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Brown-Waite has shown she doesn't merit votes

Re: Greg Hamilton column, Oct. 9

Election time must be near. Rep. Virginia Brown-Waite, the consummate chicken-hawk squawker, is pretending to change her goose-stepping, hard-line support of the debacle in Iraq. She has, until last week, been a bobbleheaded supporter of every disastrous decision this administration has made.

She has supported every attempt of Bush and his Congress to weaken the Constitution, to give unprecedented and illegal powers of control to the executive branch of this government. She has sent numerous letters spouting her support of the invasion of Iraq and of her unwavering support of the decisions and preposterous rationale to continue the occupation of Iraq. She has supported the tenets of torture instituted by the administration. She has supported the illegal and immoral detention of "suspects" who have no known or substantiated link to any terrorist organization. She called for the removal of the buried bodies of military warriors buried in France because that country's government refused to buy the lies of weapons of mass destruction used to start the invasion. She has vented her vein-popping anger and disdain for those of us in this voting district who disagree with these actions and policies by saying we have "9/11 amnesia" - as though 9/11 had something to do with Iraq.

Now she pretends to change her position. She throws cliches around to indicate how much she supports the troops while doing nothing to stop the carnage they endure. She claims to support veterans by handing out World War II medals rather than trying to stop the flow of broken bodies into military hospitals. Brown-Waite is doing nothing more than any political hack would do - she is now fighting for her political life by saying anything and doing nothing.

Virginia Brown-Waite deserves neither the respect nor support of voters who support freedom; from voters who support the Constitution of the United States; from voters who value human life; and voters who demand truth from and in our government.

Bob Dodd, Dade City

Stop the war and divert funds to improving local education

When is enough, well, enough? As a teacher at Hudson Middle School, I have watched the trials of this war since its inception. Ginny Brown-Waite has hit the nail straight on its head! Where do we go?

I can only dream. Dream about how all of this wasted money could go into recruiting and retaining excellent colleagues, supplying my administrators with better tools to continue to strive for improvement, and for better community services for the students I care so much about. Instead of wasting countless billions in an area that has always had conflict, and always will, let us invest in America within its own borders for a change. As we invest in our future, the children I teach, imagine what a country we could develop!

Is it not time, in an ever-changing and conflicting world, to regroup our focus and "take care of our own?" What a wonderful country this could be, and what advantages our children would have to become even better citizens. Let us say enough already.

Gregory Sytch, New Port Richey

Language Academy doing job, warrants community support

Wake up, parents of middle school children in Pasco County. I am a parent of a child attending the Language Academy and my son is honored and lucky to have a faculty that is so dedicated to the education of children. They are learning in an environment of consistency. One-on-one tutoring is available if needed. I don't know of too many middle schools that can offer academically and socially what the Language Academy is excelling at.

My child could have functioned at any other school, but I wanted his main focus to be on his work and education. The middle school years can make or break a child's eagerness to want to learn instead of hanging out.

Parents, please come and talk to these wonderful and thoughtful educators. They have one goal in mind: the children. Basically, they are willing to do whatever it takes to keep this school running even if it means they don't get a paycheck for the month of November.

This is a charter school through the Pasco County school system but our School Board won't help at all. Their concern was bottom line, not how great the grades or how behavior has changed in the students.

I wish superintendent Heather Fiorentino and her staff would wake up and see these are children and more children can benefit from the school if parents out there would just realize it is here and offers free tutoring, smaller classes and much less distractions.

Lori Cosentino, New Port Richey

Drivers need to understand that courtesy is not four-letter word

Hudson just lost Jeanette Anderson, the most energetic, honest, fun-loving, vibrant person and good friend anyone could have, to plain stupidity on U.S. 19. Who in their right mind, planning on making a right turn off U.S. 19 onto Saltwater Drive, would drive in the inside lane in the first place and not use their side mirror or glance right when changing lanes? I see every day someone riding a motorcycle or bike who is cut off by a car or truck just because the driver is in a hurry to cross the highway.

Just the day before Jeanette's accident I saw a truck pull out in front of a cycle right in front of the Social Security office. I should have taken his license number (as I was right behind the cycle) and turned him in but I know it would have done no good because, as the attending officer said about this accident, "It was just a tragic accident." Nobody cares.

It isn't just bikes at risk; nobody is safe. I keep getting calls to support our Police Department with donations. If our Police Department would sit at Jasmine Boulevard and U.S. 19 alone and ticket red light runners they could fill their coffers in no time. I have nearly met my doom there many times. But after the accident is the only time you see any officers around.

Please, folks, have respect for fellow drivers. Everyone has to get someplace or they wouldn't be on the road and you can't be in any bigger hurry than them.

I will dearly miss my friend and many families are hurting because of negligence. Drive safely. Courtesy is contagious.

Donna Herrick, Port Richey

[Last modified October 11, 2006, 07:48:04]