if we didn't even own a guard dog? Would our home values still be high? Would businesses still be open? Would tourists still visit? The people who enjoy the freedoms and joys of being able to walk with no danger on our streets are the same people who don't like the ones who make it that way.
So to the gentleman who wrote such a ridiculous and ungrateful letter, you need to learn to appreciate things in life and exactly where they come from.