Curtis legacy
The recent death of Raymond M. Curtis was a sad milestone for Baltimore, for Maryland and the nation. His leadership role in establishing hand surgery as a specialty was global in scope.
The Hand Center at Union Memorial Hospital, named in his honor, continues his pioneering spirit, his dedication to learning and his generosity in sharing his skills.
Hundreds of surgical residents have had the good fortune to have a hands-on experience assisting him in the operating theater (for it was no ordinary operating room when Dr. Curtis was in charge).
Thousands of surgical colleagues learned from his reasoned and perceptive teaching. Literally tens of thousands of patients benefited directly from his kind and skillful care.
Dr. Curtis' close friends understand the pain of his illness and the sadness of his death, but they also recognize the magnificent legacy he leaves us all.
#Frederik C. Hansen, M.D.
Baltimore
Union's hero
It would be difficult to find a hero in the apparent murders of Michael and Alex Smith that shocked rural Union, S.C., and the nation in October. But if there is one, it has to be County Sheriff Howard Wells, whose professionalism may have prevented a very ugly racial incident.
Most competent law enforcement officers could have located the bodies and gotten a confession from the mother.
Negating possible ill feeling against the county's Afro-American community in the face of the mother's claims that her car and children had been taken by a black man during a carjacking may be the only good part of the case.
While justifiably offended at the mother's stereotypical claims, the sheriff's handling of the matter allayed the Afro-American community's fears and prevented precipitous actions by the white community.
There was a time in the rural South when such claims would have brought out a lynch mob bent on revenge. We can hope the people of Union County appreciate his handling of this difficult case.
Chuck Frainie
Woodlawn
America's wall
The recent election brings to mind an analogy: The United States is developing a social structure based on having a very big wall between cities and suburbs.
Those on the outside seem to hope the wall will keep the poor, the disadvantaged, the uneducated -- in short, the "problems" of society -- out. If those who are segregated are black, so much the better.
What those who voted to add another brick to the wall don't seem to understand is that we are all Americans.
That thought brings to mind the Berlin Wall. Once that wall came down, no one even considered that it should remain.
When it was clear that the cost of integrating two different societies would be extremely high, the West Germans were willing to bear the cost.
And though east-west integration has been far from problem-free, both sides are trying because people on both sides recognize each other as German.
The American wall has become so high that neither side can see the other. In this case, the wall is between Republicans and Democrats, with Democrats largely inside the city and Republicans outside.
As I imagine the situation appears to someone perched on the wall, Republicans say, "Government doesn't work; let's eliminate government."
Democrats say, "We need to use government to solve society's problems." Republicans respond: "Government shouldn't be used to solve society's problems; we have to fight the Democrats."
Like two lawyers in court, each side is trying to win, with winning defined by defeating the other side, not by establishing the truth of the case.
Thus as the Republicans and Democrats try to defeat each other, no one is solving America's problems. Yet we are all Americans.
Ed Rutkowski
Baltimore
Mt. Vernon parking
Recently someone smashed my car window and helped themselves to my radio. The only remarkable thing about it was that in the two years I have lived in Mount Vernon this was the first time this has happened to me.
Cars are routinely vandalized in my neighborhood. Insurance companies know this and charge residents top dollar.
The police have more pressing concerns than vandals, and their limited patrols at night are in areas considered more violent. So thieves will continue to rob our vehicles with impunity.
It is expensive to maintain a car here, and it is aggravating to repair it when things like this happen. Yet even in Mount Vernon it can be very dangerous to walk alone at night, so I keep my car, pay my insurance and have my window repaired.
But while Baltimore does not assign many police officers to Mount Vernon at night, it sends parking enforcement officials to my neighborhood in great droves.
Residents of Mount Vernon are not allotted parking permits, and no matter how conscientious we may be, free parking is very limited and we are sure to rack up a ticket or two each month.
I imagine the city has come to rely on the revenue it collects from parking tickets in this area and is very reluctant to consider granting us permits. Still, I resent the expense and inconvenience created by their refusal to allow us free parking.
If Baltimore doesn't have the manpower to do a better job of protecting us and our cars at night, it could at least give us a break and give Mount Vernon residents parking permits.
Claudia Friedlander
Baltimore
Head Start helps kids manage the stress of city life
I support programs aimed at inner-city youth such as Head Start.
As an occupational therapy student, I have grown tired of seeing the disproportionate number of young clients from the inner city who present problems such as manic behavior, major depression and drug abuse.
I am sure that there are many other Evening Sun readers in the health professions who have seen the great numbers of inner-city kids who are victims of shootings or stabbings. And we have all heard of the tremendous problems the overloaded judicial system is facing in the district courts. It's time to take preventive measures: Head Start is such a measure.
I have read may times that some readers oppose funding for Head Start programs. Instead of spending a few hundred dollars per person that will at worst lead a child in a positive direction, we are willing to spend up to $30,000 per year to house, feed and provide for a convicted criminal. Does this make any sense?
Programs such as Head Start teach kids valuable skills such as appropriate social behavior and strategies for coping with stress.
Head Start fosters positive self-images and respect for others. These are important qualities that many criminals and drug abusers lack.
The absence of effective coping strategies for everyday stresses may trigger psychotic symptoms in patients susceptible to mental disorders.
Head Start allows our kids to be exposed to positive adults in a fTC supportive environment. Not everyone can be saved by this program. However, its success rate is far better than that of the prison system.
City life, especially poverty-stricken areas, imposes stresses that few adults, let alone children, can handle.
Imagine being the victim or witness to violent crimes on a regular basis, or having to dodge Wild West-type gunfights every day.
Imagine not being able to play outside because your mother fears you will be the next victim the police outline in that all too familiar yellow chalk.
This is the reality for many kids today. Combine this social deprivation with the absence of a support system to rely on and you have the present situation.
We have many beautiful citizens in Baltimore who are willing to give the time to make a difference but are unable to because the forums are so limited, under-funded and few and far between.
It's time we adopted preventive measures such as Head Start rather than rely on temporary, Band-aid solutions.
Compare the success rates of those that have had the opportunity to enter Head Start programs with those that have not.
Let's spend our tax dollars to show a child how to be successful in this world. Let's save our future.
Christopher Parker
Baltimore