Editorials
Judging the voting machines
The future of voting technology in Pinellas County, once cloudy, is beginning to clear up. A seven-member evaluation committee considered the choices and came to a unanimous conclusion: Touch-screen machines from Sequoia Voting Systems would best serve the needs of Pinellas County voters. Although the final decision is up to the County Commission, there is no apparent reason it should ignore the committee's findings.

DOE looks the other way
Tallahassee officials are ignoring the alarming failings of a St. Petersburg school hastily created to take advantage of state vouchers for disabled students.

Letters
Terrorists use our freedom against us
Re: Privacy hit in Senate's war on terrorism, by Robyn Blumner, Sept. 23.

Martin Dyckman
Weak tax base will have state suffering
TALLAHASSEE -- From a wire service report that appeared in the New York Times:

Philip Gailey
Despite our flaws, we are a great and good nation
It might have been just another New England town meeting. According to the Wall Street Journal, citizens in Amherst, Mass., turned out to debate the question of how long the town should fly the American flags that a local veterans group hung from lamp posts along the main thoroughfares.

Robyn E. Blumner
It's no time for editorialists to abandon principle
Watching local television news frequently makes me wince. The inane comments of the anchors, reacting with the most obvious and facile statements following a news report, and the cloyingly boosterish reports of the sports guy have me rolling my eyes. Local television news unapologetically plays to its audience -- nothing too challenging gets aired.

Bill Maxwell
We should read, reflect and make a difference
As a former teacher and one who still teaches part time, I am thrilled that Americans are now reading about the Mideast and the Muslim and Jewish worlds. Bookstores report that works on the subject are flying off the shelves.

Steven Seibert
DCA's new approach combines vigilance and common sense
Despite what you may have heard or read, the Florida Department of Community Affairs is maintaining its vigilant watch over developments that could, in any way, jeopardize our mutual, statewide priorities. These include protecting our environmental treasures, improving our transportation network and providing an ample, clean water supply. Most important, we're helping school boards and local governments work together to ensure that, as Florida grows, our children are not forced into larger and larger classrooms.