A free press is vital to democracy
For over 200 years this republic has remained a democracy primarily because of a free, non-governmental press supported by citizens in all walks of life.
As The Baltimore Sun is well aware, the decline in the number of newspaper readers seems to be a barometer of our nation's inability to grasp the importance of keeping up with local, national and world events.
Young people especially -- and unfortunately -- are not reading newspapers these days.
When the citizens of a nation do not read newspapers or discuss their contents, it is an indication that many are no longer interested in that nation's health or in safekeeping the democratic traditions.
As responsible adults, educators and interested citizens, we should encourage our young to read the daily newspapers and (( evaluate them.
This nation cannot afford to see newspaper after newspaper go into oblivion because of a lack of readers. A nation without a variety of free and independent newspapers cannot long survive as a democracy.
ohn A. Micklos
Baltimore
Good Samaritan?
The Cuban and Haitian immigration problems are not the only immigration problems this country faces.
We tend to forget about the influx of Mexicans, South Americans and Asians in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest, who come into this country illegally and whose numbers continue to grow.
Where are other countries of this hemisphere, and what are they doing to help?
Where are other countries when it comes to aid for people in need?
Are the people of the United States the only ones to reach out a helping hand?
hilip E. Cvach
Towson
Health biz
Does "managed competition" mean that one competing entity will go bankrupt and be absorbed by the other?
If cost were our principal basis for decision, would we all be driving Yugos?
When mechanics cannot fix a certain make of car so it won't stall out in traffic, should we expect medical care to be by rote guidelines, regardless of the person of the patient or the working relationship between patient and doctor?
Mary O. Styrt
Baltimore
Who's at fault?
Three cheers for Marie Armstrong's letter, "Failed homes create failures in school" (Forum, July 27).
When and how long will it take the parents of today's school children, and for that matter all of us, to stop pointing our fingers at the "other guy"? When things don't work out -- our grades are terrible, my boss is picking on me, etc., it becomes the norm to go "outside" and find the fault. As uncomfortable as it feels, the only way the problems are going to get any better is our self acceptance and our realization that it is up to us.
Studies show the child's personality is formed before he goes to school (his first five years). I had the privilege of teaching (I liked it) for 31 years.
Most of my students learned probably in spite of me. I can't take credit for their success, but I was acutely aware of one main fact by the time I retired, and that is a teacher is limited in what they can teach, especially if the support is not given at home.
Working mothers are sacrificing the best part of their children's lives by not being home the first six years of their life.
The old "I have to work to pay for this and that" is taking its toll. Our 50 percent divorce rate is taking its toll. Our 40-60 percent out-of-wedlock children is taking its toll.
To ask the government, teachers, etc. to take care of the problem will simply not work -- failed homes are creating failed schools. It's not our education system but our way of living, our homes. Let's stop pointing our fingers and blaming the other guy.
Mike Loucas
Fallston
Sensible alternative
Much taxpayer money and police officers' time went into the recent multiple drug raids that resulted in many arrests ("Druid Heights raiders nab 9, get drugs, cash," Sept. 1).
Within a very few days, as everyone knows, other dealers will hack out spots in the same or surrounding neighborhoods. There will likely be more, not fewer, shootings, as the dealers forced out by the raids move into territory already controlled by competing gangs.
If a significant amount of drugs is confiscated, the street price will increase and the addicts will be compelled to steal even more from their neighbors.
The number of desperate addicts has not changed. The names of some of the dealers may change, but not the number of deals. Some neighborhoods may be a bit quieter for a few days, but others will see increased drug activity.
And of course the drug kingpins will not be touched.
So why do the authorities go through all this nonsense where everybody loses?
Isn't it about time we began opting for some sensible alternative -- such as providing drugs to addicts at nominal cost -- that minimizes the number of new addicts as well as the damage the addict does to self and neighbors?
A. Robert Kaufman
Baltimore
We must take time to value Baltimore wildlife
A few weeks ago as I was waiting to pull out of the Rotunda Shopping Center, I noticed a crow standing in the middle of 40th Street. The crow was eating something on the road, and I was concerned it would be hit by a car.
As I waited, a car driving up 40th Street neared the crow, then slowed and almost stopped. But when the crow didn't move, the person in the car just continued to drive on and hit the bird. The driver made no attempt to even beep the horn.
The crow struggled furiously to get off the road and unto the grass. I parked my car, ran to the crow and placed him on the grass at the Keswick retirement home. The crow was not bleeding, but it was unable to walk.
In the trees above, the crow's companions cried out to the injured bird, as if urging it to fly. I left the crow on the grass, and went inside the Keswick home to find a phone.
A woman who worked at Keswick saw me crying and asked if she could help. I told her about the crow and she immediately began to make some calls.
I went back outside to check on the crow. While I was gone, the crow had attempted to fly and was lying about a hundred feet from where I had left it. I got the crow and carried it back to the grassy spot where I had previously left it. But as soon as I placed the crow on the grass it again tried to fly up into a tree.
The crow's wings were fine, but because it couldn't use its legs to land, the crow fell out of the tree to the ground. This happened several times.
By this time, most of the other crows had flown off; one crow remained above in a tree -- I assumed it was the injured crow's mate. Each time the crow tried to fly, the mate urged the injured one on.
Eventually, after a futile trip to one animal shelter and frantic calls to several others, I contacted an animal hospital that said they would try to save the bird if possible.
At the Falls Road Animal Hospital they examined the crow immediately. They told me I could call in a few hours to check on the bird.
I left the hospital feeling incredibly sad. I was relieved, however, to find a group of people that treated a wild crow as if it were someone's pet.
A couple of hours later, I called the animal hospital to check on the crow. I was told that the crow had a spinal injury. Nothing would be certain for several days.
Meanwhile, the vet had given the crow a cortisone shot and sent it to the Chesapeake Wildlife Sanctuary.
Several days later, I called the sanctuary to find out about the crow. I left a message, and no one called back. Maybe they don't return phone calls regarding the status of wildlife, I don't know.
But although I am sad and frustrated because I do not know what happened to the crow, I applaud those who work at the Falls Road Animal Hospital and at the Chesapeake Wildlife Sanctuary.
As we steadily encroach on wildlife habitat, the least we can do is respect the wildlife we come in contact with.
The person who hit the crow evidently had no respect for wildlife. For that person, saving a few seconds was more important than the life of a crow.
Today I returned to the Rotunda to buy some groceries. I looked out across 40th Street to the Keswick retirement home. In the trees I saw a lone crow crying out. I couldn't help but think that it was the injured crow's mate calling out for its lost companion.
ill Valenstein
Baltimore