Letters to the Editors

Students owned up, learned valuable lesson

© St. Petersburg Times,
published May 31, 2001

Editor: Congratulations to the four Central High students who owned up to what they had done. You four have now graduated from your first course in the school of hard knocks.

Life goes on. Be proud of yourselves, your honesty and your personal integrity. Forget this issue and move on.

You will find that somewhere down the road, everything you do in life will come back to either haunt or glorify you.

I wish you all a great life.
-- Jeffrey M. Johnston, Spring Hill

Parents should accept kids' punishment

Editor: As a parent of a graduating senior at Central High School, I am amazed at the parents who came forward to fight for these children to walk down the aisle with their classmates. These kids are all guilty of the adage "guilty by association."

I am a former day care provider in this county and one of the lessons I tried to instill in the children I took care of, who happen to be a couple of these kids, any decision you make may force me to make a decision both you and I will not like, and that decision will follow you around for life.

I know a couple of these parents who fought for the kids to graduate and I totally disagree with them. These kids destroyed property that their parents and all other taxpayers have to pay for.

These actions are something that a middle school student might do. I would not expect this from a senior, let alone a younger child. I have taught my children not to destroy anything that belongs to someone else. And they say it was a prank? Why would they dress in dark clothing and cover their heads if they did not think what they were doing was illegal? To me there is no excuse for such childish actions from kids who are supposed to be going into this world alone. If I was the parent of these girls, I surely would think twice about letting them go away to college. Heck, they were out at midnight violating the law while still in their homes with the parents. Just imagine the trouble they will get into away from home.

Let our children who have fought hard to maintain high GPAs and who have not caused trouble in the school graduate in peace without the worry of these kids coming onto the campus. I think criminal charges should have been pursued. Face it, parents, your kids were wrong and they did not deserve to graduate with the more mature children. Would you parents not pursue charges if your homes were spray painted and your property destroyed?
-- Jill Wells, Flagler Beach

Fluoride in water may not be best idea

Editor: Re: Water fluoridation is an idea whose time has finally arrived, May 16 column by Jeff Webb:

When the Hernando County commissioners decide if we will have fluoride in our drinking water, I hope they will consider both sides of the issue. It would be wonderful if we could all have strong healthy teeth, but some researchers believe fluoride can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, pancreas and bone density, just to name a few of the possible side effects.

Nan Dathryns Fuchs, PhD, states in her book, The Ultimate Book Of Women's Health, that most people don't realize that sodium fluoride is a toxic waste by-product from aluminum manufacturing. Fluoride came into our lives when the aluminum industry and fertilizer manufacturers needed a way to dispose of this toxic by-product and the original research indicating fluoride's benefits was funded by ALCOA and Reynolds Metals.

A Canadian Dental Association panel came to the conclusion in 1987 that fluoride added to toothpaste and drinking water did not prevent tooth decay. They also found that fluoride often causes fluorosis, a condition that makes teeth mottled and brittle. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India is so concerned over the danger of fluoride, they ruled that toothpastes containing fluorides need to carry a warning that children under the age of 7 should not use them.

According to Dr. John Lee, a physician who has researched and written numerous articles about fluoride, there are more hip fractures in communities with fluoridated water than there are in communities with non-fluoridated water. Apparently, fluoride causes an inferior quality of bone formation, which is weaker than bones which have not been exposed to fluoride. This means that while the bones may become more dense, they also become more brittle, and people are more prone to having bones break.

I hope the Hernando County commissioners take into consideration that while many doctors and dentists praise the use of fluoride, the jury is still out. And until we are 100 percent sure of it's safety, let's try taking a little responsibility for our own health. If you want strong healthy teeth, brush and floss often and see your dentist twice a year for check-ups.
-- D. Kacarka, Brooksville

Rules change after commitment fishy

Editor: I didn't think it would be necessary to remind people that this is 2001 and not 1901. The horse and buggy are not used any longer, but we still have county commissioners who apparently do not know this.

I guess the problem is the voters who vote for people who are not qualified to be in politics. The people who really run the government support and fund people they can control, and who will do their bidding. This is not new, of course. People have been giving their souls to the company store forever for just for a few bobbles.

To change the building restrictions on a piece of land after the commitment smells of road apples. The only ones hurt here are the taxpayers, by depriving them of a broader tax base and to be part of a growing and thriving community.
-- William S. Pierce, Spring Hill

Commissioners need to shape up now

Editor: Re: Commission natters over meeting details, May 23 Times:

As I read the article, I became very disappointed in some of our commissioners, especially Commissioner Mary Aiken. I watch the commission meetings on television and I really don't know who could have voted for that individual. She asks such off-the-wall questions and makes such dumb comments. She is a disgrace to our county as a commissioner.

I agree with Ida Heredia, who in her recent letter to the editor said that the commissioners need to get facts straight and that Aiken needs to vacate her seat. The commission meetings are looking like a circus and Aiken is the head clown.

Chairman Chris Kingsley needs to understand that the first syllable of his last name does not give him the throne. He has become very arrogant and self-serving. He has become a dictator in his position. Look at the Wal-Mart request; he will do anything he can to keep Wal-Mart out of the area.

The only commissioners who have any class are Commissioners Betty Whitehouse and Nancy Robinson. County Administrator Paul McIntosh had done his job in setting up the meetings or workshops. I guess some of the commissioners (Diane Rowden) think they have to have their hand in everything. Let McIntosh do his job.

And, yes, commissioner Aiken, we do need the light at Pinehurst Drive and Spring Hill Drive. And if Rachel Rodriguez had anything to do with it, she deserves a big "thank you" from everyone in Spring Hill. The only reason that Aiken was upset is that no one listened to her about a light at her doctor's office on County Line Road.

Community, remember all this when it comes election time.
-- Billy Luecke, Spring Hill

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