Today's Letters: Don't deprive the mentally ill of their dignity

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published September 10, 2007

America's mentally ill need help, not privacy Sept. 5, commentary 

It seems to me that Marc Fisher has an overly rosy view of humanity.

Contrary to Fisher's assertion, man's first impulse is to protect himself and his family - not to help others.

Mr. Fisher, how far are you willing to go? Are you willing to open up your psyche to your boss, your co-workers, or your neighbors?

How would your boss react if he knew that one of his subordinates had a history of having the CIA beam messages into his skull? In all likelihood, the employee in question would be shown the door!

Much harm has been engendered in the past by the attempts of well-meaning-yet-ignorant individuals to "help" the mentally ill. By isolating the mentally ill - by singling them out - you risk stigmatizing them and forcing them further back into their shell.

Not all mentally ill persons have Seung-Hui Cho's history of making a public spectacle of themselves. The mere fact that someone is perceived as "creepy" does not, in and of itself, make them a threat.

Do not paint all mentally ill persons with the same brush. Like you, the mentally ill are individuals - and they deserve to be treated accordingly. Mental illness should never deprive a person of their dignity or their inherent worth as a human being - a human being deserving of respect.

Do not ask of the mentally ill that which you would never demand of yourself.

Elizabeth Hoff, St. Petersburg

Chaos is coming Sept. 3, commentary

Tout farm work to teens

Chaos might not come at all to California if there is a crackdown on the hiring of illegal immigrants. It totally depends on how the state's government and farm industry spin it: If we lose the 70 percent of illegal immigrants who are farm workers, California could begin a program to encourage young people to choose the farm experience over burger flipping as their first job.

The benefits would be socially substantial. First, kids would begin to understand that produce doesn't just magically appear in grocery stores. Most youth of today have no clue about farms. They would become more well-rounded citizens having worked picking and sorting grapes and tomatoes for a season or two.

Second, their obesity rates would decrease from working hard outdoors. It sure is healthier than hogging out on 800 calories of greaseburger on their break and another one at the end of their shift.

It wouldn't take much to hype these jobs to teens with slick advertisements, scholarship benefits and other creative ideas. The farms could even offer flexible afterschool hours. Farm work could be part of community service or volunteerism programs.

I'm no expert in how they run things in California, but I would have been the type of kid to give it a try had it been an option for me growing up. It sure would have been more meaningful than working in the fast food industry, which seems to be a teen's rite of passage these days. Farming produce might be tougher than tending french fries, but it is a necessary part of making the world go around. There should be pride in being a part of that.

Sarah Lehrmann, Clearwater

Immigrants bring poverty with themSept. 5, Robert Samuelson column

Crack down on illegals

Robert Samuelson states, "Only an act of willful denial can separate immigration and poverty." Suddenly this is news! Anyone who has been watching Lou Dobbs of CNN, or who has been listening to the pleas of several mayors lamenting the fact that illegal immigrants are draining their coffers knows all about this. The strain on public schools and services of every ilk has been well documented. And yet illegal immigration continues to spread, unchecked, throughout the country. Millions have been allowed to infiltrate here in reckless disregard of our laws and remain unaccounted for.

Surely it is time to remove the velvet glove in favor of the mailed fist. It is way past the time to stop kowtowing to the Mexican government. I thought the message from the people was quite clear when the so-called Comprehensive Immigration Bill was so soundly defeated. Finish building the damned fence, and start to seriously enforce the existing immigration laws. We simply cannot keep allowing the influx of illegal aliens into this country. Even a sponge has its limits.

Orfeo Trombetta, Seminole

Target those who hire Sept. 3, letter

Deportation needed, too

The letter writer is only half correct. Hiring of illegals must stop immediately. This would have the effect of a gradual and noticeable increase in workers' wages. Americans would begin to take jobs, jobs that would finally pay enough to live on.

However, the other half of the equation is that all illegals must be deported immediately. Once they are out of the job market, the corporations that hire would have to offer a fair wage for the work that is done. There would be a ripple effect through the economy, but eventually there would be stabilization, and jobs would be held by American citizens and not foreigners.

By the way, I was a legal immigrant to this wonderful country, and earned my citizenship by applying and following the laws.

Gary Wasserman, St. Petersburg

Our nation needs to revive teaching of good citizenship Sept. 4, letter

Save American culture

I strongly agree with the letter writer that courtesy for your fellow citizens should be a part of every school curriculum. I believe it is vital in order to save American culture and move away from the "every man for himself" mentality that pervades our current existence. It is something that ultimately should be taught in the home, but when the parents themselves have not learned, how can they pass it on?

All over the world Americans have a reputation of being rude, loud, arrogant, spoiled and self-centered. It is because many were never taught to be considerate and mindful of the people around them. It seems the element of common courtesy is fading from our society. I am glad somebody noticed.

Mich Sullivan, St. Petersburg

Our nation needs to revive teaching of good citizenship Sept. 4, letter

Beware uniformity

The letter writer states that the answer to the problems of modern society is a program for schoolchildren promoting good citizenship. While that sounds good on the surface, some of his ideas sound more like publicly funded indoctrination and brainwashing. The problem with trying to teach schoolchildren a set way of behavior is that every child is different, coming from different backgrounds, different cultures and religions.

While I can agree with many of the codes of conduct the letter writer suggests, not every parent would, and I certainly don't agree with all of them. The reason: This is a nation of diversity, and it should be celebrated as such. A country consisting of one race, one religion, one set of rules for behavior, sounds too much like a certain country 70 years ago that was ruled by a guy with a funny mustache.

The letter writer goes on to say that we should compare society of the '30s, '40s and '50s to the '80s, '90s and the present, suggesting that the earlier times were better. Okay, let's compare. I remember separate water fountains. I remember no separation of church and state. I remember the communist "witch hunts." I remember no equal rights for women. I remember lynchings, police brutality against minorities and homosexuals and government corruption just as bad if not worse than it is today. Times were really great back then, if you were white, male, straight and Christian. Otherwise ...

Brandon Triskelle, Lutz

Goldberg defends Michael Vick on "View" Sept. 5, Entertainment brief

All in the culture

Whoopi Goldberg debuted on The View making excuses for Michael Vick. She claims Vick comes from the Deep South and that torturing and killing dogs is a cultural thing.

There is another Deep South cultural thing called the Ku Klux Klan, a group of people who tortured and killed other people for the crime of being black. Comments, Whoopi?

Carmen Blakely, Lutz

[Last modified September 9, 2007, 22:57:40]